Yu Takizawa

Yu Takizawa is a lecturer in mental health at the College of Human Sciences and Culture at Flinders University.

His research evolves around Social-emotional learning (SEL), child mental health & wellbeing, Digital mental health, online education for mental health and educational professionals, and neuroscience-informed mental health interventions.

Yu is an emerging leader in digital SEL with extensive experience both in Australia and Japan. He is a team member involved in the development and research of Big Talks for Little People program (https://bigtalkslittlepeople.com/), a digitally integrated SEL program, for school-aged children in Australia.

Yu has been a board member of Japanese Social-Emotional Learning Association (https://j-sel.org/) and involved in the training of school teachers and mental health professionals for SEL programs.

Affiliations:

• Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing (https://www.flinders.edu.au/institute-mental-health-wellbeing)
• Manna Institute (https://mannainstitute.au/)
• Lifestyle Skill Education Research Centre, Hosei University (Japan)(https://www.hosei.ac.jp/).

Citations in the following international policies:

• 2025 OECD Policy Paper, “Bridging Gaps in Social and Emotional Skills: The essential contribution of school psychologists” (https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/bridging-gaps-in-social-and-smotional-skills_8960542c-en.html)
• 2023 Japanese Government, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, "Children’s Development and Adaptation During the COVID-19 Pandemic"(https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20230531-mxt_chousa02-000030189_08.pdf)
• 2022 Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services, "Promotion of psychological well-being in children and young people", (https://www.sbu.se/contentassets/9f17e37106a942ce8da07c26ee0fdc4c/bilaga-4-inkluderade-studier.pdf)

Grants/Funding as Chief Investigator:

• Big Talks for Little People: Child Mental health module for use in Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) 2026 Trial, Happy Haven OSHC 2026-2027 (Lead)
• Developing and trialling New Animations for Upper primary/Lower Secondary Children in the Big Talks for Little People: Child Mental Health Module for Use in Out of School Hours Care (OSHC), Little Heroes Foundation 2026-2027 (Lead)
• Big Talks for Little People: Child Mental health module for use in Out of School Hours Care (OSHC), Little Heores Foundation 2025-2026 (Lead)
• Can “Thinking About Thinking” stop adolescents from developing an eating disorder? Co-designing and evaluating a smartphone application targeting perfectionism, rigidity, and body image concerns, Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation 2026-2027
• Development and evaluation of wellbeing education for Japanese children, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, 2020-2023
• Investigation of cross-sectional and longitudinal relationship between wellbeing of Japanese primary school teachers and students, Meiji Yasuda Mental Health Foundation, 2021-2022 (Lead)
• Evaluation of school-based prevention program based on cognitive behavioural therapy, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, 2016-2019