Klein, Britt

Phone: (03) 53276717
Email: b.klein@federation.edu.au
Room: SMB Campus, Building O, Office 1 
Position: Robert HTS Professor: Digital Health & Psychology
Discipline: Psychology

Qualifications

  • PsyD (Clinical)
  • BA (Hons)

Teaching areas

  • Behaviour Change Strategies
  • Research Supervision

Psychology Board of Australia

  • General registration
  • Clinical endorsement
  • Approved supervisor: Higher Degree Pathway (Clinical); Registrar Program (Clinical) 4+2 Internship; Work in Addition to Higher Degree; 5+1 Internship

Professional associations (last 5 years)

  • Expert Advisory Committee – Australian Psychological Society – Technology Advisory Committee (2020- )
  • Expert Advisory Committee – Mitchell Institute, Promote the role of technologies, evidenced-based online tools and opportunities to enhance e-health literacy skills to support self-care (2020-).
  • Editorial Board: Internet Interventions (2016- )
  • Clinical Expert Advisory Group – CatholicCare ‘ICSS Digital Counselling Carers Service’, (2018-19)
  • Expert Advisory Committee - Lifeline Suicide Prevention Foundation, (2011-2019)
  • Expert Advisory Committee – Australian Psychological Society – Technology (2017-2018)
  • Expert Advisory Committee – TextChat Pilot – Lifeline (2017-2019)
  • Scientific Advisory and Leadership Team, Western Alliance. (2015 - 2016)
  • Expert Advisory Group – Beyond Now, Beyond Blue, (2015 - 2016)
  • Expert Advisory Group – BRAVE Online, Griffiths and Beyond Blue, (2015 - 2016)
  • Expert Advisory Group – University of Sydney Testicular Cancer Online, (2013 - 2015)
  • Editorial Review Board - Journal of Anxiety Disorders, (2010-2015)
  • Committee Member: NIH Data Management and Security Board member: Shut-i Project (2012- 2015).
  • Treasurer – APS ePsychology Group, (2012 - 2015)
  • Committee Member – Reconnexion Consumers Conference Steering Committee, (2015)

Research interests

Britt’s main research interests are within the broad field of adult mental health. Prof Britt Klein holds a Professorial Chair (Digital Health & Psychology) at Federation University Australia and established and directs the Biopsychosocial and eHealth Research & Innovation (BeRI) hub. Over the past five years Britt has developed four major digital health platforms including the ‘My Digital Health’ (https://www.mydigitalhealth.org.au/) (an integrated ‘all in one’ automated digital health platform built for consumers and healthcare practitioners alike), 13 digital health treatment and wellbeing programs, as well virtual reality, decision support, AI and industry-based intake assessment tools. Ten of the digital mental health interventions are publicly disseminated and being evaluated.

In addition, Britt is working with other research partners to develop and evaluate an national digital mental health platform for Australian youth, a digital mental health and wellbeing tool for staff and management within the aged residential care sector and the evaluation of Lifeline services.

Britt’s other area of work involves investigating the biopsychosocial determinants and mechanisms of mental ill health and wellbeing. For example, Britt has investigated the impact of mindfulness and increasing physical activity interventions on a range of biopsychosocial indicators (e.g., iL-6, BDNF, NGF, cortisol, HRV, heart rate, cognitive performance and psychological self-report measures) and biopsychological EMA self-monitoring studies. This work also incorporates the application of big data mining, analytics, machine and deep learning.

Prior to this, Britt worked at Swinburne University and was the co-founding Director of the National eTherapy Centre and Mental Health Online, as well as at Macquarie University (at the MindSpot Clinic) to assist in its start-up, whilst seconded from the Australian National University (Centre of Mental Health Research). Britt has a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology, is an APHRA registered psychologist with clinical endorsement, sits on a number of digital health expert advisory committees and has worked in community health anxiety, mood, suicide, and alcohol and other drug, settings.

Publications (last 5 years)

Book chapter

van Ballegooijen, W., Klein, B., & Lindefors, N. ICBT for Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia: From the Computer at Home to Real-Life ‘In Vivo’ Exposure. (2016). In N. Lindefors, G. Andersson (Eds.), Guided Internet-Based Treatments in Psychiatry (pp. 33-52). New York: Springer.

Klein, B., Clinnick, L., Chesler, J., Stranieri, A., Bignold, A., Dazeley, R., McLaren, S., Lauder, S., & Balasubramanian, V. (2018). Supporting regional aged care nursing staff to manage residents' behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia in real time, using the Nurses' Behavioural Assistant (NBA): A pilot site end-user attitudes trial. In M.E.L. van den Berg and A. J. Maeder (Eds.), Telehealth for our ageing Society (pp. 24-28). IOS Press.

Refereed articles

Hallford, D., Barry, T., Austin, D., Raes, F., Takano, K., & Klein, B (2020). Impairments in episodic future thinking for positive events and anticipatory pleasure in major depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 260; 536-43

Smith, A., Bamgboje‐Ayodele, A., Butow, P., Klein, B., Turner, J., Sharpe, L., Fardell, J., Beatty, L., Pearce, A., Thewes, B., Beith, J., & Girgis, A. (2020). Development and usability evaluation of an online self‐management intervention for fear of cancer recurrence (iConquerFear). Psycho-Oncology, 29, 98-106

Santhanagopalan, M., Chetty, M., Foale, C., Aryal, S., & Klein, B. (2019). Towards machine learning approach for Digital-Health intervention program. Aust Jn of Intelligent Information Processing Systems, 15; 16-24.

Kent, L., Van Droom, G., & Klein, B. (2019). Time Dilation and Acceleration in Depression. Acta Psychologica, 194, 77-86

Sadler, P., McLaren, S., Klein, B., & Jenkins, M. (2019). Cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia and depression: Qualitative reflections from older adults who participated in a randomised controlled trial. Aging and Mental Health, 1-7

Kent, L., Van Doorn, G., Hohwy, J., & Klein, B. (2019). Bayes, Time Perception, and Relativity: The Central Role of Hopelessness. Consciousness and Cognition, 69, 70-80.

Meaklim, H., Abbott, J., Kennedy, G., Murray, G., Klein., B, & Rehm, I. (2019). Online intervention for insomnia in a public hospital setting: Recruitment, attrition and adherence findings and patient experiences. Australian Psychologist, 54, 225-234.

Kent, L., Van Doorn, G., & Klein, B. (2019). Systema Temporis: A time-based dimensional framework for consciousness and cognition. Consciousness and Cognition, 73, 102766.

Sadler, P., McLaren, S., Klein, B., Harvey, J., & Jenkins, M. (2019). Cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia and depression among older adults: A randomized controlled trial in community mental health services. Sleep, 41(8).

Klein, B., Clinnick, L., Chesler, J., Stranieri, A., Bigold, A., et al. (2018). Supporting regional aged care nursing staff to manage residents’ behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, in real time, using the Nurses’ Behavioural Assistant (NBA): A pilot site ‘end-user attitudes’ trial.  Studies in Health Technology & Informatics, 246, 24-28.

Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M., Richardson, B., Klein, B., Skouteris, H., Christensen, H., Austin, D., Castle, D., Mihalopoulos, C., O’Donnell, Arulkadacham, L., Shatte, A., & Ware, A.  (2018). A mobile app-based intervention for depression: End-user and expert usability testing study. Journal of Medical Internet Research Mental Health, 5 (3):e54

Klein, B., Clinnick, L., Chesler, J., Stranieri, A., Bigold, A., et al. (2018). Supporting regional aged care nursing staff to manage residents’ behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, in real time, using the Nurses’ Behavioural Assistant (NBA): A pilot site ‘end-user attitudes’ trial.  Studies in Health Technology & Informatics, 246, 24-28.

Sadler, P., McLaren, S., Klein, B., Harvey, J., & Jenkins, M. (2018). Cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia and depression among older adults: A randomized controlled trial in community mental health services. Sleep, 41(8).

Santhanagopalan, M., Chetty, M., Foale, C., Aryal, S., & Klein, B. (2018). Modeling neurocognitive reaction time with gamma distribution. ACM Press Proceedings of the Australasian Computer Science.

Meaklim, H., Abbott, J., Kennedy, G., Murray, G., Klein., B, & Rehm, I. (accepted). Online intervention for insomnia in a public hospital setting: Recruitment, attrition and adherence findings and patient experiences. Australian Psychologist.

Santhanagopalan, M., Chetty, M., Foale, C., Aryal, S., & Klein, B. (accepted). Relevance of frequency of heart rate peaks as indicator of stress. Press Proceedings of the International Conference on Neural Information Processing.

Heiniger, l., Allan, B., Olver, I., Grimison, P., Klein, B., Wootten, A., et al. (2017). e-TC: Development and pilot testing of a web-based intervention to reduce anxiety and depression in survivors of testicular cancer. European Journal of Cancer Care, 26, 6, 1-10

Sadler, P., McLaren, S., Klein, B., & Jenkins, M. (2017). Advancing cognitive behaviour therapy for older adults with comorbid insomnia and depression. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. 1-16.

Wootten, A., Meyer, D., Abbott, J., Chisholm, K., Austin, D., Klein, B., McCabe, M., Costello, T., & Murphy, D. (2017). An online psychological intervention can improve the sexual satisfaction of men following treatment for localised prostate cancer: Outcomes of an RCT evaluating My Road Ahead. Psycho-Oncology, 26 (7), 975-981

Meyer, D., Abbott, J., Rehm, I., Barak, A., Deng, G., & Wallace, & K. & Klein, B., (2017). Development of a Suicide Ideation Risk Assessment Tool for Primary Healthcare Settings - Using Online Psychological Screening Data. Telemedicine & eHealth, 23, 1-9

Butow, P., Heiniger, L., Smith, B., Olver, I., Grimison, P., Klein, B., Wootten, A., Abbott, A., Price, M., McLannett, M., Tran, B., Stockler, M., & Gurney H. (2016). An e-intervention for men after testicular cancer feasibility and acceptability testing. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 23, 123.

Titov, N., Dear, B., Staples, L., Bennett-Levy, J., Klein, B., Rapee, R., Andersson, G., Purtell, C, Bezuidenhout, G., & Nielssen, O. (2016). The first 30 months of the MindSpot Clinic: Evaluation of a notional e-mental health service against project objectives. ANZJP, 1-13

Nguyen, D., Klein, Austin, D., Meyer, D., & Abbott J. (2015). The diagnostic validity and reliability of an internet-based clinical assessment program for mental disorders. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17 (9): e218

Sadler, P., McLaren, S., Klein, B., & Jenkins, M. (2015). Cognitive behaviour therapy for older adults experiencing insomnia and depression in a community mental health setting: Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials, 16, 1-12.

Chessler, J., McLaren, S., Klein, B., & Watson, S. (2015). The effects of playing Nintendo Wii on depression, sense of belonging and social support in Australian aged care residents: a protocol study of a mixed methods intervention. BMC Geriatrics, 15, 106, 1-8.

Titov, N., Dear, B., Staples, L., Bennett-Levy, J., Klein, B., Rapee, R., et al., (2015). MindSpot clinic: an accessible, efficient, and effective online treatment service for anxiety and depression. Psychiatric Services, 66 (10), 1043-1050

Al-Asadi, A., Klein, B., & Meyer, D. (2015). Multiple Comorbidities of 21 Psychological Disorders and Relationships with psychosocial variables: A Study of the Online Assessment and Diagnostic System within a Web-based Population. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17(3): e55

Dear, B.F., Zou, J.B., Lorian, C.N., Shehzad, A., Johnston, L., Terides, M., Staples, L.G., Gandy, M., Fogliati, V., Klein, B., & Titov, N. (2015). Examining Self-Guided Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for older adults with anxiety and depression: Two Feasibility Open Trials. Internet Interventions, 2, 17-23

Lauder, S., Chester, A., Dodd, S., Glilddon, E., Berk, L., Chamberlin, J., Klein, B., Gilbert, M., Austin, D., & Berk, M.  (2015). A randomised head to head trial of MoodSwings.net.au:  An internet-based self-help program for bipolar disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 171, 13-21

Dear, B.F., Zou, J.B., Lorian, C.N., Shehzad, A., Johnston, L., Sheehan, J., Staples, L.G., Gandy, M., Fogliati, V., Klein, B., & Titov, N. (2015). Clinical and cost-effectiveness of therapist-guided internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy for older adults with symptoms of anxiety: A randomized controlled trial. Behavior Therapy, 46, 206-17

Wootten, A., Abbott, J., Meyer, D., Chisholm, K., Austin, D., Klein, B., McCabe, M., Murphy, D., & Costello, T. (2015). Preliminary results of a randomised controlled trial of an online psychological intervention to reduce distress in men treated for localised prostate cancer. European Urology, 68, 471-79

Titov, N., Dear, B.F., Zou, J.B., Shehzad, A., Lorian, C.N., Johnston, L., Terides, M.D., Kayrouz, R., Klein, B., Gandy, M., & Fogliati, V. (2015). Clinical and cost-effectiveness of therapist-guided internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy for older adults with symptoms of depression: A randomized controlled trial. Behavior Therapy, 46, 193-205

Grants (last 5 years)

CSU COVID-19 Fund.  (2020-2021) The Desire and Capability for Suicide among Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic. (McLaren, S., Burmeister, O., Klein, B., & Castillo, P). Awarded: $27,000

Ingham Institute Grant (2020-2021). iConquerFear: Demonstrating the potential of an online treatment for fear of cancer recurrence. (Smith, Bamgboje, Girgis, Butow, Klein & Salter). Awarded: $49,968.

ANU Seeding Grant (2020). NHMRC Ideas Grant. Feasibility trial of the Enlighten program to reduce obesity. (Rieger, L & Klein, B). Awarded: $20,000.

NHMRC Million Minds Grant (APP1179490). (2019-2024). Translating evidence-based interventions into population-level digital models of care for child and adolescent mental health. (March, S., Donovan, C., Klein, B., Kavanagh, D., Calear, A., Cobham, V., Hides, L., Spence, S., Farrell, L., Kularatna, S). Awarded: $4,996,350.

Worksafe: WorkWell Fund. (2019-2021). Wellbeing Track & Change: Using digital monitoring to improve the mental wellbeing. (Project Sponsor: Carbone, S., Chief Investigator: Klein, B., & Partner Investigator: Clinnick, L). Awarded: $1,303,141

NHMRC & Lifeline Partnership Grant (APP1153481): (2019 – 2024). Building a Lifeline for the future: Expectations, innovations, outcomes. (Rickwood, Perkis, Klein, Batterham, Titov, Epps, Goecke, Kolves, Gould, Bradford). ($2,576,112)

Centre for Oncology Training & Education. (2019). iConquerFear consultancy. (Klein). ($10,000)

ANU Seeding Grant (2019). NHMRC Ideas Grant. Obesity Digital Health Preparation. Reiger, L & Klein, B. ($20,000).

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). (2018 - 2019). Development of an Evaluation Model. (Porter, JE, Edmondson, E, Morgan, D. Reimers, V. Missen, K. Whyte, S. Klein, B. Prokopiv, V). Awarded: $389,957

Tour de Cure Support Grant (2018). iConquer Fear: Adaptation of an evidence-based face-to-face treatment for fear of cancer recurrence to a web-based self-management (eHealth) intervention and evaluation of its usability. Smith AB, Girgis A, Butow P, Thewes B, Sharpe L, Turner J, Klein B, Beatty L, Pearce A, Costa D. Awarded: $85,625

Wimmera Uniting Care: (2017-18), Development of a Digital Intake Assessment System. (Klein, McLaren). Awarded: $35,750.

Ballarat Health Services: Cognitive Decline Education Platform (2017). (Thompson, Klein, et al). Awarded: $33,000.

Wimmera Uniting Care. (2016-2017). Review and Evaluation of Intake Assessment Procedures. (Klein, McLaren). Awarded: $17,240.

Wimmera Uniting Care. (2016-2018). Collaborative research pilot trial of the MY DIGITAL HEALTH platform. (Klein, McLaren). Awarded: $27,420.

Collaborative Research Network. (2015-16). Telehealth Extension. Federation eHealth platform. (Klein, et al). Awarded: $13,000.

Digital Health License Agreement. (Klein, B). (2016). Awarded: $120,000.

Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. (2015). “E-Mental Health Virtual Clinic”. (Titov, N., Klein, B., Rapee, R., Bennett Levy, J., & Dear, B). Awarded: $2,736,325.

Faculty of Health: Seeding Grant. (2015). A randomised controlled trial of iSeeBehaviour: Harnessing technology to reduce psychotropic medication and physical restraint in dementia-care within aged care residential facilities. (Klein, B., McLaren, S., Clinnick, L., Meyer, D., Lakerink, L., Leslie, A, Andrews B., & Lauder, S). Awarded: $8350.

Faculty of Health: Seeding Grant. (2015). Improving Wellness: A randomised controlled trial comparing the Mindfulness eHealth and Physical Activity eHealth programs. (Klein., B., Foale C., Lauder, S., McLaren, S, Charchar, F., Meyer, D., Porter J., Clinnick, L., Denham J., Mitchell, J., Gill, P., Eime, R., Mesagno C., & Temple E). Awarded: $5000.

IBM. (2015). Project Swift: IT-Enabled Healthcare Ecosystem. Consultant. (Klein, B). Awarded: $9600.

Below the Belt Research Fund. (2015-2016). E-TC 2.0: Further development of an online psychological intervention for testicular cancer survivors. (Allan, B., Butow, P., Olver, I., Klein, B., Wootten, A).  Awarded: $50000.

Australian Rotary Health (2015-2018). Timely intervention: Efficacy of a depression symptom monitoring smartphone app to deliver psychological intervention at time of greatest need. (Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Richardson, Klein, Skouteris, Christensen, Austin, Castle, Mihalopoulos, Busija).  Awarded: $163,870

Collaborative Research Network. (2014-2015). Stage 1 development of the Federation eHealth platform. (Klein, B.). Awarded: $50,000.

Telematics Trust Fund. (2014-2015). “Supporting aged care nursing staff to electronically manage resident’s behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia in real time”. (Klein, Stranieri, Dazeley, Clinnick, McLaren, & Balasubramanian). Awarded: $29,855.

Research higher degree completions (last 5 years)

Lachlan Kent. PhD, 2019. Time Experience and Judgement in Depression; A Theory of Isomorphic General Relativity (TIGR).

Paul Sadler. PhD, 2019. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Older Adults Experiencing Insomnia and Depression in a Community Mental Health Setting: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

Kylie Bennett. PhD, 2019. An evaluation of a public online intervention for depression.

Gina England. Masters of Applied Science, 2018: Protein Biomarkers and Epigenetic changes following two wellness digital interventions.

Jessica Chesler, Master of Applied Science, 2015: The Effects of Playing Nintendo Wii on Depression, Sense of Belonging, Social Support, and Mood among Australian Aged Care Residents: A Pilot Study.

Ali Al-Asadi. PhD, 2015: Anxiety Online: Data Mining, Attrition and Market Basket Modelling procedures.

David Nyguyen. PhD, 2013: Online clinical assessment interview schedules: Self report. Psychometrics and acceptability

Jacq Baulch. Doctor of Psychology, 2013: A RCT of a bulimia nervosa online treatment program.