Building self-management skills: intervention development, psychosocial outcomes

What I work on
My research question is a practical one: what does a person actually need to be taught, and how, so that they can manage a chronic condition themselves rather than depending on a clinician for every setback. I develop structured, manualised interventions that build self-management skills, with outcomes that matter to health systems as well as to patients: faster recovery after a flare-up, earlier and more sustainable return to work, continued economic participation, and reduced long-term demand on specialist care.

My doctoral work in progress is in oncology, developing a group intervention for working-age patients with a favourable prognosis or in remission, to be evaluated in a clinical trial measuring both psycho-emotional outcomes and inflammatory biomarkers. The underlying approach transfers to any chronic condition where patients spend most of their time managing the illness outside the clinic.

My specialist area
I work on the existential and spiritual dimension of chronic illness, which is where I know the literature best. A serious diagnosis raises questions that clinical services rarely address, and many patients look for answers outside the health system, sometimes in settings that encourage avoidance rather than adjustment. My work develops ways for patients to draw on spiritual and existential resources in a psychologically sound manner, one that keeps them engaged with reality and with the practical tasks of recovery, including work. This is an area with real patient demand, weak evidence, and few researchers.

What I can contribute to a consortium
Design and manualisation of behavioural and psychosocial interventions, including digital and AI-supported delivery formats. Design and measurement of psychosocial and patient-reported endpoints. Adaptation and psychometric validation of instruments. A Latvian recruitment and study site with established clinical collaborations. Evidence synthesis. I also deliver training programmes professionally, so I can contribute to intervention delivery and facilitator training, not only to its evaluation.

What I am looking for
Consortia forming for 2027 Cluster 1 and Mission Cancer calls that need a work package or task on self-management, behavioural intervention, quality of life, or return to work. I am interested in joining as a partner or task contributor rather than coordinating, and I am open to any patient group.

Rīga Stradiņš University, Department of Psychology. ORCID: 0000-0003-1991-3179