The TV program “Terra Xplore” explores the question What is empathy and can it be learnt?. Among other protagonists, the show follows Isabel Dziobek, who shares her experience in the field of empathy research and presents some amazing work from the Lab like the Zirkus Empathico or the EVA/SCOTT training.
The documentary will be broadcast on September 03, 2023 at 18:00 on ZDF (in German) and can already be watched in the ZDF Mediathek. Link to the full size video (in German)
Smart and Well: encouraging conversations about mental health in academiaIt is no secret that universities are high-pressure environments, where students are under constant stress to achieve top grades, secure internships and keep up with coursework. This pressure is only amplified when you are looking to move into academia and pursue a career in research. The demands of academia can be immense: from stressful deadlines, the expectation to constantly achieve in order to maintain the place in the field, and the need to keep up with an ever-changing environment. With contracts often lasting only a few years and having to move around frequently to find work it can become difficult to plan for the future or maintain personal and professional relationships. With all this in mind, it is no surprise that mental health issues are on the rise. Academia can be rewarding in many ways and while the causes of mental health issues are complex and varied, for many academics, the only way to cope with the constant pressure is to sacrifice their personal well-being. The impact of mental health issues on academics should not, therefore, be underestimated. This is something that needs to be addressed more openly in universities, as it can have repercussions even on the most resilient individuals. Smart and Well is an initiative of a group of students and researchers from different institutions in Berlin aiming to increase awareness about mental health in academia. The mission of the project is set to foster well-being and prevent distress in students and early career researchers by providing information on, creating awareness for, and destigmatising the topic of mental health. The team is currently working on an interview series with experts in different mental health-related fields such as psychology, healthcare, coaching, and others. Based on surveys conducted by some of the group members, the conversations with experts will address topics that are currently prevalent among academics based in Germany. Some topics that will be covered are for instance academic-related stress management, depression and anxiety among students and early career researchers, the available support provided by healthcare institutions in Germany and many more. All this is a step further towards encouraging open conversations about mental health in academia, enforcing appropriate work/life balance, and providing adequate support for students and researchers when needed. With proper awareness, care and knowledge that help is available, academics should be able to reach their full potential without sacrificing their well-being.The Smart and Well initiative has been kindly encouraged by Scholar Minds, the Institute of Psychology of the Humboldt University and the Hochschulisches Gesundheitsmanagement of the Humboldt University. The project would not have been able to reach its extent without the great support of the funding program for digital media in research, teaching, and studies “Designing hybrid learning 2022” developed by the Media Commission of the Academic Senate of the Humboldt University. Thanks to the support of this program, it has been possible to acquire professional recording equipment and hire a student assistant to take care of the technical setup, do research, and facilitate communication with the experts.The interviews will be released later this year in a podcast format which will be available for free on many well-known streaming platforms. The podcast will be useful for but not limited to anyone studying and pursuing an academic degree in Germany. More updates about the project will be available soon.If you have in mind a specific topic that you would like to hear or maybe talk about on the podcast, you are more than welcome to get in touch by emailing the Smart and Well team at smartwell.hgm@hu-berlin.de.
“Nicht einfach nur schüchtern.” (“Not just shy.”)
Article in the “Psychologie Heute” from Angelika s. Friedl (04.11.2021). In interview with Isabel Dziobek among others.
The article deals with gender differences in individuals with Autism spectrum disorders.
Autism spectrum disorders are often associated with male gender. Diagnostic bias due to differences in male and female autistic individuals may have an impact on this.
In practice, Isabel Dziobek tells us, the gender distribution looks quite different.
In addition to the differences, general aspects and similarities of males and females in the autism spectrum are described.
You will find the original article here (link to the Website of the magazine “Psychologie Heute”, registration necessary for reading).
Interessiert? Lesen Sie mehr!In the ERIK project we are working on the development of a robotic platform to support novel interaction strategies in children with impaired socio-emotional skills. See how a session with the robot looks like! [DE]
In her interview for the Max Planck Schools, Isabel talks about her passion for science, how important it is to develop self-confidence as a female scientist and how this can be supported by targeted leadership programs.
You can find the full interview (in English) here.
In our digital intervention tools, S.C.O.T.T. and Zirkus Empathico were documented on behalf of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a Deutsche Welle contribution. Isabel Dziobek reports about their benefits for individuals on the autism spectrum and Zirkus Empathico is tested for the first time with an autistic boy (production by CONTEXT FILM Produktion for doc.station Medienproduktion GmbH; in German).
The TV program “nano” from September 24, 2019 (min. 17.30, in German) reports about the “Virtual Interaction Task” (VIT) that was developed by Hanna Drimalla and Isabel Dziobek. And, for the first time, an autistic boy accompanied by Isabel Dziobek meets our robot “Pepper” (project “ERIK” on child-robot interaction).
In an article on non-violent communication, Renata Wacker explained how the GFK-training (a study Isabel Dziobek and Renata Wacker conducted in 2016), helped participants to express their own negative emotions in words.
To learn more, read the full article here (in German)!
Simone Kirst was interviewed on Zirkus Empathico by the radio program “Wissen”, Kulturradio RBB, Rundfunkt Berlin Brandenburg. Play the interview below (in German)!
