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We work closely with the Youth Compass research group and contribute to the development and research work of the Youth Compass online programme to support young people's well-being.

For more information about the Youth Compass research group and the online programme they are developing: /fi/tutkimusryhmat/nuorten-kompassi-tutkimusryhma

We are researching models for supporting and enhancing well-being skills in the school environment, developed in cooperation with Mieli Pohjanmaa Mental Health Association. The main activities include the Magis games and the Oma juttu group models, which aim to improve children's psychological wellbeing. The 'Feeling good' project package includes three three-year development projects funded by Stea. The "Feeling at school" project was launched in 2017 and the latest, the "Feeling good everyday" project, started in 2022.

For more information and all the materials developed in the projects, visit .

What is the Student Compass? 

The Student Compass (Opiskelijan Kompassi in finnish, ‘OK’) is a well-researched, web-based mental wellbeing and life skills program developed at the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥. OK supports students’ mental health, academic functioning, and essential life skills. Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), the program is part of JYU’s Student Life wellbeing model. The operational models of Student Life and the Student Compass are funded by the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥. 
Students can use the program independently or with the support of trained wellbeing coaches—anytime, anywhere, and anonymously. 

Re­search be­hind the Stu­dent Com­pass 

Since 2011, the Student Compass has been developed in close connection with rigorous scientific research. Randomized controlled trials have shown the program significantly improves students' psychological flexibility, mental wellbeing, and ability to study, while also reducing stress, depression, and anxiety. 

The program and its operational model have been studied both nationally and internationally in collaboration with the University of Helsinki, JAMK University of Applied Sciences, and several European institutions. The program has also been successfully implemented at Tampere University, where it is actively used and under research, with very promising results. 
We are currently developing and researching AI-based solutions, including a personalized wellbeing chatbot to provide timely and individual support. 

What makes the Student Compass unique? 

The Student Compass stands out through its long-term scientific foundation, practical applicability, and continuous development. It is not a short-term project but a well-integrated part of JYU’s student wellbeing services. Around the program, new models of guidance, psychology student professional training, and digital tools have been developed. Student feedback is consistently positive – nearly 90% of users recommend it to their peers. 

More information 

You can find detailed information about OK’s research, ongoing projects, and publications related to Student Compass on our website. To explore the program itself, visit our platform (please note that logging in requires valid Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ credentials). 

Principal Investigator and Student Compass’ Operational Model Lead: Panajiota Räsänen, university teacher, panajiota.rasanen@jyu.fi 

InterACT - International university students and university staff in Central Finland: Exploring experiences, adaptation strategies, and perception of integration through an ACT-based intervention. 

This project aims to further investigate the adaptation strategies of international higher education students and university personnel. Particularly now that the social and political climate is changing, we want to explore their perception of integration in education and society, and perspectives on racism. 

First, psychosocial interviews will be examining the concepts of adaptation and integration of international university students and university staff at the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥. Based on the findings, the protocol of a transdiagnostic brief intervention will be adapted to reflect the issues that emerged from the interviews. The aim of the intervention is to teach general flexibility skills to improve wellbeing and stress management, thus preventing more severe mental distress. 

This project wants to increase our understanding of integration, adaptation and racial issues as perceived by foreign higher education students and university personnel. This project offers an efficient, cost-effective, and evidence-based counselling service for both international students and international university personnel.  
 

Perfectionism in competitive sport - The link between self-compassion and mental health

This dissertation study investigates the relationship between variables related to perfectionism, self-compassion and mental health in Finnish competitive athletes. The study is carried out in collaboration with top European researchers in psychology and sport psychology and will provide both theoretical and practical insights into the processes that influence mental health, how to identify them and how to prevent their adverse effects. Sanna Turakka, PhD researcher, is responsible for the project.

More information about the project: /en/projects/perfectionism-in-competitive-sports

ACT group intervention to promote the psychological well-being of athletes

The psychological well-being of athletes is an integral part of their overall preparation. The Ministry of Education and Culture -funded project, in collaboration with the Finnish Institute of High Performance Sport KIHU and the Department of Psychology, is investigating the effects of a six-week HOT group intervention for sports on athletes' psychological well-being and perceived stress. Hannaleena Ronkainen, PhD researcher, is responsible for the project.

Revion-YKS: Remote ACT rehabilitation for neurodivergent individuals serving community sanction

In the Revion-YKS project, carried out in cooperation with the Autism Foundation and the Prison and Probation Service of Finland, we are investigating the effectiveness of a remote rehabilitation intervention based on the methods of acceptance and commitment therapy on the well-being of clients who have been sentenced to community sanction with neurodivergent features. We also investigate how both counsellors and clients experience the remote rehabilitation intervention and who in particular benefits from the remote rehabilitation intervention.

Self-Experience and Perspective Taking

This research project examines the use of virtual reality (VR) in psychological interventions, with a particular focus on perspective taking and the shaping of self-experience. The project was initiated at Karlstad University in 2020, with the aim of developing and empirically investigating a VR-based intervention designed to influence individuals’ experiences of themselves.

In the VR intervention, participants view themselves from an external perspective—that is, as a 3D-recorded representation of themselves—which creates a distinctive experience of encountering the self. During the intervention, participants respond to self-related questions intended to promote perspective taking and to foster a more flexible relationship with the self. The overarching goal is to support a more compassionate, open, and less self-evaluative self-experience.

To date, the intervention has been studied in healthy adults as well as in individuals experiencing depressive symptoms and eating disorders, with results supporting its potential to influence self-experience and self-relating.

Publications:

Sairanen, E., Tillfors, M. Unenge-Hallerbäck, M., & Wallsten, D. (2025). Meeting oneself in the Virtual Reality environment: A single-case experimental study investigating effects on mood, meaning, and self-compassion in adults with depressive symptoms. The Psychological Record (in press).

Sairanen, E., & Wallsten, D. (2025). Facing yourself in a virtual reality-assisted perspective-taking intervention: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1547064.

Sairanen, E., Wallsten, D., Dermot, B. H., & Tillfors, M. (2023). What if you could see yourself with my eyes? A pilot study of the impact of a virtual reality-environment on relational responding to sel. International journal of psychology and psychological therapy, 23(1), 31-41.

Performance Anxiety and Social Anxiety
We study and develop virtual reality–based methods for addressing performance anxiety and social anxiety.

JYU.Speak is a service designed to support students and university staff in managing anxiety related to public speaking. The service is based on two previous research projects conducted at the Department of Psychology, and its development has been funded by JYU.Well.

More information about JYU.Speak: /fi/uutinen/tervetuloa-jyuspeakiin