A GRADUATE from the university of Salford has developed a computer assisted therapy programme to help people in debt deal with stress and anxiety.
Dawn Smail, a graduate of Psychology, found a passion for Computerised CBT when she was studying at Salford, and is using the skills she picked up on her course to help the local community with their financial issues through an online eight-week long programme called the Ostrich Community.
Speaking of her course, she said: “I was just so determined to do this, I had this passion for computerised CBT, but because it was such a niche area I just had to know more and I got really infectiously enthusiastic about it.”
Dawn is well aware of the strain financial difficulties can have on someone’s mental health, after dealing with debt herself.
“I left home at the age of 16, and I got myself into a lot of debt. At the time it was so easy to get access to credit cards. It spiralled out of control and I constantly felt scared and under pressure, I felt helpless.”
Following a pilot on Salford University students, Dawn is hoping to reach out to all groups of people in society over the next couple of years.
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