Kerry Gibson, “Youth Mental Health in New Zealand.”

Kerry Gibson is a Professor of Psychology and clinical psychologist based at the University of Auckland. She leads The Mirror Project which highlights the lived experience of young people experiencing mental health distress and identifies their own priorities for mental health support.

We try to understand why mental health problems amongst young people have increased so rapidly in recent times. While there is considerable debate amongst adults parents and professionals about the ‘crisis’ in youth mental health, young people themselves are seldom included in these conversations. Drawing from my research with young people around New Zealand, I will talk about the big issues affecting young people’s mental health and share some ideas about how to tackle this issue.

Kerry is the author of numerous research articles on youth mental health, including the book: What Young People Want from Mental Health Services: A Youth Informed Approach for the Digital Age published by Routledge in 2022. Kerry is a fellow and former president of the New Zealand Psychological Society and currently serves on the Youthline Trust Board.