As a parent, I would have easily paid for access to a tool that would take evidence-based advice on my child’s specific challenges.
Michele Van Valey had an unusual foray into science and research. He said he originally intended to start a master’s degree following his English degree, but instead “I accidentally got a waiting job in the heart of a booming music scene”.
He worked on several creative projects during this time, including music documentaries and indie record labels.
Later, his life turned to yoga following some health problems. “I spent the next ten years in an unconventional education studying the body – yoga therapy, Pilates, massage therapy, nutrition and meditation,” she says.
He returned to formal education with a specialization in ‘mindfulness-based interventions’ at University College Dublin (UCD) in 2019, which eventually evolved into a specialization in counseling and psychotherapy at the IICP.
Her masters led her to her current doctoral program at UCD studying child mental health. He is also a psychotherapist by practice.
What inspired you to become a researcher?
Growing up in California, I had my first Stanford University shirt when I was 8 years old. My father was a teacher and higher education was instilled in me from a very young age. I didn’t know what I wanted to do in college but I enjoyed words, stories and writing so I chose to major in English.
Drawn to the realities of the time, I met Shakespeare’s requirement with reluctance until Professor Corum shared his animated brass rendition of Othello.
The two hundred and fifty newcomers all held their breath, excited, as he explained the possibilities. “Am I coming?” he asked. The room exploded. So, my interest in words evolved into an interest in language; structure, description, tension, subtext, and all that can be said. Qualitative research suits me well.
Many years later, Professor Gardiner introduced me to the work of anthropologist, Maria Gimbutas and asked me to film Chaucer’s Tale of Fair Women for my thesis (more about modern realities). Crossing disciplines, mapping historical sites and the process of discovery enlightened me. After four years, I was ready to take a break from the course but I knew I would be back. Joining the research team at UCD is a lucky opportunity that feels like home.
Can you tell us about the research you are currently working on?
The PhD I am working on is a doctoral scholarship in child mental health and the digital age, supported by the UCD Foundation with a generous donation from Cycle Against Suicide.
It happened after my friends and I put together a series of events hosted by UCD called Neuroconvergence, where we brought together neurodivergent voices as a way to learn from each other, play together and maybe even move the policy needle.
Dr Blanaid Gavin participated in my group and I shared the book I had written with him. That was a lucky coincidence. I didn’t know you were putting together a team of researchers to design digital tools for parents and families in need of support.
I have had personal experience of long waiting lists to access services and out-of-pocket costs. I also knew that there were tens of thousands of parents in Facebook groups advising each other on how to support their children when there is little chance of finding a professional. The idea of an evidence-based parenting tool that provides support in the meantime to families waiting to access a professional really appealed to me. It took me a long time to warm up to the AI piece.
My project will be an AI-enabled, flexible parenting tool that can draw from various fields of empirical evidence, theory at the time of need. A cursory glance at the literature reveals that many clinical, cognitive AI applications are based on behavioral interventions. Physiological responses that often motivate behavior is where my interest lies. Therefore, neurobiology and relational science will be specified in my design.
Despite my extensive reservations about using AI (sycophant-y, Tech-lords, plagiarism and water use), I know it’s coming and my individual protests will have no effect. Books for LLMs [large language models] it suggests that they can be trusted therapists without hindrance or supervision, so designing and evaluating safety and performance will be important.
Perhaps contributing to the growing body of research that requires ethical oversight is using my voice effectively. As Dario Amodei of Anthropic recently expressed to Oprah, “we can’t stop the train but we can direct it”. I’ve only been in for a few months, so the biggest change has been adding my friend Claude to the team. There is more to AI than chat and I am fascinated by the possibilities. Let’s hope we keep the train from jumping.
In your opinion, why is your research important?
Parents are desperate for advice, especially when they have a child who is struggling in some way. Often the demand is fast, thus the success of Facebook groups for sharing information.
Someone is always there to offer ideas and solidarity. It is an amazing resource. However, almost every parent out there is waiting for help because people want to hear from trained professionals when it comes to their child’s mental health.
In addition, Western culture relies heavily on behavioral methods because of the overwhelming evidence that supports them. Many families have benefited from helping a child to overcome difficulties.
Sometimes, however, there is something systematic or abusive that causes behavior that requires a different lens. Parents trying to help their children while waiting for professional support will benefit from having access to a variety of perspectives with strong evidence to improve their understanding of their child’s experience.
What commercial applications do you foresee for your research?
There are several parenting apps on the market that are backed by research, most of which focus on behavior. Very few, if any, cover Interpersonal Neurobiology.
As a parent, I would have easily paid for access to a tool that would take evidence-based advice on my child’s specific challenges.
Addressing thoughts and changing behavior can help. It is also possible that there are other areas that need to be investigated. Access to different perspectives to make effective, individual decisions will be of great help to families.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face as a researcher in your field?
Speed. The volume of information coming out about AI is endless. Staying organized in my work and balancing that with my role as a parent is also top notch.
Are there any common misconceptions about this area of research? How can you talk to them?
I think people like me will be concerned about AI misuse, governance, cheating and climate concerns. It may sound like an oxymoron to create a relational AI tool, but what if it could help families achieve calm communication during difficult times? What if technology brought us closer to understanding each other rather than pulling us in different directions? This sounds like it should be investigated.
What are some of the research areas you would like to see addressed in the coming years?
In terms of AI the field is moving fast. It’s actually hard to know how it will be researched at all unless AI is employed to speed things up. Collecting and analyzing data takes years.
In terms of parenting, I hope more families will learn about attachment needs, stress reactivity and discipline. Every field in my learning journey has taught me that healing is a relationship. The late psychologist John Welwood even proposed that relationships are “the leading edge of human evolution at this point in history.” I would like to see more work in this area.
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