U-CARE’s Ella Thiblin has defended her PhD thesis
Opponent Therése Skoog in discussion with Ella Thiblin. Photo: Ida Österman Menander
Big congratulations to Ella Thiblin, who on Friday last week defended her thesis After Childhood Cancer: The Feasibility and Acceptability of Guided Internet-Administered CBT for Parents.
– It’s a big moment for me, and I’m very relieved, says PhD Ella Thiblin.
Self-help programme for parents of children treated for cancer
PhD Ella Thiblin with her supervisors, Docent Joanne Woodford, Professor Anne H Berman, and Professor Louise von Essen. Photo: Ida Österman Menander
Ella Thiblin’s dissertation focuses on testing and further developing an internet-administered self-help programme for parents of children who have been treated for cancer. The programme is based on cognitive behavioural therapy and is aimed at parents who experience anxiety or depression after their child’s cancer treatment has ended.
– Some parents continue to experience psychological distress after their child’s cancer treatment has ended, but today there are no clear treatment options for this group, explains Ella Thiblin.
The self-help programme was further developed informed by a feasibility study and an interview study with parents who had taken part in the programme. In the interviews, parents described their needs and experiences of the programme.
From clinical psychologist to researcher
Ella Thiblin describes her time as a PhD student as rich in experiences.
– I’ve gone from mainly working as a clinical psychologist to a full-time researcher. It has been valuable to work with both quantitative and qualitative methods, and to collaborate with the target group for the self-help programme.
Ella notes that the administrative work that came with her PhD project has sometimes been challenging.
– I’ve sometimes found it difficult to manage all the administration. Things like research plans, learning different systems, and handling scattered information. I’ve also had to learn that some processes in research can take time.
Future in academia
After the defense, Ella Thiblin hopes to continue working for a while in the project that her PhD project was part of, before going on parental leave.
– Then I’ll think about what I want to do next, but I will probably stay in academia, she says.
Miro Anter
Ella Thiblin's Supervisors
Main supervisor: Professor Louise von Essen
Co-supervisors: Docent Joanne Woodford, Professor Anne H. Berman, and Docent Päivi Lähteenmäki