About Us
Partners in Parenting (PiP) aims to bridge the gap between complex research evidence and practical resources for parents.
We know that parents play an important role in protecting their child’s mental wellbeing. However, despite extensive research supporting the role parents can play in reducing their teen’s risk of mental health problems, until recently this information was not easily accessible to parents.
PiP brings together decades of high-quality research evidence and the consensus of international experts on parenting and youth mental health. Parents can access this information via an interactive, online program, designed to build skills and confidence in ways that may protect their teen from depression and anxiety disorders.
To date, we’ve conducted multiple research trials with over 5000 Australian parents. Our results show that PiP is effective, with benefits for both parents and teens.
Reaching beyond Australia: PiP Malaysia
To extend the cross-cultural reach of PiP, the program has been adapted for parents in Malaysia. Through collaborations with local stakeholders – including parents, young adults, and professionals, PiP Malaysia offers a culturally sensitive, evidence-based parenting resource tailored to the needs of Malaysian families.
If you’d like to read more about the research behind PiP, click here for a summary of published papers, or get in touch with us at marie.yap@monash.edu.
The people behind PiP
We are a team of researchers at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. We are passionate about supporting parents and improving the mental wellbeing of young people.
Our latest program, PiP Malaysia, is made possible through a partnership between the Parenting and Youth Mental Health Group, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, and Action Lab, Faculty of Information Technology. Together, we have redesigned PiP to improve parents’ experience and support while completing PiP.
Professor Marie Yap
Marie is a Professor, Psychologist, and Head of the Parenting and Youth Mental Health Research Group at Monash University. Marie is the founder and lead researcher of the Partners in Parenting program and has been recognised as a leading international expert in family relationships.
Dr Mairead Cardamone-Breen
Mairead is a Psychologist and Research Fellow in the Parenting and Youth Mental Health Research Group at Monash University. Mairead has been instrumental in the development and evaluation of the Partners in Parenting program.
Action Lab
Action Lab is a multidisciplinary team of impact-focused researchers in the department of Human-Centred Computing at Monash University, Australia. Since 2019, they have partnered with the PiP team to co-design and develop newer versions of PiP, with the latest technology and their domain expertise in computer science, human-centred design methods, interaction design and digital mental health.
The Action Lab project team is led by Professor Patrick Olivier and includes a highly energetic and creative team of researchers and research engineers: Dr Tom Bartindale, Peter Chen, Arie Hendrikse, Dr Roisin McNaney, Joshua Seguin, Dr Ling Wu, Dr Jue (Grace) Xie, Dr Dharshani Chandrasekara, and Joshua Ee.
Other PiP Malaysia Investigators
The PiP Malaysia program and research project are part of a collaboration involving: Darlene Koh (Monash University, Australia); Professor Liz Jones (University of Melbourne); Dr Sharuna Verghis (Monash University Malaysia); and Emeritus Professor Tony Jorm (University of Melbourne).
Acknowledgements
The Partners in Parenting program is part of a suite of parenting resources from the Parenting Strategies Program, which was first established in 2010. Throughout its 10-year history, the program has had many contributors and funders, whom we cannot all acknowledge by name here. Nonetheless, special thanks go to the following contributors to the Partners in Parenting program: Professor Tony Jorm (University of Melbourne), Dr Katherine Lawrence (Monash University), Professor Ron Rapee (Macquarie University), Associate Professor Glenn Melvin (Deakin University), Jacqueline Green, Clare Nowell (Monash University), and all the staff, students, and volunteers of the Parenting and Youth Mental Health Group from 2014 to 2025.
We are also grateful to the research assistants from Monash University Malaysia who supported PiP Malaysia on the ground from 2022 to 2025, and to the parents and young people who have contributed feedback throughout the different stages of the PiP journey.
We acknowledge with thanks the funding which have supported the development and evaluation of the program from 2011-2021, including: National Health and Medical Research Council (APP IDs 2005621, 566652, 1061744, 400001), Australian Rotary Health, Monash University, and Helen Macpherson Smith Trust.