HearHer is an app currently being developed as part of a Ripple Scale Challenge cohort.
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Body image is one of the biggest mental health risks facing young women. Attune is the app to tackle It.
Body image concerns are a significant risk factor for eating disorders, depression, and anxiety in young women, yet many who struggle never seek support because shame gets in the way first. Existing digital tools largely translate older clinical approaches into app format rather than drawing on the most current evidence. No apps currently target body-related concerns through a self-compassion framework, despite strong research showing it outperforms traditional methods for both reducing body dissatisfaction and building positive body image.
Dr. Louise Hanson is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Dublin City University with deep expertise in body image development across the lifespan. Dr. Ciara Mahon is an Assistant Professor at Dublin City University and principal investigator on a Research Ireland Pathways grant, who has co-led international projects building and evaluating self-compassion interventions for young people.
Attune is built on a foundation of rigorous science and direct experience of what actually shifts how young women see themselves. The app is a self-compassion based program for women aged 18 to 25 experiencing body image concerns, combining daily writing tasks, guided mindfulness and meditation sessions, compassionate push notifications, and progress tracking to build self-compassion as a practised skill.
"Young women experiencing body image struggles are rarely failed by a lack of willpower — they're failed by approaches that treat shame with more self-criticism. Attune is built on what the evidence actually shows works: self-compassion, practised daily, changes how women relate to their bodies in ways that last."
The content is interactive, evidence-grounded, and designed around how young women actually engage with digital tools, making Attune a genuinely different approach to one of the most prevalent and poorly served concerns in young women’s health.
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Attune
FOUNDERS
Dr. Louise Hanson
Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Psychology | Dublin City University
Dr. Louise Hanson is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the School of Psychology at Dublin City University and an expert in risk factors for body image development across the lifespan, particularly in young people, and how to integrate these into effective interventions. She leads the co-design workshops and app development work on the Attune project under a Research Ireland Pathways grant, bringing both the scientific grounding and the direct user research experience that shape how the app feels and functions.
Dr. Ciara Mahon
Assistant Professor, School of Psychology | Dublin City University
Dr. Ciara Mahon is an Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology at Dublin City University and principal investigator on a Research Ireland Pathways grant developing novel digital interventions to support body image in adults. She has co-led several multistakeholder, international projects to design and evaluate self-compassion interventions for young people, bringing research leadership and deep subject expertise to the design of Attune.