The road ahead

This is part of a 3-part blog

Revolutionizing schools using DLE

In recent years, THA has focused on how the power of digital lived experience (DLE) can be used in different layers of society. Community, workplaces, the health care system and schools became the main focus areas. 

The rising concern over young people's mental health triggered a high school in Oslo to reach out to THA to pilot a program using DLE resources in their classrooms. This half-day pilot where 400 pupils delved into videos about bullying, identity, and self-image left both teachers and THA in awe. The teachers felt it was easy to use, and the pupils reported high engagement and benefit. Since then, THA have partnered with committed stakeholders to develop “The Life Mastery Platform” for high school and upper secondary level (13-16 & 16-19 year olds). The opportunity to create a national platform beyond the pilot arose when the Norwegian government in 2020 launched a new interdisciplinary topic, “life mastery”, where mental health was one of three themes. Each theme with underlying objectives that pupils must acquire during their three years. Teachers across Norway shared their frustrations over an already pressured curriculum and time schedule that couldn’t tackle more goals, even though they all agreed the topics were important. The government did not launch any tools to achieve the new ambition goals, and THA saw their unique position to provide a solution for all parties.

Now after 5 years of massive collaborative effort together with schools, volunteers, funders and other stakeholders, THA will launch the platforms in the fall of 2025. Giving schools across Norway free access to 100+ teaching programs in upper secondary school and 200+ at High School level. Since the teachers did not have more space to include social-emotional learning into the curriculum, the unique thing about the programs is that they are designed around the competence goals in the subjects.

Meaning teachers find programs in all subjects; English, maths, social science, history, religion, athletics, artistry and beyond, and all the programs also meet one or more of the objectives under the interdisciplinary life mastery and public health goals.

This spring, THA collected preliminary data from a selection of the demonstration schools to explore the impact on the pupils after just 6 programs. The data will be analyzed this summer and released as part of the launch, while the project continues to gain traction and interest from stakeholders and politics in Norway and beyond.

See an example of the innovative program created for the English subject - here

DLE as a tool in preventive and proactive treatment

To assist companies, THA supports them to utilize DLE in workshops and awareness campaigns in addition to delivering direct talks and upskilling on how to nurture better mental health for their employees. THA collaborates with companies working to support people back to work, and here, THA resources are used in a structured way by the case workers to support the candidates on their path back into work or education.

Mental health professionals have used THA as an important part of psychoeducation and as a tool for homework in therapy for years, but since the library is designed for the end user, the need for a professional platform grew. With Accenture and committed professionals joining heads, THA have been developing  the professional platform for the last three years. This is a platform where professionals can tailor their own reflection pages to match their clients needs and therapeutic journey, on top of selected THA resources.

In the platform, therapists can choose DLE resources based on a professional overview that describes the resources, including coping strategies, professional descriptions of the challenge and suggestions for target groups and ways to use each DLE resource. The platform is now used by a selection of professional environments, while it is being further developed for national and international launch during the year. Especially focusing on enriching the user experience for the clients to make sure it increases their engagement in their own change work and therapy. Read more about the platform here 

Expanding insight and data on the use of DLE in professional settings

In recent years, THA has worked with partners to increase data around the use of DLE.

1. Qualitative study on university students' experiences with THA videos

Together with Kristiania University College, this study explored college students' experiences with THA videos incorporated into curriculum and exams - Poster

2. “Sterkere Sammen” (stronger together) - Peer Support Groups

This is an observational study in which THA looked at the experiences of participants in peer support groups, where THA resources combined with reflection activities were an integrated part of 3 sessions for a 6-session program - Report link

3. Feasibility and Acceptability of Integrating THA Videos into Problem-Solving Therapy

This is a study conducted in collaboration with Friendship Bench, which will be carried out over the next few months in Zimbabwe. See the DLE resource page developed in Zimbabwe with THA interviews from the interview tour - Link here

4. Evaluation of DLE programs in upper secondary school pupils

This project, based on “mental health literacy principles,” builds on pilot studies from high school level. The study was conducted during spring 2025 to examine the impact of using THA-developed DLE programs in 6 sessions over a 6 week period. The data has been collected and will be analyzed in the summer of 2025.

Beyond traditional digitization

THA's resources are not traditional digitization; it is the use of digital lived experience to deepen our conversations in everyday life, both between us and with our professional supporters. Conversations that can create space for increased vulnerability in everyday life, so that when life's crises challenge our identities, we are better equipped to face them. Because THA works on the principle that upskilling on one or more of the six levels that THA resources seek to obtain increases our resilience. Life is a journey and the basic element of our work is that we humans are shaped just as much by our lived experience as by our heritage and environment, because as post-traumatic growth theory suggests, our greatest challenges can create the potential for deep human growth. Especially if we use it as motivation for deeper change work, as my own two encounters with meaninglessness did in my life. Without them and the other challenges I have faced, I would not have started The Human Aspect. My story is now one of 750 lived experience journeys that can inspire others to take steps in their paths of change. We believe that the power of lived experience helps us connect, both with each other, our helpers and ourselves, empowering our ability to work for change within ourselves and for the world.

Other insights and studies on the power of DLE:

1. Ogbeiwi, O., Khan, W., Stott, K., Zaluczkowska, A., & Doyle, M. (2024). A systematic review of digital storytelling as psychotherapy for people with mental health needs. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 34(2), 115–132. https://doi.org/10.1037/int0000325 

2. Thomas, N., Farhall, J., Foley, F., Leitan, N. D., Villagonzalo, K. A., Ladd, E., Nunan, C., Farnan, S., Frankish, R., Smark, T., Rossell, S. L., Sterling, L., Murray, G., Castle, D. J., & Kyrios, M. (2016). Promoting Personal Recovery in People with Persisting Psychotic Disorders: Development and Pilot Study of a Novel Digital Intervention. Frontiers in psychiatry, 7, 196. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00196 

3. Farhall, J., Castle, D., Constantine, E., Foley, F., Kyrios, M., Rossell, S., Arnold, C., Leitan, N., Villagonzalo, K. A., Brophy, L., Fossey, E., Meyer, D., Mihalopoulos, C., Murray, G., Nunan, C., Sterling, L., & Thomas, N. (2023). Using a digital personal recovery resource in routine mental health practice: feasibility, acceptability and outcomes. Journal of mental health (Abingdon, England), 32(3), 567–574. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2022.2118688