HUMANITIES AND HUMAN FLOURISHING PROJECT

Newsletter | December 5, 2025

Advancing the understanding, assessment, and cultivation of well-being by means of a deep and sustained collaboration between the arts, humanities, and social sciences

Spotlight on: Genevieve Dingle

Genevieve Dingle is a registered clinical psychologist and Professor in the School of Psychology, The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. She has a teaching and research role, where she teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students in courses about psychopathology and psychotherapies. Her research has focused on how groups and communities influence mental health and wellbeing. She is interested in non-clinical groups such as choir singing and other arts-based activities that support people’s social connections and wellbeing – also known as ‘social prescribing’. She is the arts and culture on prescription panel lead for the Australian Social Prescribing Institute for Research and Education (ASPIRE) and a member of the Australian Music and Psychology Society, the Arts Health Network (QLD), and the Arts Health Research in Australia collective (AHRIA). Professor Genevieve Dingle | UQ Experts

What is a recent encounter with the arts that contributed to your flourishing in some way?

The choir I co-founded for international university students after the pandemic (UQ Voices) was involved in the Melt festival 1000 Voices event on the weekend. It included 2 days of rehearsals culminating in a massed choir performance for a large audience. The songs ranged from soulful and tender to joyful and upbeat. We made friends with the people sitting next to us and each choir was clapped on their way back to the stands by the other singers. Such a great way to strengthen an inclusive and proud community around LGBTQIA+ people and allies.

Tell us about your research/work.

I’m a clinical psychologist by training and my research focuses on prevention and recovery from mental health conditions. I have a long-standing interest in understanding how groups and communities influence our mental health and wellbeing, including structured therapy groups and more recently, non-clinical groups such as choir singing and other arts-based activities. Currently, I’m leading an evaluation of a 10-site trial of social prescribing for families and young people (0-18 years) across Queensland. This trial is funded by the Queensland government. My interdisciplinary team will evaluate the reach, retention, and effectiveness of social prescribing for strengthening community connections and thriving in families and young people who experience loneliness.

How did you first become interested in this field?

I facilitated a lot of therapy groups during my PhD and in my work as a psychologist. I noticed that structured psychotherapy groups are not engaging or accessible to everyone, but that introducing music or arts methods provided an alternative way of learning and self-expression for group members. I explored this intersection of clinical and non-clinical activities further in my research. For instance, music activities are particularly good for social bonding and for emotional expression and regulation.

Aside from your own, what research/work do you find especially promising, innovative, or illuminating for your field?

I have just returned from the Ending Loneliness Together national conference in Melbourne. It was interdisciplinary and collegiate, with early career and senior researchers, health professionals, social service professionals, policy makers, lived experience speakers, tech companies and government representatives all coming together to try to solve the issue of loneliness. In a few weeks will be the ASPIRE social prescribing national conference in Brisbane, and I expect a similar intersectional and collegiate gathering with lots of energy and goodwill to make a change on the ground. The idea of harnessing non-clinical activities and resources such as the arts, culture and nature, as part of health, is innovative and offers a promising way forward for holistic care.

Without asking you to divulge too much, what’s on the horizon for your research/work? What topic areas are you excited about exploring more?

I’m keen to explore the intersection between psychology and social prescribing. To map out the terrain and provide psychologists with theories, evidence and practical tools to help us assess and better address loneliness and other social determinants of health affecting our clients. I recently co-chaired a symposium on psychology and social prescribing with Dr John Baranoff from the University of Adelaide, and we are planning to write a book on this topic, so stay tuned!

Genevieve Dingle will be presenting as part of In Conversation (with Melissa Forbes) December 9, 2025 at 4pm ET. For more details, including registration, please click here.

HHF News

• HHF's Katherine N. Cotter (Associate Director of Research) and James O. Pawelski (Director) edited a recently released special issue of the Journal of Positive Psychology. Check out the issue to learn more. (And bonus: many of the articles are not behind a paywall!)

Upcoming Events

We are delighted to continue our fourth season of In Conversation, part of the HHF colloquium series. In Conversation brings scientists and practitioners into dialogue to discuss their work in the arts, culture, and well-being. In Fall 2025, we will hear from innovators working in research institutions and cultural organizations on how engagement in the arts can promote well-being in individuals and communities. We welcome you to join us for these virtual events and to take part in these important exchanges.

• Tuesday, December 9, 2025 | 4:00 to 5:30pm ET - Genevieve Dingle (The University of Queensland) and Melissa Forbes (University of Southern Queensland) will be discussing arts-based social prescribing models and how musicians can develop the positive leadership capabilities. More information and the registration page are available here.

Couldn't make it to one of our past colloquia? Check out the recording on our HHF YouTube Channel.

Other Announcements

• The Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, & the Arts is hosting its third annual research conference in Omaha, Nebraska on March 12-14, 2026. The call for poster presentations is still open through January 23. More information, including conference registration and meeting details, is available here.

This newsletter was created by Sarah Sidoti, Katherine Cotter, and James Pawelski.