Last weekend, the DATA Lab team attended the Multi and Interdisciplinary Team Conference in Support of the Child and Adolescent, where we hosted an engaging workshop titled

“Developing Emotional Regulation Skills Through Online Therapeutic Games”

During the workshop, we had the opportunity to present the therapeutic games developed within DATA Lab – REThink Game and REThink Life Game – designed to support young people’s emotional regulation through innovative and interactive methods.

On January 18th, the interactive workshop Learning About Emotions Through Play took place, dedicated to parents and children over the age of 8. The event provided an innovative approach to understanding and managing emotions through the REThink Game, a scientifically validated tool designed to support emotional regulation.

Under the guidance of two of our psychologists and PhD Students, Eliza Atudosie and Georgiana Modog, parents and children learned how to transform complex emotions into a personal growth experience through play. Through practical activities and methods inspired by Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), participants discovered new ways to manage emotions in a safe and friendly environment.

On November 14th, the event called  “How to Increase Job Satisfaction Through Motivation and Engagement” brought together experts in organizational psychology and management to explore key questions around employee motivation and building successful teams.Representing Data Lab, Prof. Dr. Oana David delivered a presentation titled “What Can Organizations Do to Support the Motivation of Generation Z?” The program featured interactive sessions and Q&A segments, providing participants with practical solutions that can be directly applied in professional settings

The conference, titled “How to Raise Our Children in the Digital Age,” held on November 12th in Cluj, brought together experts to explore the challenges and opportunities that digitalization presents in education and parenting. One of the event’s highlights was a lecture by Professor Oana David PhD, head of the DATA Lab, who emphasized the role of technology in supporting the emotional regulation of children. The event offered practical solutions for parents and educators, promoting a balanced approach to the rapid technological shifts while underscoring the importance of conscious and responsible digital education.

The team from the Institute coordinating the national consortium of the international initiative on student mental health – World Mental Health International College Student Initiative – is honored to participate in the annual conference organized by Harvard Medical School! This invitation-based participation represents an extraordinary opportunity to present the results achieved in our projects. We are proud to be part of this prestigious event and look forward to collaborating with other experts to improve the mental health of students globally.

Our team has finalized the BEING Project, a new innovative international mental health initiative implemented in 13 countries, co-funded by Grand Challenges Canada, Foundation Botnar, and United for Global Mental Health. The project aimed to improve access to mental health services, develop digital interventions, and address the specific needs of marginalized youth, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The final report identified key factors contributing to mental health challenges in Romania, including bullying, stigmatization, socio-economic difficulties, limited access to specialized mental health services, and cultural barriers that hinder open discussions about mental health. The report also emphasized the importance of integrating digital tools and platforms to offer scalable, cost-effective mental health support, ensuring that more young people have access to the care they need. The full report can be consulted here.

Within the press conference held by Babeș-Bolyai University, through DATA Lab, regarding the launching the innovative REThink Life Game, Prof. Univ. Dr. Oana David offered a walk-through of the game and its main purpose of training emotional regulation skills. You can read the article in full here.

Launching of the REThink Life Game

Babeș-Bolyai University, through DATA Lab, recently hosted a press conference launching the innovative REThink Life Game, a 3D therapeutic game designed to train emotional regulation skills. Developed by Prof. Univ. Dr. Oana David in the DATA Lab, the game is part of the project “REThinkACADEMY: Helping universities in the effective care of students’ mental health in the digital age“, funded by the Ministry of Education.

You can read the articles featuring the game launching below:
https://transilvaniareporter.ro
https://stiintapentruviata.ro
https://cluj-am.ro
https://www.amosnews.ro
https://ziarulfaclia.ro
https://www.agerpres.ro
https://www.habitatcluj.ro

Press conference: Launching the online therapeutic game REThink Life Game

Babeș-Bolyai University invites you to participate in the press conference on the launch of the REThink Life Game therapeutic game. The REThink Life online game is a 3D therapeutic game that uses psychology to train specific emotional regulation skills. REThink Life Game is a stand-alone intervention with an integrated emotional skills assessment system. It is comprised of 4 levels, each training a distinct emotion regulation skill. The characters in the game are real, members of the lab, which helps to increase the ecological validity and difficulty within certain levels. Thus, the role of RETman, the guide in the game, is played by the rector of UBB, Prof. Univ. Dr. Daniel David, and the role of the Optimist who guides the implementation of skills in real life is played by the project director, Prof. Univ. Dr. Oana David. The game is developed in DATA Lab by Prof. Univ. Dr. Oana DAVID, based on a nationally funded research project called “REThinkACADEMY: Supporting universities to effectively care for students’ mental health in the digital age”. The project is financed by the Ministry of Education through the program for Increasing the competitiveness of the Romanian economy, the Demonstration Experimental Project subprogram, with a total budget of 598,495 LEI.

The event will take place on Monday, March 4, 2024, starting at 12:30 p.m., in the International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy building (AVALON building) on Republicii street no. 37. The press conference will have Prof. Univ. Dr. Oana David.

Dr. Oana David is an university professor in the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, within the Babeș-Bolyai University, Director of the International Institute for Advanced Studies in Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health, the DATA laboratory and the Babeș-Bolyai PsyTech Clinic. Her research is focused on the effectiveness of technology-based tools for preventing emotional disturbances and stress in children, adolescents, and young adults. She has obtained 6 major research grants on the basis of which he developed the following technology-based therapeutic tools: the REThink therapeutic game, the stress management app PsyPills, the MoodWheel and StudentMood emotion monitoring apps, the online Rational and Positive Parenting Program, and the roboRETman mechatronic therapeutic device for training emotional skills in children.

Participating in the XIII-th edition of the “Congress on Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases,” organized by the Romanian Federation of Diabetes, Nutrition, and Metabolic Diseases, provided an opportunity to explore a diverse range of topics including diabetes, mental health, nutrition, metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney diseases, pulmonary diseases, and neurological disorders.

Prof. Univ. Oana David, director of the DATA Lab, participated as a speaker featuring scientific research about mental health and life-style in the context of non-communicable chronic diseases, thereby enhancing dialogue and knowledge sharing within the realm of psychology.

Direct interaction with experts in cardiology, diabetes, psychology and nephrology allowed participants to benefit from the latest knowledge and trends in clinical management. Furthermore, participation in the congress was not only educational but also a step forward in advancing efforts to improve health outcomes and quality of life for individuals affected by chronic non-communicable diseases.

Proud to announce that our article that evaluates the effectiveness of REThink therapeutic online video game in promoting mental health in children and adolescents is aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through the practice open access science.

We are happy to share the participation of the DATA Laboratory team at the AITANA Congress in Valencia, Spain. During the congress, Prof. David, director of the laboratory, coordinated a symposium entitled “Digital Mental Health: Ecological Momentary Assessment and Gamified Therapeutic Tools for Youths”.
In this symposium, we had the opportunity to present current data on technology-assisted psychological assessment and interventions and the latest findings related to tools developed in our laboratory.
Our participation highlights the importance of technological advances in improving the mental health of young people.