PhD, Clinical Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, UK

M.Sc., Developmental Disorders and Clinical Practice (DDCP), University of York, UK

BSc, Applied Psychology, Northwest Normal University, China

Dr. Jingni (Maggie) Ma received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Edinburgh, where her research focused on the psychological effects of the human–nature connection and the effectiveness of nature therapy on mental health. Following her doctoral studies, she has concentrated on developing technology-based nature interventions to promote mental health and well-being. She has published several papers in SCI/SSCI-indexed peer-reviewed journals and has rich experience conducting randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate intervention effectiveness. Dr. Ma also holds two Chinese National Invention Patents for a VR-based intervention system. She is a British Psychological Society (BPS) Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol), a UK-registered mindfulness teacher, a COSCA-licensed counsellor, and a psychotherapist registered with China’s National Health Commission (国家卫健委), with extensive clinical experience supporting individuals with anxiety, depression, high-functioning ASD and ADHD.

Dr. Ma’s research broadly focuses on clinical psychology and mental health. Her specific interests include:

·        Mental health interventions – designing and evaluating evidence-based interventions through randomised controlled trials (RCTs), with a particular focus on VR-based therapy for anxiety.

·        Nature-based therapy and mindfulness – investigating the effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of combining nature exposure with mindfulness practices to reduce anxiety and enhance well-being.

·        Brief cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) – assessing One Day CBT’s effectiveness in treating major depressive disorder and low self-esteem in the Chinese population.

·        Climate anxiety and young adults – exploring the impact of climate anxiety and the role of nature education in fostering resilience and mental health among young people.

Please find my updated publication record in ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7670-8641; and

Google Scholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=l-DqpOoAAAAJ&hl=en

Selected Publications:

Ma, J., Li, H., Liang, C., Li, S., Liu, Z., & Qu, C. (2025). A brief virtual reality-based mindfulness intervention can improve olfactory perception while reducing depression and anxiety symptoms in university students. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 1-14. (SSCI, Q1)

 Zhou, X., Ma, J (co-first author)., Zhou, J., Kong, Y., Liu, Z., Wang, S., ... & Qu, C. (2025). Effectiveness of Brief Group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy on Improving Mental Health Outcomes–A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Psychiatry Research, 116590. (SSCI, Q1)

Ma, H., Li, H., Chen, C., Xu, N., Chen, Q., & Ma, J*. (2024). Sleep effects on memory consolidation in adolescent English vocabulary memorization: investigating links between sleep quality, memory, and mood disturbance. Current Psychology, 1-9. (SSCI, Q2)

Ma, J*., Lin, P. & Williams, J. (2023). Effectiveness of Nature-Based Walking Intervention on Mental Health – A Systematic Review. Current Psychology. (SSCI, Q2)

Ma, J., Zhao, D., Xu, N. &Yang, J* (2022). Effectiveness of Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) Based Mindfulness Training on Improvement of Mental Health: Systematic Review. EXPLORE: The Journal of Science & Healing. (SCI, Q2)

Ma, J*., Williams, J., Morris, P. & Chan, W. (2022). The Effectiveness of Mindful Walking Intervention in Nature on Sleep Quality and Mood During Covid-19: A Randomised Control Study. EXPLORE: The Journal of Science & Healing. (SCI, Q2)

PSY 3410 Educational Psychology

PSY 5640 Analysis of Small Group Processes

PSY3200 Psychological Statistics