About Me

I have worked as a psychologist in the public and private sector for over 19 years. My training has included a Bachelor of Psychology with First Class Honours and a Bachelor of Laws, from Southern Cross University. I attended Southern Cross University initially as a 17 year old from a regional area, choosing a young and progressive university. Located in Northern NSW and South East QLD, the teaching focus promoted sustainability as a general ethos, which aligns with my personal values. My early career was grounded in working in teams focused on crisis risk assessment, support and intervention including telehealth and outreach services, along with reviews of cultural diversity in mental health assessment.

I later completed a Masters of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology) and a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Sydney, focusing on the neurobiology of Clinical Depression. My interest in epidemiology and the determinants of health stemmed from my curiosity about global health care systems and the research behind clinical decision making. The pursuit of my PhD allowed me to explore the different biological, neuropsychological and behavioral attributes that contributed to the different types of Clinical Depression. During this time, I assisted with the iSPOT-D clinical trial at Westmead Hospital, Sydney. I attended the University Sydney due to it consistently producing graduates who value making a positive impact on society and for greater exposure to culturally diverse populations, gaining experience at research units based at Westmead and Royal North Shore Hospitals.

Following my PhD I gained further work experience applying psychological principles in the property and insurance industries whilst based in South East and North Queensland, leading me to complete the Masters in Organisational Psychology program at Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW. This helped me to extend my understanding of the environmental influences on work and well-being. In particular, I gained experience in understanding personality types and how they influence mental health and performance in the workplace, in addition to the relationship between human factors and new technology. Macquarie University's focus on applied and practical teaching methods has assisted me to gain an appreciation for practical and applied psychological interventions, and reinforced my approach where taking a systems perspective can enhance the effectiveness of assessments and interventions. I also completed Macquarie's Global Leadership Program as part of my personal and professional development.

My focus now is taking evidence-based organisational and environmental psychology approaches and helping people with complex challenges. By taking a systems approach and out of the box thinking I help individuals, teams, and organisations overcome challenges toward achieving their goals in today's volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world. I am currently completing the Master of Business Administration course at Bond University.

I provide clinical and coaching psychology services to people experiencing challenges, including workplace stress, burnout, anxiety and trauma. I also help people with attention deficit hyperactivity and autism spectrum disorder, with a focus on capacity building for education and work. My clinical approach is to teach the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy model, and then work though a range of thought and behaviour changes, based on the GROW coaching model and socratic method. I encourage my clients to consider the environmental influences on their health and the impact this may have on their life experience and well-being. This approach is simply assessing first up, whether the environment you are in is contributing to your distress, before moving toward assessing individual factors which create mental health vulnerabilties.

I also work with people who have experienced natural disasters, from those needing psychological support and community building, through to those needing treatment for acute stress reactions, anxiety and trauma. My clinical approach remains Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, however I incorporate Gestalt techniques as required, and have a network of colleagues who provide equine assisted psychotherapy, for where a different approach is required to help work through deeper psychological challenges.

My coaching services help people with personal and professional development, including problem solving complex systemic challenges within team or organisational dynamics, leadership development and career coaching.

In addition to my work with individual clients, I also work with organisations regarding workplace investigations, conflict resolution and professional development of employees.