From September 3 to 6, the DATA Lab team was present at the EABCT 2025 conference, celebrating its 55th edition in Glasgow, Scotland. Every PhD student had the opportunity to present their work this year and receive valuable feedback from international colleagues.

We took the opportunity to attend as many workshops and symposia as possible, feeling that we returned home better practitioners. We are starting the new academic year with a lot of energy and can’t wait to apply everything we learned in our future projects

Together with the PhD students and Professor Oana David, we marked the end of an intense yet rewarding year through a festive gathering. The event was an opportunity to reflect on each individual’s academic journey, share recent achievements, and strengthen our team spirit. In a warm and friendly atmosphere, we celebrated both individual and collective progress and took a well-deserved pause before the challenges of the upcoming year.

We look forward to future collaborations and hope that the next academic year will bring new projects and opportunities for shared growth.

Psychologists and PhD candidates Simona Miron and Georgiana Modog led two interactive workshops for 3rd-grade students from the “Spectrum” International Informatics High School, where they explored emotions, self-regulation, and… had fun playing! The children enthusiastically engaged with REThink Game, a therapeutic game that turns emotional learning into an exciting adventure.

For parents and teachers, psychologist Simona Miron also delivered a presentation on the positive impact of technology on mental health, highlighting the scientific evidence behind REThink Game and REThink Life.

We’re thrilled to have contributed to such a valuable discussion on education, emotions, and digital innovation!

We’re happy to share the experience of the DATA Lab team, who were invited last weekend to the CyberHeroes 2025 conference to present their latest innovations! This year’s theme – “Raising the Digital Generation: The Role of AI in Education” – brought us into the heart of an event dedicated to the future of education and emotional balance in the digital age.

Psychologists and PhD candidates Simona Miron and Georgiana Modog led two interactive workshops for 3rd-grade students from the “Spectrum” International Informatics High School, where they explored emotions, self-regulation, and… had fun playing! The children enthusiastically engaged with REThink Game, a therapeutic game that turns emotional learning into an exciting adventure.

For parents and teachers, psychologist Simona Miron also delivered a presentation on the positive impact of technology on mental health, highlighting the scientific evidence behind REThink Game and REThink Life.

We’re thrilled to have contributed to such a valuable discussion on education, emotions, and digital innovation!

Professor Oana David, Ph.D., Director of the Institute, spoke in an interview for Pagina de Psihologie about the importance of scientifically validated psychological interventions, with a focus on supporting parents through evidence-based methods.

As the co-author of the first Romanian textbook dedicated to scientifically validated parenting interventions, Professor Oana David explains why it is essential to provide parents with effective, research-based solutions rather than relying on myths or outdated theories.

Read the full interview here: https://buff.ly/UGOB1vC

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.

In a recent interview, Professor Oana David, PhD, Director of the Babeș-Bolyai University PsyTech Clinic and coordinator of the DATA Lab, spoke about REThink Life Game, a therapeutic video game.

REThink Life Game is not just a game, but a scientifically validated tool that translates cognitive-behavioral techniques into interactive experiences, with the goal of developing essential emotional skills. “It’s like a therapy session, but delivered in a different way—more natural for children—through play. The tasks are engaging, and progress in the game reflects real improvements in users’ emotional well-being,” professor Oana David explained in the interview.

Watch the full interview here.

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.