Join us for a lively and thought-provoking discussion about the future of mental healthcare and how we can harness new technologies without losing clinical expertise, critical reflection and human connection.
Social media, online communities and generative AI are changing how people understand and manage their mental health. Increasingly, people use digital platforms to interpret symptoms, explore diagnoses and seek advice, often before speaking with a health professional.
These tools can help people better understand their experiences, find community and advocate for care, particularly when concerns have previously been overlooked. But what happens when information is inaccurate, technology reinforces existing beliefs, or self-diagnosis replaces professional support?
Our expert panel will explore the opportunities and risks of this rapidly evolving landscape. When can social media and AI be helpful, and when might they cause harm? Can AI safely support therapy and self-management? What safeguards are needed, and where does human expertise remain essential?
The discussion will conclude with a Q&A, followed by refreshments.
| Date | Wednesday 7 October 2026 |
| Time | 5:45 pm for 6-8:30 pm Refreshments from 7:30 pm |
| Venue | Susan Wakil Health Building, Lecture Theatre 321, Western Ave, Camperdown, The University of Sydney |
| Registration | Free and open to all. Registration is essential. |
Frank Iorfino is an Associate Professor and NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, whose work focuses on the intersection of youth mental health and digital technology. His research aims to improve mental health care for young people through approaches such as clinical staging, measurement-based care and digital phenotyping, helping to better understand how mental ill-health develops and how care can be tailored to individual needs over time.
His work explores how AI and digital technologies can support more responsive, personalised and scalable mental health care. Frank collaborates closely with health services and industry partners to translate research into practice, with a strong focus on developing tools and systems that are safe, evidence-based and effective in real-world settings.
He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, and his research has been supported by the NHMRC, Medical Research Future Fund, Wellcome Trust and philanthropic funding.
Kit Double s a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Sydney and Director of the USYD Meta Lab. He completed his PhD at the University of Sydney in 2018 and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oxford from 2018 to 2021. He was named Australia’s top psychology researcher by The Australian in both 2025 and 2026.
He has published more than 50 papers on how people monitor and manage their thoughts and emotions, how accurately they understand their own minds, and the consequences of self-assessment. His research examines how self-judgements influence thinking, behaviour, strategy selection and confidence, as well as emotion regulation and emotional support, including whether support is genuinely helpful.
Kit's research has been funded by the Australian Research Council, and he has worked with organisations including the Education Endowment Foundation, the UK Government and the OECD.
Elizabeth Seeley-Wait is a clinical psychologist, academic and board-approved clinical supervisor with more than 20 years' experience working with children, adolescents and adults across a broad range of mental health presentations. She established two psychology practices nearly 20 years ago, with clinics on Sydney's North Shore and in Parramatta.
Elizabeth is a lecturer in the Master of Clinical Psychology program at the University of Sydney, where she teaches, conducts research and supervises emerging psychologists. Her research interests include cross-cultural psychology, anxiety disorders, health psychology and higher education.
She holds a Master's degree and PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a Master of Education from Harvard University, and completed a psychology fellowship at Yale School of Medicine. Alongside her longstanding interest in how psychologists understand, formulate and diagnose mental health difficulties, she is exploring both the potential and limitations of AI in psychological practice and education.
Alyx Gorman is lifestyle editor of Guardian Australia, and author of the longlisted Walkley Book Award non-fiction title All Women Want.
