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Exercise in the treatment and management of mental health and illness

In collaboration with

Exercise is beneficial for people across multiple areas of health and wellbeing, but how to support individuals to be active, improve health outcomes and build exercise opportunities within health and community care pathways is still being established.

The MHEX group conducts research, and supports researchers, whose focus is on individuals living with, or at risk of, mental ill health.

Our work includes:

  • Exploration of the role of exercise to support physical and mental health
  • Establishing evidence-based practices for the promotion and delivery of physical activity programs for mental health
  • Developing innovative strategies to support and sustain health outcomes of individuals and communities
The Team
Featured Publications
Current Projects

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Current Projects

We conduct projects across a range of populations, presentations and alongside a variety of community partners – including health services, support organisations, Universities, and funding agencies.

Led by clinically-aligned exercise and health researchers at the University of Western Australia (UWA) and University of New South Wales (UNSW), with the aim to ensure that all knowledge is created in partnership with community and for the benefit of communities.

Projects Include:

  • Move your mind: exercise to support the physical and mental health outcomes of individuals in a transdiagnostic mental health service
  • Stride: A referral-based exercise program for tertiary students with mental health challenges
  • Supporting Healthy Exercise and Eating Behaviours in Trans & Gender Diverse Folk
  • Human Thriving in Recurring Potentially Traumatic, Elevated Threat and High Stress Work Environments
  • Exercise interventions to support youth with mental illness transitioning between child, adolescent, and adult mental health services.
  • Disordered Eating and Exercise Behaviours in Mental Health Care
  • Auditory Cued Exercise (ACE) Therapy for Children with Listening Difficulties
  • Girls in Motion: barriers to physical activity in at-risk young girls
  • Physical Literacy, Physical Activity and Wellbeing in Children and Adolescents with Hypothalamic Dysfunction Induced Weight Changes
  • Chest Binding & Physical Performance

Recent Publications

For a full list of our publications click here
‘They are More Than Just a Friend…it Feels Like we are Family:’ Exploring the Experiences of Individuals with Severe Mental Illness in Exercise Services.

Austin F, Wright K, Jackson B, Budden T, McMahen C & Furzer B. (2025).

‘They are More Than Just a Friend…it Feels Like we are Family:’ Exploring the Experiences of Individuals with Severe Mental Illness in Exercise Services.

Psychology of Sport and Exercise. In press.

Edmondson, S., Wright, K., Jackson, B., Simpson, A. & Furzer, B. (2025). 

Thriving Under Threat: A Scoping Review of Human Thriving in Recurring Potentially Traumatic, Elevated Threat and High Stress Work Environments

Stress and Health, 41(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.70084

Schweizer, K., Austin, F., Wright, K., Jackson, B., Lin, A., Strauss, P., & Furzer, B. (2025). 

Eating and exercise experiences of Australian trans and gender diverse folks: lived experience and stakeholder perspectives. 
International Journal of Transgender Health. In Press.

McMahen, C., Wright, K., Jackson, B., Stanton, R., Lederman, O., McKeon, G., Rosenbaum, S., & Furzer, B. (2024). 

The implementation of exercise therapy within hospital-based mental healthcare: Delphi study. 
BJPsych Open, 10(5), Article e147.

Austin F, Wright K, Jackson B, Budden T, McMahen C & Furzer B. (2025).

‘They are More Than Just a Friend…it Feels Like we are Family:’ Exploring the Experiences of Individuals with Severe Mental Illness in Exercise Services.

Psychology of Sport and Exercise. In press.

Edmondson, S., Wright, K., Jackson, B., Simpson, A. & Furzer, B. (2025). 

Thriving Under Threat: A Scoping Review of Human Thriving in Recurring Potentially Traumatic, Elevated Threat and High Stress Work Environments

Stress and Health, 41(4).

Schweizer, K., Austin, F., Wright, K., Jackson, B., Lin, A., Strauss, P., & Furzer, B. (2025). 

Eating and exercise experiences of Australian trans and gender diverse folks: lived experience and stakeholder perspectives. 

International Journal of Transgender Health. In Press.

McMahen, C., Wright, K., Jackson, B., Stanton, R., Lederman, O., McKeon, G., Rosenbaum, S., & Furzer, B. (2024). 

The implementation of exercise therapy within hospital-based mental healthcare: Delphi study. 

BJPsych Open, 10(5), Article e147.

Recent Grant + Funding Success

Recent grants that MHEX members are leading or contributing to include:

2024 – 2028, Medical Research Futures Fund 
‘Improving health outcomes via the Australian Research Consortium for Trans Youth and Children'($4.9mil)

2023-2026, Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (WA) + Stan Perron Foundation ‘Youth Moves: inclusive, community-based active recreation program for disengaged and/or vulnerable WA adolescents and young people (12-25yrs)‘ ($600,000)

2023 Medibank Strategic Support Fund – UNSW: ‘Feasibility evidence and program expansion of an on-campus exercise program for students with mental health problems’ ($140,000)

MHEX Team Leads

Associate Professor Bonnie Furzer (she/her)

Accredited Exercise Physiologist/Exercise Scientist

Associate Professor – University of Western Australia (School of Human Sciences)

CEO – Thriving in Motion

Senior Exercise Physiologist and Service Coordinator – Fremantle Hospital Mental Health Service

Honorary Research Associate – The Kids Research Institute

Dr Kemi Wright (she/her)

Accredited Exercise Physiologist/Exercise Scientist

Senior Lecturer + Program Authority (Exercise Physiology) – University of New South Wales (School of Health Sciences)

COO – Thriving in Motion

Adjunct Senior Lecturer – University of Western Australia

MHEX Team

Clinical + Research Team

PhD Candidates

  • Felicity Austin (she/her) - UWA + The Kids Research Institute
  • Kai Schweizer (he/they) - UWA + The Kids Research Institute
  • Sally Edmondson (she/her) - UWA
  • Ben Kramer (he/him) - UWA, Fremantle Hospital Mental Health Service + The Kids Research Institute
  • Caleb McMahen (he/him) - UWA + Fremantle Hospital Mental Health Service
  • Anna Hilyard (she/her) - UWA, The Kids Research Institute + Perth Children's Hospital
  • Sarah Ford (she/her) - UWA
  • Chris (Wenbo) Zhou - UWA

Completed PhD Students

Researchers Felicity and Kai standing in front of posters at a conference

Research Partners + Collaborators

Research Partners

Community Partners

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The MHEX Team acknowledges all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Custodians of Country and recognises their continuing connection to land, sea, culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, and present.

We are committed to embracing diversity and eliminating all forms of discrimination through education and inclusive communities. We welcome all people and are respectful of individual identities.