We developed the ROOM app for and with students. In the app, you work on skills that help you grow, both personally and academically. Think managing stress, gaining insight into your emotions, and building resilience. Grounded in research and free for all EUR students.
What is ROOM?
When you open ROOM, you enter your own virtual room. You can personalise it with objects you unlock by completing exercises.
You can choose these exercises yourself, or let yourself be guided by recommendations based on a daily check-in. The exercises are based on six evidence-based psychological approaches: mindfulness, self-compassion, ACT, cognitive behavioural therapy, breathing & relaxation, and positive psychology. Want to learn more about a particular approach? The app also includes articles that explain the background.
The exercises take between five and fifteen minutes and are designed to be accessible. The app also helps you translate what you learn into your daily life.
In addition, ROOM offers questionnaires that help you understand yourself better. From how you are doing, to a deeper level: what sort of traits shape your life.
Who is ROOM for?
ROOM is focused on your personal growth and is therefore for every EUR student, not just those who are struggling. By helping you build healthy skills early on, the app can help prevent mental health difficulties from escalating. Use ROOM daily and you will notice a difference after about a month: less stress, a clearer head, more stability, greater ease in letting go, more self-compassion, and more relaxation.
Built on science
In ROOM, only evidence-based psychological techniques that have been proven effective are used. Rigorous user and scientific testing have been carried out to ensure that it meets users' expectations and delivers tangible results.
ROOM is the result of four years of research and development by the Student Wellbeing Programme at Erasmus University Rotterdam. PhD candidates, psychology professors, and master's students from Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) developed and tested the app together with EUR students. All exercises and questionnaires in the app are based on scientifically backed approaches.
Our own research shows that the exercises in ROOM have a positive effect on mood., Students who use ROOM regularly also experience a reduction in stress. The app is continuously developed and improved based on new insights and user experiences.
Using ROOM
ROOM is free to download and use for students and staff of Erasmus University Rotterdam. Interested in ROOM for your institution, or would you like to find out more about the research behind it? Feel free to get in touch via email with Djameela Dulloo, project lead.