city / country

Msida, Malta

professional status

Professor of Psychology

keywords

#resilience in education #social and emotional learning (SEL) #mental health promotion in schools #child and adolescent mental health #psychological wellbeing #school-based interventions #trauma-informed education #inclusive education #prevention and early intervention #implementation science #whole-school approaches to wellbeing

orcid

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7666-5306

role in the project

Professor Cefai will contribute expertise in school-based mental health promotion, resilience education, social and emotional learning, and implementation of whole-school approaches to wellbeing. He will support the co-design and adaptation of the VOICE intervention, contribute to stakeholder engagement and implementation strategies, and provide scientific leadership in the evaluation and sustainability of school-based approaches to improving access to care for children and adolescents experiencing trauma-related distress and adverse childhood experiences.

general expertise and its relevance for the project

Professor Carmel Cefai is Professor of Psychology at the University of Malta and Founding Director of the Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health (CRESH). His research focuses on creating educational environments that promote resilience, social and emotional competence, psychological wellbeing, and mental health among children and young people.

He is internationally recognised for his work on resilience education, social and emotional learning (SEL), mental health promotion in schools, and whole-school approaches to wellbeing. He has coordinated and participated in numerous European and international research projects addressing school mental health, resilience, inclusion, and prevention. His expertise is highly relevant to VOICE, particularly in relation to early identification of mental health needs, strengthening school capacity to support vulnerable pupils, promoting protective factors, and implementing sustainable school-based interventions across diverse educational systems.

awards received / other responsibilities

Professor Carmel Cefai is Director of the Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health and Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health in Schools at the University of Malta. He coordinates the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Programme in Resilience in Educational Contexts and serves as Editor of the International Journal of Emotional Education. He is an expert member of the European Network for Social and Emotional Education and Wellbeing (NESET) and a member of the Management Board of the European Network for Social and Emotional Competence (ENSEC). Professor Cefai has advised the European Commission, WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, and national governments on school mental health, resilience, social and emotional learning, and wellbeing. His work has received international recognition for advancing evidence-based approaches to promoting children's and adolescents' mental health, resilience, inclusion, and wellbeing within educational settings.

positions

Present – Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychology, Faculty for Social Wellbeing, University of Malta  

Present – Founding Director
Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health (CRESH)
University of Malta  

Present – Honorary Chair
European Network for Social and Emotional Competence (ENSEC)  

Present – Joint Founding Editor
International Journal of Emotional Education  

Present – Member
Coordinating Team, European Commission Network of Experts on Social Aspects of Education and Training (NESET)

Previous – Head of Department of Psychology
University of Malta 

education

PhD in Education
Institute of Education, University of London, United Kingdom
Research focus: Schools as contexts for the promotion of resilience

Educational Psychology
University of Wales, United Kingdom  

Health Psychology
University of Stirling, United Kingdom  

Education
University of Malta, Malta

publications up to five most important achievements, publications, IP (e.g. patents) relevant to the proposal

1. RESCUR – Surfing the Waves: A Resilience Curriculum for Early Years and Primary Schools (2015)
Internationally recognised resilience curriculum. Translated into more than ten languages. Implemented across multiple European countries. Directly relevant to VOICE's focus on resilience and prevention.  

2. Coordination of Multiple European Research Projects on Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools 
Participation in ten EU-funded projects, including three as coordinator. Extensive experience in multinational implementation and evaluation.  

3. Leadership in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Research 
Major contributions to evidence-based SEL approaches in educational settings. Supports VOICE's school-based intervention model.  

4. Research on Mental Health Promotion and Whole-School Approaches Significant body of work examining how schools can promote wellbeing and improve access to support for vulnerable children and adolescents.  

5. Founding of the Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health (CRESH)
Established a leading European centre focused on resilience, wellbeing, SEL, and mental health promotion in educational settings. 

complete list of publications

Carmel C., Avellino C. 2026-05-12. Book chapter in Bullying.
DOI: 10.4337/9781035348329.00102

Tatalović Vorkapić S., Vujičić l., Čamber Tambolaš A., Grazzani I., Cavioni V, Cefai C., Camilleri L. Implementing PROMEHS to Foster Social and Emotional Learning, Resilience, and Mental Health: Evidence from Croatian Schools. Children. 2026-01-22. Journal article. DOI: 10.3390/children13010154

Cefai C., Barrado B., Gimenez G., Cavioni V. Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction, Physical Activity, and the Moderating Role of Gender: A Cross-Country, Multilevel Analysis in 64 Countries. Children. 2025-10-11. Journal article.
DOI: 10.3390/children12101375

Cavioni V., Conte E., Cefai C., Ornaghi V. Timmy’s Trip to Planet Earth: The Long-Term Effects of a Social and Emotional Education Program for Preschool Children. Children. 2025-07-26. Journal article. DOI: 10.3390/children12080985

Anthony C.J., Lei P.-W., Elliott S. N., DiPerna J. C., Cefai C., Bartolo P. A., Camilleri L., O’Riordan M., Grazzani I., Valeria Cavioni A., et al. Measurement Invariance of Children’s SEL Competencies. European Journal of Psychological Assessment. 2024-05. Journal article.
DOI: 10.1027/1015-5759/a000753

Cefai C. Accessible, inclusive and enabling contexts for university students from a refugee and migrant background. 2023-03-27. Book chapter
DOI: 10.4324/9781003258605-23

Caetano Santos A., Arriaga P., Daniel J. R., Cefai C., Melo M. H. S., Psyllou A., Shieh J.-J., Schutte N., Furtado C., David C. H., et al. Social and emotional competencies as predictors of student engagement in youth: a cross-cultural multilevel study. Studies in Higher Education. 2023-01-02. Journal article.
DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2022.2099370

Cefai C., Cavioni V. Beyond PISA: Schools as Contexts for the Promotion of Children’s Mental Health and Well-Being. Contemporary School Psychology. 2015-12. Journal article. DOI: 10.1007/s40688-015-0065-7

additional information

Professor Cefai is one of Europe's leading experts in resilience education, social and emotional learning, and school mental health promotion. His work has influenced educational policy and practice internationally and has contributed substantially to the development of evidence-based approaches for supporting children's and adolescents' wellbeing. Through CRESH and his extensive European collaborations, he brings considerable expertise in co-design, implementation, evaluation, and scaling of school-based mental health interventions, making him exceptionally well aligned with the objectives of VOICE – Breaking the Silence.