Let me share a little more about my background and experience as a clinical psychologist. I studied for 8 years to become a clinical psychologist, finishing with a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from La Trobe University, Melbourne in 2013. Since completing my post-graduate studies, I went on to work for 3.5 years at a Child and Youth Mental Health Service (CYMHS) in Box Hill, Victoria. This role involved conducting specialised clinical assessments and brief intervention for children and young adults who were experiencing severe and complex mental health issues. I also provided parent training and supportive counselling for the parents of children who had been referred to our service.
After my time at CYMHS, I then commenced a position at St. Vincent´s Hospital in Melbourne working in both the Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team (CATT) and Psychiatric Triage. This has certainly been my favorite job so far within the public mental health system! Here, I worked with some of the most vulnerable people within the community. I helped many people who were experiencing an acute psychotic or manic episode and others who were feeling suicidal or had survived after making a suicide attempt. I enjoyed this work so much because I felt I was really making a difference in helping people who needed urgent mental health support. I also loved working in a muti-disciplinary team with social workers, psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists, and psychiatrists - here I gained invaluable experience working alongside other health professionals.
I dedicated 5 years to working at St Vincent´s Hospital before taking up a Senior Clinical Psychologist role within the HOPE team at Mid-West Area Mental Health Service, in Sunshine, Melbourne. This role involved providing psychological therapy to people after they had made a suicide attempt. I found this work deeply satisfying as I was able to introduce interventions that addressed the underlying drivers that led to the suicide attempt. Over the last few years, I have stepped away from my work in public mental health to focus on my journey as a mother to two beautiful young children. I have chosen to work solely via telehealth as it provides wonderful flexibility and allows me to enjoy more quality time with my family. Another reason why telehealth works so well is because I split my time living between in Australia and Sweden (half my family is based in Stockholm!). Working online, I now have two main jobs as a clinical psychologist: providing online therapy and counselling and offering clinical supervision to university students, 5+1 provisional psychologists, psychologists undertaking the Registrar Program, and peers within the psychology profession and related fields.
Beyond my role as a psychologist, I enjoy reading novels, taking walks in nature, exploring new food spots, and gardening.