Our Research
Breaking new ground in men’s mental health.
We are a team of researchers, clinicians, and lived experience advocates working across psychology, exercise science, and digital health to understand why men disengage from health support and what we can do about it.
Featured Projects
The Men’s Therapy Study - Exploring New Ways to Engage Men
Psychotherapy is one of the most effective treatments for depression, yet men drop out of therapy at high rates. One contributing factor may be that the structure of conventional indoor therapy doesn't always align with the ways many men prefer to communicate — but we don't yet have strong evidence on how to address this. Walk-and-talk therapy offers one possible alternative: the same psychological support, delivered while walking outdoors side by side rather than sitting face-to-face indoors.
The Good Talk Lab is running the first randomised controlled trial internationally to directly compare walk-and-talk therapy with conventional indoor therapy for men with depressive symptoms. Men in the trial receive 10 fortnightly individual therapy sessions over 20 weeks in one of the two formats. We're measuring psychological distress, wellbeing, quality of life, and suicidal ideation at 5 months and 12 months, alongside a cost-effectiveness analysis.
Both therapy formats are delivered by qualified therapists and grounded in the same therapeutic approach. The trial is designed to find out whether the setting and mode of delivery makes a meaningful difference — and if so, for whom. Results will help inform how mental health services can offer men more options that fit their lives.
Better Left Said - A Podcast for Men’s Mental Health
Better Left Said is a gender-tailored mental health podcast co-created by the Good Talk Lab in partnership with researchers, clinicians, and men with lived experience. The podcast was designed from the ground up to align with the ways men typically prefer to engage with mental health support — offering flexibility, autonomy, practical guidance, and discreet access through a familiar, everyday medium.
The project responds to a well-documented problem: most mental health services and resources haven't been designed with men in mind, contributing to ongoing gaps in engagement and help-seeking. Podcasts offer a promising alternative — nearly half of adult Australian men listen to podcasts regularly, and features like privacy, portability, and self-paced engagement map closely onto what men say they want from support.
Better Left Said features 12 episodes exploring topics relevant to men's mental health and wellbeing, drawing on expert guest contributors and lived experience voices. We've tested the podcast through a pilot randomised trial with Australian men experiencing psychological distress, examining whether it can shift help-seeking readiness, mental health outcomes, and wellbeing.