The Helping Lab investigates why people seek help, why they hesitate, and how stigma, identity, and values shape those decisions. Our research focuses on the psychological barriers that keep people from accessing mental health care, with an emphasis on self-stigma—when societal attitudes toward mental illness and treatment become internalized as self-criticism or shame.
We have made several core contributions:
- Theory development: The Internalized Stigma Model explains how cultural and social attitudes become self-defeating beliefs that block help-seeking.
- Identity-based interventions: Studies demonstrate how reflecting on values, clarifying self-concept, and practicing self-compassion reduce defensiveness and increase openness to treatment.
- Measurement innovation: We created the Social Media Rumination Scale, showing that how adolescents think about their online lives predicts well-being more strongly than time spent online.
- Applied insights: Our work extends to populations such as students, military veterans, medical trainees, and at-risk youth, testing empowering strategies like self-affirmation, disclosure with pride (“coming out proud”), self-compassion, and psychoeducation.
- New methods: We have adapted tools like Best-Worst Scaling from behavioral economics to model mental health treatment preferences and decision-making.
Current projects build on these foundations by:
- Testing combined self-affirmation and self-concept clarity interventions to enhance academic and mental health help-seeking.
- Mapping how social networks and peer influences guide students’ support-seeking behaviors across in-person, online, and AI-based resources.
- Investigating how artificial intelligence can shape mental health help-seeking and academic performance (for good and for bad).
Our goal is to dismantle barriers, empower identity clarity, and develop interventions that make seeking help not only easier, but more natural and sustainable.
Meet the Team
Ashley Hintz is a first-year master’s student in Clinical-Counseling Psychology. She joined the lab in Fall 2024, and her research interests focus on mental health stigma, particularly within rural communities. Her career goal is to become a licensed counselor providing community-based therapy, with a specialization in anxiety and depressive disorders. Outside of academics, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and going to as many concerts as she can!
Sarah Williams is a first-year master’s student studying Industrial/Organizational-Social Psychology. She has been a member of the lab since Fall 2024. This year, she is helping lead a team of undergraduate students through our current research project – the role of self-concept clarity and self-affirmation in academic help-seeking! Her main research interests lie in employee engagement and mental health at work, including help-seeking intentions and behaviors. She is interested in working in an applied I/O setting postgrad but is also considering pursuing her PhD to teach at a university. Outside of academia, she enjoys playing pickleball, crocheting, taking care of plants, and spending time with her dogs.
Mia Grove is a senior at Illinois State University majoring in Psychology. She is an undergraduate research assistant in the lab and joined in the fall semester of the 2025–2026 academic year. Her research interests focus on adolescents and mental illnesses. Mia plans to pursue graduate study in clinical and counseling psychology, with the goal of earning a Doctor of Psychology. In her free time, she serves on the executive board of ISU’s Psi Chi chapter and the Student Psychology Association as the social media chair and is also a member of Psi Beta and Phi Theta Kappa. Mia also enjoys staying active and caring for her growing collection of plants.
Kara Johnson is a senior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology and French. She joined this lab in the Fall of 2025 and is responsible for running participants and helping with data. Her research interests include mental health, social psychology, and psychopathology. In the near future, she is interested in going to graduate school for Clinical Psychology in order to improve the well-being of individuals. Besides academics, she loves spending time with my friends and family, being outdoors, and listening to music.
Brianna Moreno is currently a senior majoring in psychology. She joined Dr. Lannin’s lab this Fall 2025 where she helps run participants and code data. After graduating in the spring, she is heading back to school to get her masters in school counseling. Outside of academics, she enjoys anything that involves artistic abilities, such as coloring, jewelry making, and painting!
Kruz Barrera is a senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. Currently, his research interests include coping styles and stress, Ecological Systems Theory, and positive psychology. His role in the Helping Lab involves running participants, coding data, and maintaining lab materials. He is actively working towards being accepted into a doctoral program in clinical/counseling psychology to become a source of community support. In his spare time, you can find him at the skatepark, working as a mechanical team member for the ISU solar car team, tutoring at the Julia N. Visor Center, and grabbing matcha with his fiancé.
Abby Kough is a psychology major in her senior year. She joined Dr. Lannin’s research lab fall 2025 semester, and she’s interested in research on stigma and PTSD. She plans on going to graduate school for clinical psychology to get her master’s degree, so she can become a future therapist. Outside of her academic life, she enjoys going to concerts, hiking, and snowboarding!
Ashton Kennicott is a senior at Illinois State University, majoring in psychology. His role in the lab includes running participants and coding data. His research interests include psychopathology and psychotherapy. After graduating, he plans to pursue a master’s degree in clinical psychology, with the goal of becoming a licensed therapist. Outside of school, he loves being around others. He also appreciates spending time in nature, whether through hiking or watching a sunset.
Dan Lannin is a professor of psychology. He leads the Helping Lab with the help of his amazing graduate and undergraduate students.
Sunny Lannin is currently a dog. She joined the lab in spring of 2020 when she was adopted. She has no plans to graduate. Her entire life is spent outside of academics, except for rare occasions when she goes for a walk on campus.
Interested in Getting Involved?
- Unfortunately, the lab is ALL FILLED UP for Spring 2026, but we’ll likely have more openings in Fall 2026.
- The lab meetings on Mondays at 4 pm, so keep that in mind. If you’re a student interested in the Helping lab in Fall 2026, please send an email to Dr. Lannin sometime during Spring 2026 and he’ll send you an application. The lab fills up quickly though, so don’t be discouraged if there’s not a space available (there are many other fine labs in our department).
- If you’re a faculty member or advanced graduate student–and you want to collaborate or you have a question–send Dr. Lannin an email.
For downloadable copies of peer-reviewed journal articles on these topics, please visit this page on Researchgate.