From Insight to Impact: Scaling Psychological Innovations for Global Mental Health
Facilitators: Joy Bittner (Vida Plena), Jono McKay (SameSame) and Pavel Reppo (Finemind), supported by Professor Greg Walton (Stanford) and James Walsh (The Agency Fund)
Session Overview
Mental health challenges are rising globally, yet many high-impact psychological innovations remain underutilized or difficult to scale. How can we bridge the gap between research insights and real-world applications that transform mental health systems at scale?
This highly interactive workshop builds on the insights from 1 pm discussion with Professor Greg Walton earlier on the same day, bringing together mental health innovators, technical experts, and funders to collaboratively design scalable, high-impact psychological interventions, bringing together mental health innovators, technical experts, and funders to collaboratively design scalable, high-impact psychological interventions.
Participants will work together to map practical applications of "wise interventions," identify implementation barriers, and co-create actionable frameworks that can enhance effectiveness, scale, and sustainability of mental health programs worldwide.
What to Expect:
Interactive design-thinking methodology – Small, cross-functional working groups will explore the barriers and opportunities facing mental health innovators through 3 case study presentations from Finemind, SameSame and Vida Plena.
Breakthrough ideation & problem-solving – In these smaller groups, participants will develop scalable strategies, assess feasibility, and outline clear action plans.
Whole-group synthesis & collective prioritization – Coming together again, participants will identify and collate insights and emerging solutions will be captured and shared post-session for real-world implementation.
Who Will Be Involved?
Core Participants from Session 1 earlier in the day:
Greg Walton – Leading researcher in wise interventions
James Walsh – Behavioral science & impact strategist
Mental Health Innovation Leaders:
Joy Bittner – Founder, Vida Plena
Pavel Reppo – Executive Director, FineMind
Jono McKay – Executive Director, SameSame
Who Should Attend?
Mental health practitioners & program designers looking to integrate behavioral science into their work
Social entrepreneurs & nonprofit leaders scaling mental health interventions
Funders & policymakers interested in supporting evidence-based, high-impact mental health solutions
Researchers & technical experts in behavioral science, public health, and systems change
Why Join?
This isn’t a panel—it’s a working session designed to turn insights into action. Attendees will leave with:
Practical guidelines to the integration of psychological innovations into existing programs
A clearer understanding of how evidence is informing the development of scalable mental health services — including barriers and potential solutions to those barriers
Strengthened peer networks for continued collaboration and knowledge-sharing
A shared resource capturing key insights & action pathways from the session
If you want to be part of a hands-on effort to scale what works in mental health, this is your space.
Space is limited—RSVP now to secure your participation.