Change in Emotion and Mental Health
The new book edited by Andrea Samson, David Sander and Ueli Kramer is now available
Associate Professor
Andrea Samson is currently associate professor in psychology at UniDistance Suisse, Brig, Switzerland. Andrea Samson has studied and conducted research at various universities in Switzerland and abroad. She did her PhD in Psychology at the University of Fribourg and her post-doctorate at Stanford University (2010-2015). Between 2015-2018, she was awarded the Ambizione fellowship by the SNSF to conduct her research at the Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (CISA) at the University of Geneva. From 2018-2023, she had a professorship funded by the Swiss National Research Foundation (SNSF) at the Institute of Special Education, University of Fribourg. In parallel, she was hired as an assistant professor (2018-2020) at UniDistance Suisse and was tenured in 2020.
She is the director of the chEERS Lab - a team of researchers interested in the study of socio-emotional processes in people with neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g. autism) and intellectual disabilities (e.g. Williams syndrome), as well as in typical development. Humor, positive emotions, and the regulation of emotions related to mental health play an important role in her research. The team is also interested in using board games as well as new technologies such as virtual reality for the assessment of emotional skills and for the development of remediation programs.
News
Our first exchange doctoral student at Unidistance Suisse
Andrea de Carlos Buján was the first visiting researcher at Unidistance Suisse in 2023.
Prof. Dr. Andrea Samson: International study published in Journal of Global Health
Anxiety and concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic of families with a child with a neurodevelopmental condition – a multi-level…
Andrea Samson on «The Science of Happiness» : how humour helps us cope
Research focus
- A better understanding of socio-emotional processes in people with and without neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism) and with intellectual disabilities (e.g., Williams syndrome)
- Positive emotions (e.g., in response to humor) and emotion regulation in relation to mental health
- Use of board games and new technologies such as virtual reality to assess emotional competencies and for rehabilitation programs.
Research projects
Socio-emotional processes in individuals with a developmental disorder (SOEMO)
Faculty of Psychology
Board games involving emotional skills: promoting positive emotions and emotion regulation skills in adolescents
Faculty of Psychology
How Families with Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities were coping with the COVID-19 pandemic: An International Study
Faculty of Psychology
Research groups
chEERS Lab
Faculty of Psychology
Teaching
Functions at UniDistance Suisse
Faculty of Psychology
- Associate Professor
- Programme Director for Master FR
Faculty Council of the Faculty of Psychology
- Associate Professor
- Programme Director for Master FR
Ethics Commission
- Representative of the professors (FR)
chEERS Lab
- Associate Professor