The WHO-5 In Action: Practical applications at the University of Portland, and beyond.
Apr 25, 2024 at 11:00 AM
Use cases and examples from a researcher who has put the WHO-5 to use.
with Andrew Downs, PhD
(he/him)
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
Professor of Psychological Sciences
School of Nursing and Health Innovations
University of Portland
In Andrew’s Words:
“Mental Health is a field that has at times rightfully been criticized as seeking to identify and focus on what is ‘wrong’ with people, rather than identifying and focusing on what is going well with people. The WHO-5 Well-being Index is an extremely simple and surprisingly powerful tool that can help us assess, monitor, and track changes over time in the well-being of the clients we serve. This presentation will discuss the development & history of the WHO-5, its psychometric properties and the promise it holds for improving client outcomes.”
Andrew’s background:
“After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Psychology, I began working at a community mental health non-profit as a case manager. That experience changed my life as I saw first-hand how poorly our society was doing in addressing the needs of people experiencing mental health difficulties. I quickly abandoned my plan to attend law school and instead pursued a PhD in Clinical Psychology so that I could spend my energy and time working in the mental health field. I’ve spent the past two decades doing clinical work with clients of all ages in a range of community and acute care settings, as well as teaching and conducting research on mental and physical health and well-being as a Professor at the University of Portland. I have a longstanding interest and expertise in psychometrics and how we can best develop psychological assessments and use the data we collect with those assessments to facilitate positive development and well-being in the individuals and communities we serve.”
