Prof. Vanessa See Heng YIM

EDUCATION

• BSc (Hons) Psychology, University College London
• Doctor of Clinical Psychology (DClinPsych), University of Oxford

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Eating Disorders
• Psychological trauma & PTSD
• Digital mental health
• Youth mental health
• Mental health in disadvantaged populations, task-sharing and low-intensity interventions in resource-limited settings (low and middle-income countries)
• Community psychology, participatory research methods and recovery-oriented approaches

I am interested in applied research to address real-world clinical issues. My research interests include three broad aspects:

1. Examining the psychopathology of eating disorders and improving the effectiveness of psychological treatments for individuals with body image concerns, including digital CBT interventions and early intervention approaches.
2. Improving access to timely, evidence-based support for disadvantaged populations, including those who have experienced violence and psychological trauma.
3. Using participatory and creative approaches to understand and improve mental health at the community level.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Please refer to Google Scholar for the most recent publications (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=gcyFM2sAAAAJ&hl=en)

Representative Publications on Digital Interventions and Eating Disorders

Yim., S.H., Dore, E., King, E., Fialko, L. (2026). Brief, Early, and Effective: Evaluating CBT-T Outcomes and Change Trajectories in a No-minimum Threshold to access Eating Disorder Service. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1352465826101350

Kuehne, C., Yim, S. H., Ince, B., Fordham, E., Matcham, F., Simblett, S., White, K. M., Folarin, A., Sharpe, H., Schmidt, U., & EDIFY Consortium (2026). Perspectives on Remote Monitoring via Smartphones and Wearables Among Individuals With Lived Experience or at Risk of Eating Disorders (“This Could Go Very, Very Wrong”): Qualitative Interview Study. JMIR formative research, 10, e86382. https://doi.org/10.2196/86382    

Yim, S. H., Yoo, D. W., Polymerou, A., Liu, Y., & Saha, K. (2025). Generative AI for Eating Disorders: Linguistic Comparison With Online Support and Qualitative Analysis of Harms. International Journal of Eating Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24604  

Yim, S. H., Baudinet, J., Ebenezer, P., Nuttall, E., Sharpe, H., & Schmidt, U. (2025). Turning Points in Eating Disorder Recovery Among Individuals From Marginalised Communities Using Objects: A Qualitative Study. Qualitative Health Research, 10497323251377979. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323251377979  

Yim, S. H., Clark, D. M., Salkovskis, P. M., & Thew, G. R. (2024). Sudden gains in internet cognitive therapy for social anxiety disorder in routine clinical practice. Internet Interventions, 38, 100788. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2024.100788

Yim, S.H., Schmidt, U (2024). Views and experiences of eating disorders treatments in East Asia: a meta-synthesis. J Eat Disord 12, 120. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-01070-4

Vollert, B., Yim, S. H., Görlich, D., Beintner, I., Gordon, G., Musiat, P., … & Jacobi, C. (2024). Using web-based, guided self-help to bridge the waiting time for face-to-face out-patient treatment for bulimic-spectrum disorders: randomised controlled trial. BJPsych Open, 10(2), e53.

Yim, S. H., & Schmidt, U. (2023). The effectiveness and cultural adaptations of psychological interventions for eating disorders in East Asia: A systematic scoping review. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 56(12), 2165-2188. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24061

Representative Publications on Psychological Trauma and Global Mental Health

Yim, S. H., and Polymerou., A. (2026). A Systematic Review on the Effects of Psychosocial Interventions on Quality of Life and Functioning Outcomes Among Populations Experiencing Ongoing Threat. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 33, no. 2: e70262. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.70262.

Yim, S. H., Haffejee, S., Hassan, S., O’Reilly, M., & Vostanis, P. (2026). Conceptualization of child safety and mental health by parents in two Global South contexts of disadvantage. International Social Work, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728261427724

Chen, Q., Yim, S.  H. & Pickering, A. (2026). Psychological Interventions for PTSD Children and Adolescents Within Two Years of Natural Disasters: A Systematic Scoping Review. Journ Child Adol Trauma. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-026-00847-w

Yim, S. H., Lorenz, H., & Salkovskis, P. (2024). The Effectiveness and Feasibility of Psychological Interventions for Populations Under Ongoing Threat: A Systematic Review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380231156198.

RESEARCH LABORATORY

REACH LAB – Research into Eating, Adversity and Community Mental Health Laboratory
https://traumaed-lab.hku.hk/

RESEARCH INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Interested students are encouraged to email an expression of interest statement, transcript and CV to Dr. Vanessa Yim. Please also state your availability per week.  Priority will be given to the individuals who are flexible with schedule and potential evening meetings.

Interns will be involved in different aspects of various research projects (including conducting systematic reviews, recruitment, administration, data entry and data management). They will be expected to travel to the recruitment sites, and to attend and actively participate in research meetings.

Intern Selection:

• Strong work ethic; highly motivated
• Interest in the area of eating disorders, psychological trauma, youth mental health, community psychology
• Academic excellence
• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Language proficiency
• Knowledge of statistical software and Excel

2026-2027 Academic Year (interns and prospective students)

We are recruiting interns for 2026-2027 academic year who are interested in working on the impact of social media and body image, mental health peer support, body image-related experimental studies, psychological trauma, advanced statistical analysis, LLM and eating disorders.

We also welcome prospective postgraduate students who are interested in scalable interventions for eating disorders, and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in humanitarian settings to enquire.