Awards & Research

Awards

  • Shortlisted for the Mental Health Commission Good Outcomes Awards (2013) – Category six – Dr Mark Rooney Award for improved outcomes in child youth mental health sponsored by the Commissioner for Children and Young People.
  • Suicide Prevention Australia’s LIFE Award in the Youth Category (2008)
  • Curtin University’s Division of Health Sciences’ Research Group of the Year (2004)

Past Research Projects

2019: Aussie Optimism: I Spy Feelings: Investigating program efficacy in pre-primary over 3 months. A pilot study.

2015-2019: The Effectiveness of Aussie Optimism: Evaluation of a whole school approach.

2013–2014: Aussie Optimism: Enhancing the effects of the Positive Thinking Program: A longitudinal evaluation.

2010-2013: Aussie Optimism Positive Thinking Skills Program: Preventing Childhood Internalising disorders: 42 and 54 months follow-up.

2008-2009: Aussie Optimism Positive Thinking Skills Program: Prevention of Internalizing Disorders in 9-10 year old children: Efficacy of the Aussie Optimism Positive Thinking Skills Program at 30-month follow-up.

2007-2008: Aussie Optimism Secondary Dissemination

2004-2007: Aussie Optimism Positive Thinking Skills Program Universal Randomised Controlled Trial   Prevention of internalising disorders in 8-9 year olds

2003-2006: Aussie Optimism Positive Thinking Skills program: The prevention of Depression in 8 to 9-year old children: a pilot study.

2002: Aussie Optimism Universal Randomised Controlled Dissemination Trial: Diffusion and dissemination of a mental health innovation in an educational setting

2001-2004: Aussie Optimism Parents and Families Program Universal Controlled Trial of a family-based mental health promotion for younger adolescents

2000-2002: Aussie Optimism Social Life Skills and Optimistic Thinking Skills Programs, A Universal Randomised Controlled Trial. The prevention of internalising problems in children: The effectiveness of a universal version of the Aussie Optimism Program.

Research Grants

2018-2021: $884.084 - Government of WA Mental Health Commission (Administering institution: Curtin University of Technology). Expanding the “Aussie Optimism” project in both metropolitan and rural Education Districts in Western Australia. (Chief Investigators: Dr. R. Rooney, & Dr. R.T. Kane).

2014-2016: $120,000 – Government of WA Mental Health Commission (Administering institution: Curtin University of Technology). Expanding the “Aussie Optimism” project in both metropolitan and rural Education Districts in Western Australia: Feelings and Friends and Positive Thinking Program dissemination (Chief Investigators: Dr. R. Rooney, & Dr. R.T. Kane).

2013–2018: $1,144,920 – Government of WA Mental Health Commission (Administering institution: Curtin University of Technology). Expanding the “Aussie Optimism” project in both metropolitan and rural Education Districts in Western Australia. (Chief Investigators: Assoc. Prof. C. Roberts, Dr. R. Rooney, & Dr. R.T. Kane).

2010-2013: $414,240.  Aussie Optimism Dissemination Project – Secondary Dissemination continued.  WA Mental Health Commission. (Roberts, C., Ho, M., Rooney, R., & Kane, R.)

2010–2012: $340,000, Healthway Project Grant. Enhancing the effects of the Positive Thinking Program: A longitudinal evaluation. ( Rooney, C. Roberts, R. Kane, M. Nesa, and S. Hassan).

2008-2009: $214,209, Healthway Project Grant.  Preventing childhood internalising Disorders: 42 and 54-months follow-up (R.Rooney, C.Roberts, R.Kane, S. Silburn and Nesa, M).

2008–2010: $317,333 – Healthway Research Project Grant. Preventing challenging behaviours in children with intellectual disabilities. Chief Investigators: Assoc. Prof. C. Roberts, Prof M. Sanders, Mr T. Mazzuchelli, & Ms L. Studman (with associate investigators Dr. R.T. Kane, & Dr N. Walsh).

2006–2009: $562,207, WA Office of Mental Health.  Aussie Optimism Dissemination Project – Secondary Dissemination. (C. Roberts, R. Kane, R. Rooney, Y. Pintabona, & M. Nesa).

2006–2010: $121,988 – WA Office of Mental Health (Administering institution: Curtin University of Technology). Expanding the “Aussie Optimism” project in both metropolitan and rural Education Districts in Western Australia. (Chief Investigators: Assoc. Prof. C. Roberts, Dr. R.T. Kane, & Dr. R. Rooney).

Curtin University