Project summary
Many people experiencing mental health difficulties delay seeking help, struggle to find the right support, or disengage along the way. Help-seeking is often viewed as an individual choice, yet it is shaped within a wider system of relationships, social norms, services, technologies, and policies that interact in ways that are hard to predict.
This PhD project offers the opportunity to investigate help-seeking for mental health, with scope to shape the focus around the candidate's interests. Possible directions include the mechanisms that drive or hinder help-seeking, how people navigate and choose between formal and informal sources of support, and how help-seeking differs across populations and contexts. Using systems thinking and systems science approaches, the candidate will generate new insights to inform better-designed services, policies, and interventions.
The PhD project is embedded within an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) investigating help-seeking for self-harm in young people. The DECRA project uses a novel integration of psychological and systems science approaches to develop theoretical and methodological insights into help-seeking research. Expected outcomes include a new model of help-seeking, and improved decision-making capabilities via the co-design and prospective modelling of potential policy interventions to improve help-seeking.
Applications close
29 November 2026 11:25pm
To complete an application you will need to create an account and login to the HDR scholarships portal.
Position summary
This PhD scholarship offers an opportunity to undertake research on help-seeking for mental health, using systems thinking and systems science approaches. Many people delay seeking help, struggle to find the right support, or disengage along the way. Rather than treating help-seeking as an individual choice, this project views help-seeking as part of a wider system of relationships, social norms, services, technologies, and policies that interact in complex ways.
The project is intentionally flexible, and the successful candidate will work with the supervisory team to shape a focus that matches their interests and skills. Possible directions include examining the mechanisms that enable or hinder help-seeking, exploring how people navigate and choose between formal and informal sources of support, or investigating how help-seeking differs across populations and settings. Depending on the focus, the student may use methods such as causal loop diagramming, system dynamics, agent-based modelling, participatory modelling, or mixed-methods approaches, with training provided.
The candidate will join a supportive and collaborative research environment, with regular supervision, opportunities to engage with people with lived experience, clinicians, service providers, and policy makers, and support to present and publish their work.
Eligibility
1. Domestic applicants only - Australian, New Zealand citizen or Australian permanent resident.
Ideal Candidate
They will have a strong work ethic, excellent problem-solving skills, and the resilience to work through setbacks and uncertainty.
We welcome applications from candidates who think critically, are comfortable working across disciplines, and are keen to learn new methods and skills. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential, as is the ability to collaborate with supervisors, other research colleagues, and external stakeholders. The candidate should be comfortable with feedback and be committed to high standards of ethical and rigorous research practice.
The candidate can be based anywhere in Australia.
Inclusions
The full-time candidature period is 3 years, with the possibility of a 6-month extension. Coverage for the domestic HDR student includes:
- Stipend - $38,000 (AUD) per annum, paid fortnightly and is tax-free for full-time students.
- Tuition fees - Full coverage, with a value of $29 300 per annum.
- Relocation allowance - Up to $2,000 to relocate to a UniSC campus
All inclusions are in accordance with UniSC RTP Research scholarship conditions
Contact
Jolene Cox
Email: [email protected]