Please note

A little about me

I am a psychologist with specialisations in clinical and forensic psychology.  I have also worked for over 40 years in the field of Alcohol and other Drugs.

As a Clinical Psychologist, I have expertise in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems and mental illness. Clinical psychologists work with infants, children, adolescents, adults and older adults.  My experience has also taken me into mental health and health promotion work.

As a Forensic Psychologist, my training includes applying psychological theory and skills to the understanding and functioning of the legal and criminal justice system.  Forensic Psychologists often work in criminal, civil and family legal contexts and provide services for victims, perpetrators and justice personnel. 

I generally work with people who have difficulty coping with various problems including stress, anxiety, depression, grief, past traumas (assault, abuse, PTSD) and habit problems (weight, smoking, addiction etc).

Trauma work has been a prime focus of my work with military personnel and first responders – those on the front line, working in individual and group format.  The word ‘trauma’ comes from the Ancient Greek and means ‘wound’. Trauma touches our lives in many different ways; a serious accident, a physical assault, war, a natural disaster, sexual assault or abuse. In psychology we look at the emotional wounds which result and provide the therapies which best promote healing.

As a Consultant, I hold a position of Honorary Principal Fellow within the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Wollongong and lecture at Masters level in Clinical and Health Psychology and at undergraduate level in Forensic Psychology. I have more than 40 years as a specialist alcohol and other drugs and mental health practitioner and consultant translating research into policy and practice.  I have completed a PhD in Community Medicine and Public Health at the University of NSW with a study which examined outcomes for participants receiving the Group Intervention for Amphetamine-type Stimulant use (GIATS), which I developed in partnership with my colleague James Pitts.

I am a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and Fellow of the Colleges of Clinical and Forensic Psychology.  I am an International Editor of the International Journal of Therapeutic Communities and have many years of experience in developing programs and interventions for men and women and their families in community and custodial settings. My work with Therapeutic Communities and Residential Rehabilitation Services dates back over many years.  In 2008, I received the Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association Award for Significant Contribution to the Therapeutic Community Movement; and in 2010, was inducted into the National Drug and Alcohol Awards Honour Roll.  In 2016, I was one of eleven people chosen from across the world to represent Civil Society in New York at the United Nations General Assembly Special Sitting (UNGASS), preparing a paper for the roundtable on treatment and rehabilitation.