Raul Szekely
Postgraduate Research Student
BSc (Hons), MSc, AFHEA
Academic and research departments
Digital World Research Centre, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.About
My research project
Reducing mental health stigma among healthcare professionals in training using immersive VRHealthcare professionals, as for the general public, frequently hold stigmatising attitudes towards mental illness. This may affect the care and treatment a person with mental health difficulties receives, including treatment for physical problems. It is therefore fundamental to better educate and train healthcare professionals about mental health from the perspective of individuals with lived experience, and, critically, to increase empathy and understanding. Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) offers a novel and innovative possibility to do this by manipulating aspects of reality and providing insight into the experience of individuals living with mental health difficulties. Drawing from the fields of healthcare education, mental health, and digital innovation, my PhD will explore how immersive VR can be deployed to better train healthcare professionals to reduce their stigma of mental illness and improve the care of patients with mental health difficulties. Throughout the research process, emphasis will be placed on collaborative and participative approaches by engaging with lived experience experts and healthcare educators.
Supervisors
Healthcare professionals, as for the general public, frequently hold stigmatising attitudes towards mental illness. This may affect the care and treatment a person with mental health difficulties receives, including treatment for physical problems. It is therefore fundamental to better educate and train healthcare professionals about mental health from the perspective of individuals with lived experience, and, critically, to increase empathy and understanding. Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) offers a novel and innovative possibility to do this by manipulating aspects of reality and providing insight into the experience of individuals living with mental health difficulties. Drawing from the fields of healthcare education, mental health, and digital innovation, my PhD will explore how immersive VR can be deployed to better train healthcare professionals to reduce their stigma of mental illness and improve the care of patients with mental health difficulties. Throughout the research process, emphasis will be placed on collaborative and participative approaches by engaging with lived experience experts and healthcare educators.
University roles and responsibilities
- Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA)
- Academic Tutor
My qualifications
2022 - Ongoing
PhD Applied Psychology
University of Surrey
2023
PGCert Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (Distinction, AFHEA pathway)
University of Surrey
2020 - 2021
MSc Organisational Psychiatry and Psychology (Distinction)
King's College London
2017 - 2020
BSc Psychology (First Class Honours)
Brunel University London
Ad-hoc reviewer
- DIGITAL HEALTH (Sage Publications)
ResearchResearch interests
- Mental health stigma
- Healthcare education and training
- Psychosocial interventions in applied settings
- Virtual reality and digital technologies
- Collaborative and participatory research
Research interests
- Mental health stigma
- Healthcare education and training
- Psychosocial interventions in applied settings
- Virtual reality and digital technologies
- Collaborative and participatory research
Teaching
I support teaching and learning across the following modules:
- Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis (PSY1020/PSYM094)
- Social Psychology with Research Methods (PSY1019)
- Psychology of Global Challenges (PSY1033)
Publications
Highlights
Publications
- Szekely, R., Mason, O., Frohlich, D., & Barley, E. (2024). Acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary evaluation of an animated VR game for reducing mental health stigma in healthcare students and trainees: A mixed-method study. Mental Health and Digital Technologies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHDT-03-2024-0010
- Szekely, R. (2024). A health psychology for all: The case of mental health in health research – Reflections from the DHP conference and ways forward. Health Psychology Update, 33(1), 36-40. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpshpu.2024.33.1.36
- Szekely, R., & Ciobanu, C. (2024). Mental health and wellbeing of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) staff: An occupational psychology perspective. Occupational Psychology Outlook, 3(1), 36-43. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsopo.2024.3.1.36
- Szekely, R., Mazreku, S., Bignell, A., Fadel, C., Iannelli, H., Vega, M.O., O'Sullivan, O.P., Tiley, C., & Attoe, C. (2024). The efficacy of psychoeducation to improve personal skills and well-being among health-care professionals returning to clinical practice: a pilot pre-post study. The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, 19(2), 61-73. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-11-2022-0089
- Farmer, G., & Szekely, R. (2024, January 29). The acceptability of serious games for the management of mental health: A brief review of published work. MultiPlay - The Network for Multidisciplinary Research on Digital Play and Games. https://multiplaynetwork.org/2024/01/29/the-acceptability-of-serious-games-for-the-management-of-mental-health-a-brief-review-of-published-work-by-george-farmer-raul-szekely/
- Szekely, R., Mason, O., Frohlich, D., & Barley, E. (2024). ‘It’s not everybody’s snapshot. It’s just an insight into that world’: A qualitative study of multiple perspectives towards understanding the mental health experience and addressing stigma in healthcare students through virtual reality. Digital Health, 10, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076231223801
- Szekely, R., Mason, O., Frohlich, D., & Barley, E. (2023). The use of virtual reality to reduce mental health stigma among healthcare and non-healthcare students: a systematic review. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2023.2232049
- Wranik, W. D., Szekely, R. R., Mayer, S., Hiligsmann, M., & Cheung, K. L. (2021). The most important facilitators and barriers to the use of Health Technology Assessment in Canada: a best–worst scaling approach. Journal of Medical Economics, 24(1), 846-856. https://doi.org/10.1080/13696998.2021.1946326
- Szekely, R. (2020). Humans are social beings, but to what extent? PsychTalk, 1(96), 10-12. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpstalk.2020.1.96.10
Posters & Conference presentations
- Szekely, R., Mason, O., Frohlich, D., & Barley, E. (2024, June 19-21). Acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary evaluation of an animated virtual reality (VR) game for reducing mental health stigma in healthcare students and trainees [Oral presentation]. Second International Digital Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference, Ulster University, Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
- Szekely, R. (2024, May 23). Acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary evaluation of an animated virtual reality (VR) game for reducing mental health stigma in healthcare student and trainees [Oral presentation]. School of Psychology Research Student Conference 2024, University of Surrey, Guildford, England.
- Szekely, R. (2024, March 12). Acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary evaluation of an animated virtual reality (VR) game for reducing mental health stigma in healthcare students and trainees [Oral presentation]. Health Psychology Research Group Meeting, School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, England.
- Szekely, R. (2023, November 29). 'It's not everybody's snapshot. It's just an insight into that world': A qualitative study of multiple perspectives towards understanding the mental health experience and addressing stigma in healthcare students through virtual reality (VR) [Oral presentation]. Maternal, Child and Family Health Research Cluster Meeting, School of Health Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, England.
- Szekely, R., Mason, O., Frohlich, D., & Barley, E. (2023, November 9–10). 'It's not everybody's snapshot. It's just an insight into that world': A qualitative study of multiple perspectives towards understanding the mental health experience and addressing stigma in healthcare students through virtual reality (VR) [Poster presentation]. International Virtual Reality in Mental Health Conference, University Medical Centre, Groningen, the Netherlands.
- Szekely, R., Mason, O., Frohlich, D., & Barley, E. (2023, June 13–14). The use of virtual reality (VR) to reduce mental health stigma among healthcare and non-healthcare students: a systematic review [Poster presentation]. British Psychological Society (BPS) Division of Health Psychology Annual Conference 2023 ‘Current challenges and innovative solutions in Health Psychology’, Sheffield, England.
- Szekely, R. (2023, April 20). Virtual reality (VR) to tackle mental health stigma in healthcare students: Research progress and next steps [Poster presentation]. School of Psychology Research Student Conference 2023, University of Surrey, Guildford, England.
- Szekely, R. (2022, May 3). Mental health and well-being among Intensive Care Unit (ICU) staff: An occupational psychology perspective [Oral presentation]. Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre Monthly Learning Hour, London, England.