A theory of support & value

Support shapes wellbeing.
Wellbeing creates value.

A framework connecting four kinds of support to psychological wellbeing — and psychological wellbeing to measurable value. Come see where you stand, and what actually helps.

See your own profile → Read the theory

4peer-reviewed studies behind the model

3Australian universities where it's been applied

22question profile, ~6 minutes, free

The theory

Four kinds of support, one outcome

Informational, emotional, network, and tangible support each meet a different need — and most of us are stronger in some than others, often without realising which one we're missing. Combined and sustained, they build psychological wellbeing. Psychological wellbeing, in turn, compounds into value: for individuals, teams, and organisations. Explore how below.

The framework

Explore the model

Select a stage to view its definition, evidence, and examples

FOUR SUPPORT TYPES → PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING → VALUE CREATION

Select any stage above — the four support types, Psychological Wellbeing, or Value Creation — to view its definition.

Grounded in peer-reviewed research

Erfani, S. S., & Abedin, B. (2018). Impacts of the use of social network sites on users' psychological well-being: A systematic review. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 69(7), 900–912. doi.org/10.1002/asi.24015
Erfani, S. S., Blount, Y., & Abedin, B. (2016). The influence of health-specific social network site use on the psychological well-being of cancer-affected people. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 23(3), 467–476. doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocv170
Erfani, S. S., Abedin, B., & Blount, Y. (2016). Social support, social belongingness, and psychological well-being: Benefits of online healthcare community membership. Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS) Proceedings. aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2016/396
Erfani, S. S., Abedin, B., & Blount, Y. (2017). The effect of social network site use on the psychological well-being of cancer patients. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 68(5), 1308–1322. doi.org/10.1002/asi.23702

Put it into practice

Five practical strategies

Small, evidence-informed habits that build psychological wellbeing day to day.

Meaningful activities

Activities that bring a sense of joy, achievement, or purpose — like enjoying music or completing a meaningful task.

Positive thinking

Maintaining a balanced, realistic perspective about yourself and the world — treating yourself with respect, particularly when things are difficult.

Planning & goals

Setting achievable objectives to stay motivated and focused, creating a sense of purpose and direction.

Supportive relationships

Building strong connections with family and friends to foster a sense of belonging and emotional validation.

Daily habits

Consistent routines — like exercise, balanced eating, and proper sleep.

See your own profile

Your support & psychological wellbeing profile

22 questions, about 6 minutes — 12 on your support, 5 on your psychological wellbeing, and 5 on value creation. Rate each from 1 (rarely true) to 5 (very true).

Step 1 of 5

Your support profile

YOUR SUPPORT → PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING → VALUE FLOW

Your psychological wellbeing profile

Measured using items adapted from validated psychological wellbeing research instruments.

— Overall psychological
wellbeing score

Your value creation profile

The outcomes that tend to follow sustained psychological wellbeing.

— Overall value
creation score

Your recommendations

Book a consultation based on this profile →

Work with us

Ways we help

For individuals, teams, healthcare organisations, universities, and industry — grounded in a research and leadership track record spanning AI, digital health, and organisational innovation.

Organisational wellbeing & value audits

We map where your team's support gaps sit across the four pillars, then design interventions that target the actual gap — not a generic psychological wellbeing program.

Responsible AI & digital health advisory

Advisory for healthcare providers and organisations adopting AI and digital health tools responsibly — informed by funded projects spanning chronic disease management, remote monitoring, and clinical decision support.

Applied research partnerships

Collaborative research for organisations in health, government, and industry — backed by a substantial track record of competitive and industry research funding translated into real-world outcomes.

Curriculum & work-integrated learning design

For universities and training providers: curriculum innovation, External Advisory Board design, and industry-embedded program development, drawn from leading these initiatives across three Australian universities.

Executive & team coaching

Ongoing coaching using the framework as a shared language — helping individuals and teams build the specific support type they're missing.

Keynote speaking & media commentary

Talks and media commentary on responsible AI, digital health, and organisational wellbeing — for conferences, executive teams, and public audiences.

Why Ethical Innovate Hub

Value should come from psychological wellbeing, not instead of it

Most performance frameworks treat psychological wellbeing as a cost to manage. We start from the opposite premise: sustained value is downstream of sustained psychological wellbeing, and psychological wellbeing is buildable — through specific, identifiable kinds of support.

①

Evidence over assumptionEvery recommendation traces back to which support type is actually missing.

②

People before metricsValue creation is the outcome we track — never the starting point of the conversation.

③

Specific, not genericFour distinct pillars mean four distinct interventions — not one psychological wellbeing program for everyone.

Behind the framework

Founder

Dr Eila Erfani

Founder, Ethical Innovate Hub
Researcher in Digital Health, Responsible & Secure Emerging Technologies · Digital Innovation

My research explores how emerging technologies can improve human psychological wellbeing, strengthen communities, and create sustainable value for organisations and society.

Through my work and research, I have found that social support is a fundamental driver of psychological wellbeing, resilience, and long-term value creation. This evidence has shaped my philosophy: technology should not simply be intelligent — it should be ethical, human-centred, and designed to empower people.

Humanity is at the heart of everything I do. Whether advancing research, educating future leaders, or collaborating with industry, my goal is to ensure that innovation strengthens human connection, protects dignity, and improves lives.

I founded Ethical Innovate Hub to translate this philosophy into practice — bringing together research, education, and industry to develop responsible technologies that create meaningful impact for people, organisations, and society.

"The future of technology should be measured not by how advanced it becomes, but by how much it advances humanity."

LinkedIn ORCID

A working thesis

An open research question

"My central finding, across this body of research, is that providing the right kind of social support leads to better psychological wellbeing — and that enhanced psychological wellbeing, in turn, creates lasting value: social and societal impact, resilience, academic excellence, quality of life, and better health outcomes."

I'm interested to learn: what underlying strategies and principles have other innovators, healthcare professionals, and researchers applied to turn psychological wellbeing into value?

If you work at this intersection — in research, healthcare, education, or industry — I'd welcome hearing your perspective. Tell me where you work from, and share a thought below.

Thank you — that means a lot. I read every response personally.

Stay close to the work

Join a growing space for this thinking

Occasional notes on the research, new strategies, and updates from the assessment — for anyone working at the intersection of support, wellbeing, and value. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

Written personally — read by the person who founded this, not a marketing team.

Thank you for joining — glad to have you here.

Let's talk

Book a consultation

A short, no-obligation conversation to see where the framework fits your context — whether that's your own wellbeing, your team, or a research collaboration.

Tell me about your context

A few details on where you're starting from, and what you're hoping to work on.

I follow up personally

Usually within a couple of business days, by email — not a generic auto-reply.

We find a time

A short call to see if — and how — this fits what you need.

✓

Thank you — that's been sent.

I'll follow up by email shortly to find a time that works. In the meantime, feel free to explore the assessment or the framework above.

Support shapes wellbeing.Wellbeing creates value.