Prof Ronald Rapee, Director

Despite a wide range of interests, I have focused most of my research in the last 25 years onto anxiety and its disorders. I am fascinated by the ways people's lives change over time and so my work with anxiety disorders has now covered the entire lifespan, from infancy to older age. This research has culminated in several books and over 200 scientific papers in some of the leading international journals in my area. I was honoured to be recognised in 2009 by awards from the two leading professional organisations in my field, the Australian Psychological Society (Distinguished Contribution to Science) and the Australian Association of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Distinguished Career Award). International recognition of my research leads to invitations to present scientific papers and professional training workshops all over the world. It is particularly rewarding to make a difference to people's lives through my input to scientific, mental health, and government bodies and by developing new and effective treatments that are used by therapists all around the world.

A/Prof Jennifer Hudson, Deputy Director

Having a child who experiences difficulties with anxiety or sadness, can take its toll on parents and families. Since having children, and developing a greater awareness of the pressures families face, I can understand this now with greater clarity.  Understanding the factors that contribute to children’s emotional health, and continuing to improve the services we provide for children and families is my passion. My research endeavours to improve our understanding of the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to excessive anxiety and fear.  I am committed to developing, evaluating and disseminating programs to continually improve outcomes for children’s emotional health.

Dr Heidi Lyneham

Having grown up in rural areas of Australia I understand the frustration that arises when attempting to access health services in geographically isolated places. With today’s technology, however, we are slowly closing that expanse. My research has focused on developing ways of helping children and adolescents who have emotional health disorders, with a particular emphasis on reaching families in rural and remote regions. Using online materials, telephone conversations and even the traditional postal system we can help families to learn skills for managing anxiety and depression without ever needing them to leave home. I also have an interest in using the same technologies to facilitate training and supervision for health professionals in rural and remote areas. Through research I hope that we can remove distance as a barrier to the best available mental health care.
Research Members

Associate Members
Clinic Team
Advisory Committee Members 

 

Research Members

A/Prof Andrew Baillie, Member

I am an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at Macquarie University and an honorary Clinical Psychologist with Drug Health Services at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. My research focuses on testing diagnostic systems, on understanding and treating problems with alcohol anxiety and depression, and on testing new treatments for mental disorders.  I work as a clinical psychologist with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with people who have problems with drinking, anxiety, and depression. We know a lot about these problems and there is so much more to learn. I am also the director of the clinical psychology training program at Macquarie University. In my spare time I enjoy being with my family, soccer, bushwalking, and building things.

Dr Suzanne Broeren, Member

Anxiety disorders are the most common psychological disorders in children. Still the specific factors involved in the onset and maintenance of these disorders remain largely unknown. My principal research interests lie in the area of experimental psychopathology and involve using experimental research methods to understand the cognitive and behavioural mechanisms involved in the onset and maintenance of psychological disorders and specifically childhood anxiety disorders. As a Ph.D. student, I completed a program of research exploring the developmental course of childhood anxiety and vulnerability factors associated with this type of psychopathology, such as information-processing biases and temperament. My new research focuses more on exploring anxiety-related information-processing biases in healthy and anxious children and the development of these biases (by use of “child-friendly” tasks). It is now believed that these biases play a role in the onset and maintenance of anxiety disorders and new treatments have been developed to prevent and treat anxiety by means of changing these biases. Hopefully, my research will advance our understanding of how these biases develop and manifest themselves in children and will result in better procedures to prevent and treat anxiety in children. 

A/Prof Kay Bussey, Member

I am committed to understanding more about how children learn to guide and self-regulate their behaviour. The self-regulatory processes that children select to use have profound effects on the skills they develop and on their socioemotional development. The main features of my research include a strong theoretical basis derived from Bandura’s social cognitive theory, a focus on the child’s perspective, and the investigation of psychological processes that are amenable to intervention. From these guiding principles, I consider not only personal factors related to the child such as their temperament, thought processes, and biological makeup but also social influences from parents, teachers, peers, and the media. I am particularly interested in how children construct their beliefs about themselves and about others from diverse experiences and how they use this information to self-regulate their own behavior. I have researched and published articles in leading psychology journals on children’s self-regulatory development in a number of areas including bullying and victimization, trust and honesty, gender relations, parent-child interactions, and children’s participation in the legal system.

Dr Blake Dear, Member

Anxiety, depression and related conditions affect many more Australians every year than most of us realise. Unfortunately, despite there being effective treatments, only a limited number of people receive appropriate evidence-based care. This is extremely regrettable. Given this, my main research interests revolve around initiatives which have the potential to improve peoples’ access to effective, affordable and timely care. For example, I am passionate about how the internet and other media can be used to increase peoples’ access to effective education and treatment programs for a wide range of difficulties across different age groups. I have a particular interest in the development of programs for people with common chronic physical conditions, such as chronic pain, which can have an enormous impact on peoples’ quality of life.

A/Prof Jennifer Donald, Member

I have long been fascinated by the role that inheritance plays in affecting the susceptibility of people to a variety of disorders.  My research has focussed on trying to identify some of the genes that, in combination with environmental factors, affect the risk of developing bipolar disorder and anxiety.  Knowledge of the role of genes will help in understanding the biological pathways involved and give insights into developing treatments.


 

Dr Kerry-Ann Grant, Member

Why are babies all so different? Why do some babies sleep, feed and settle more easily than others? Why do some babies love to explore while others prefer familiar faces and toys? These are just some of the questions that I am exploring in a new study about pregnancy and early parenthood funded by the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Further details can be found on the study website: http://www.psy.mq.edu.au/PRAMS/

Dr Maria Kangas, Member

Although it is an unfortunate fact, a high proportion of people throughout their lifespan will experience highly stressful events, including being diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions or caring for persons with life-threatening or progressive medical conditions (e.g., cancer and dementia). However, people are also quite resilient in psychologically adapting to highly traumatic events. In my research, I am very interested in understanding what factors help people emotionally recover from medical and other stressful life events, as well as helping family carers. Through my research, I am also testing therapy programs tailored towards specific stress and carer populations to help people recover and enhance their resiliency. I find my clinical research rewarding as I endeavour to contribute to the improvement of psychosocial screening and treatment programs for stressed members of the community. In 2009, I am honoured that my research in this field has been recognized internationally, by receiving the Early Career Research Investigator Award by the Society of Behavioral Medicine (USA).

Carolyn Lorian

Coming soon.

A/Prof Cathy McMahon, Member

My research focuses on the earliest origins of parenting: the psychological experience of pregnancy and how parents come to establish attachment relationships with their infants. A recent study has focused on the trend to delayed childbearing and describes the experience of pregnancy and early parenthood for older compared with younger parents as well as the impact of prior infertility and assisted reproductive technology on psychological wellbeing during this time. Unsettled infant behaviour (particularly excessive crying) is the most common reason for new parents to seek professional help and my research has also examined associations between infant crying, postnatal depression and infant development. An exciting new study explores associations between mothers' mood and stress responses in pregnancy their care giving and their infants' behaviour in the early months of life. We hope to understand the earliest origins of individual differences in a child's capacity to regulate their emotions. I have a commitment to research findings being translated into better services for parents and I am involved in several initiatives to assist parents in better understanding their infant's development and behaviour during the early years of life.

 

Dr Carol Newall, Member

My initial research experience was primarily in a laboratory, working out the finer details of the neural fear circuit. However, I came to realise that there is a considerable gap between the discoveries made in the laboratory and then applying these findings to the real-world.  Therefore, my research interest is in ‘translational’ work where the findings in a laboratory is ‘translated’ to advance our knowledge about how fears are learned and how it is then inhibited or ‘unlearned’. My research will hopefully provide us with a better understanding about why anxiety occurs, what happens when it goes away during treatment, and what we can do to prevent it from coming back (relapse).  Some of my previous work in the laboratory suggests that children are more resilient to the relapse of anxiety disorders than adults. I hope to verify this finding in my translational research and contribute to the development of new and innovative programs for the treatment and prevention of anxiety disorders.  

 

Dr Lorna Peters, Member

SInce beginning study of psychology in the 1980's, I have been intrigued by how people differ from one another and by the uniqueness of each individual. My passion for understanding how individuals differ from one another has translated into my research which focusses on how the unique characteristics of an individual contribute to their progress in treatment for anxiety disorders. My research has two broad aims: firstly, to discover how psychologists can accurately measure unique characteristics of individuals who suffer from an anxiety disorder; and, secondly, to develop treatment procedures that take each person's unique characteristics into account in order to deliver the best outcomes for people with anxiety disorders.

 

Dr Carolyn Schniering, Member

In my experience as a child psychologist, I have seen first-hand the way in which emotional problems can interfere with achieving goals and enjoyment of life, in children and adolescents. Therefore, my passion as a member for the Centre of Emotional Health is to increase our understanding of childhood emotional difficulties, and to improve treatment programs for anxiety and depression in youth. In particular, in recent years I developed and evaluated a new treatment that targets both anxiety and depression simultaneously, for adolescents. This program is one of the only integrated treatments for anxiety and depression in Australia. I also developed a questionnaire called the Children’s Automatic Thoughts Scale (CATS) which has been used on a national and international scale to identify unhelpful thinking styles associated with emotional difficulties in youth. In future, I will continue to develop innovative treatments for anxiety and depression in young people. Early intervention is so important in this age group in order to prevent continued emotional problems and reduced life potential into adulthood.

 

Dr Kerry Sherman, Member

After witnessing friends and family experience a cancer diagnosis, I have had a passion to apply my knowledge of psychology in this area. Since 2004 I have been working closely with the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, where I have a secondment. I am particularly interested in how we can help women diagnosed with breast cancer to manage this experience in the best way possible. I believe that our families are very important to us when we face a health crisis, and so much of my research focuses on how breast cancer affects family members, and how in turn, family members can support a woman with breast cancer. I am also very interested in how genetic testing for disease affects families. I am looking at ways for people to better understand this complex genetic information and to cope with the testing process. I get a real sense of fulfilment knowing that my research is helping the lives of these women and their families.

 

A/Prof Nick Titov, Member

We all know someone with anxiety or depression. In fact, more than 2 million Australians are afflicted by anxiety, depression, and related conditions. These conditions affect all age, ethnic, and socio-economic groups. But tragically, even though we have treatments that work, most people don’t receive evidence-based treatments. We must do better: Knowledge about how to maintain mental wellbeing should be a basic human right. I am passionate about improving access to effective and affordable mental health services. My team and I are developing and evaluating education and treatment programs to support people to learn to obtain and maintain healthy mental wellbeing. We are also developing programs to support health professionals to access the latest techniques and resources to help them treat people with anxiety and depression. My hope is that by providing good information and treatment services to multiple age groups, we can begin to reduce the prevalence and burden of common mental disorders.

Dr Viviana Wuthrich, Member

I have broad research interests in mental health across the age span. However, I currently have specific interests in understanding and treating anxiety in children and older adults. I have a keen interest in improving the treatment of anxiety in these age groups and my research focuses on developing psychological treatment programs for these populations. I enjoy working with people and teaching them essentially simple techniques that can have a powerful effect on their emotional health and wellbeing. I also have a specific interest in understanding the psychological factors that contribute to the development of schizophrenia.

 

Dr Judy Zou

My area of research focuses on improving access to evidence-based treatment through the use of internet-based treatment programs. I am particularly interested in helping those facing additional barriers to access psychological care, such as non-English speaking groups and the elderly. My research on enhancing emotional wellbeing for older people involves adapting clinically efficacious treatment programs to increase their suitability for this population.  I am also passionate about enhancing accessibility of psychological services for minority groups, such as Chinese-Australians. Through developing culturally sensitive treatment programs, I hope to work towards reducing stigma and increasing mental literacy in the community.

 

 

 

Associate Members

Dr Danielle Einstein

I am a clinical researcher with 15 years of practical and research experience in the field. My current research is in improving treatments for adolescents suffering from comorbid anxiety and depression, and understanding the role of managing uncertainty in adult treatment of anxiety and depression.  In the past, I have researched and developed treatments for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and was head of the Anxiety Clinic at Westmead Hospital for 7 years. I have presented both in Australia and overseas on a range of topics including Magical Ideation, Motivational Interviewing, Danger Ideation Reduction Therapy and Intolerance for Uncertainty.  I also have an interest in ACT and Schema therapy. 

 

 

Clinic Team

Ms Sarah Perini, Clinic Director, Emotional Health Clinic

I first became associated with the Emotional Health Clinic in the year 2000, when I began work as a research assistant. Since that time I have developed a passion for delivering effective, evidence based treatment to the community. I have a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology, and have worked clinically in a variety of treatment settings including the Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression (CRUfAD), located at St Vincent's Hospital, the Mood Disorders Day Programme at Northside Clinic, the public health system in the United Kingdom, and in private practice. My role as Director of the Emotional Health Clinic now includes the design of group treatment interventions for anxiety disorders, the provision of clinical supervision, and the co-ordination of the day-to-day running of both the adult and child anxiety programs. My role also allows me the wonderful opportunity to educate other health professionals and the general public about the nature and treatment of anxiety disorders.

 

Cheree Tabet, Clinic Manager, Emotional Health Clinic

I have worked closely with the Emotional Health Clinic for over two years and started the manager’s role in 2010. In my role, I oversee the day-to-day running of the clinic and co-ordinate staff and students and manage the private programs. I have a background in Office Management and I am currently involved with some of our group sessions.

Cheree is on maternity leave from 4 January 2012 to 24 July 2012. Please contact Anna Reichard (Acting Manager) on 02 9850 6723 or anna.reichard@mq.edu.au.

 

 

Sam Coburn, Private Clinician

Samantha is a Registered Psychologist and a full member of the Australian Psychological Society (MAPS). Samantha holds a Master's degree in Counselling Psychology from Macquarie University as well as her various undergraduate qualifications. Her research to date has focussed on parenting factors in the development of anxiety in children, with particular emphasis on the unique contribution of fathers.

Samantha has experience treating adults and children suffering from anxiety disorders, mixed anxiety and mood problems, interpersonal/relationship problems, adjustment issues and emotional and behavioural difficulties in children. In addition Samantha has experience delivering both group and individual treatments for children and adults as well as providing training/supervision to Intern Psychologists.

Samantha is experienced in a range of empirically validated therapy techniques including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Schema Therapy and has a passionate interest in mindfulness based approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).  Samantha has a genuine desire to support clients through difficult times and does so with warmth, compassion and respect. She is committed to continuing professional development and training in order to provide clients with the highest quality of care.

 

 

Sally Fitzpatrick, Private Clinician

Sally is a registered psychologist and holds memberships with the Australian Psychological Society (APS), the Australian Association for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (AACBT), and the Anxiety Practitioner's Network (APN).Sally has had experience working with children, adolescents and families, as well as adults. She has strong skills in working with clients though a range of difficulties including depression, anxiety disorders of all types, as well as emotional and interpersonal problems. Sally works with clients individually and in groups, drawing upon a range of evidence based therapeutic treatments, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Schema Therapy. Sally holds a BA Psychology (Honours) from Macquarie University and a BA (Welfare) from the University of Western Sydney. She is currently completing her PHD/Master of Clinical Psychology at Macquarie University, with her thesis focussed on the area of school bullying.

 

 

Lauren McLellan, Private Clinician

Lauren is a qualified psychologist who is registered with the Psychology Board of Australia (PBA). She is an associate member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and member of the Australian Association of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (AACBT) and Anxiety Practitioners Network (APN). She has experience working with children, adolescents and adults in individual, couple or group settings. Lauren has conducted assessments and provided treatment for clients experiencing anxiety, depression, interpersonal difficulties, trauma, behaviour management difficulties and ADHD, in both hospital and community settings. Lauren draws on a range of evidence based therapeutic interventions including cognitive behaviour therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, mindfulness based acceptance and commitment therapy, motivational interviewing, schema therapy and narrative therapy. Lauren has completed an Honours degree in Psychology from Macquarie University. Lauren is in the final stages of completing her Combined Master of Clinical Psychology/PhD at Macquarie University. Her research is investigating methods of improving psychological interventions. Lauren is also involved in other research being conducted through the Emotional Health Clinic. Lauren sees the importance of working collaboratively with clients from a warm and empathic stance and is genuinely interested in seeing clients work towards their goals.

 

 

Ivone Rebelo, Private Clinician

Ivone is a registered and experienced psychologist who works with both children and adults with a variety of mental health concerns. Ivone graduated from Sydney University with a Bachelor of Liberal Studies in 2004, in which she majored in psychology. She then went on to complete a Post Graduate Diploma of Psychology in 2005 and completed her registration in 2008. Ivone has several years of experience working with anxiety related issues at the Emotional Health Clinic but also has ongoing experience in private practice treating a variety of issues such as mood disorders, trauma, grief and loss as well as trichotillomania. Ivone uses various treatment approaches that are evidence based and client centered, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Schema Therapy. She has a particular interest in resilience building and emotion regulation, using strengths based approach. Ivone is currently completing her Master of Human Rights and Democratisation at Sydney University in which she is researching the mental health of refugees and trafficked men, women and children.

 

 

Jo Ross, Private Clinician

Joanne is a registered psychologist and associate member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).  She provides assessment and treatment for children, adolescents and adults at the Emotional Health Clinic, using evidence based techniques, such as cognitive behavioural therapy and schema therapy. Joanne works with clients experiencing a range of anxiety-related problems in individual and group settings.  She was awarded a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree and Masters of Clinical Psychology from Macquarie University, and a PhD in Community Medicine from the University of New South Wales.  Joanne also holds a research position at the University of New South Wales, where her research interests include treatment outcomes for substance dependence, suicide risk management and group schema therapy for depression.

 

 

Keila Brockveld, Private Clinician

Keila is a registered psychologist and associate member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS). She provides assessment and treatment for adults at the Emotional Health Clinic, using cognitive behavioural therapy and schema therapy. She assists clients experiencing a range of anxiety-related problems in individual and group settings. Keila has completed a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) degree and has a Masters in Health Psychology. She is currently completing her PhD of Psychology at Macquarie University in which she is researching the impact of individual differences on social anxiety treatment outcome.

 

 

 

 

Advisory Committee Members

The Hon. John Watkins M.A., L.LB., DipEd

Since September 2008, John has been the CEO of Alzheimer’s Australia NSW. This important role is involved in some of the major ageing and dementia challenges facing the New South Wales community over coming years.  Alzheimer’s Australia NSW is based at North Ryde in Sydney and has branch offices in several regional locations.

In November 2010 John was appointed Chair of the Board of the Little Company of Mary Health Care Ltd which is responsible for over twenty public and private hospitals, aged care institutions and extensive community care provision throughout every State and Territory of Australia except Queensland and Western Australia.

Until 2011 John also served as the Chair of the NSW Centenary of Anzac Commemoration Committee which developed a series of events to commemorate Australia’s involvement in WW1. 

John is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Centre for Emotional Health at Macquarie University and in 2009 was appointed as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Western Sydney.

In October 2011 John was appointed Chair of the McKell Institute, a progressive independent think tank based in New South Wales and designed to encourage community debate with practical, thought provoking ideas through commissioned research.

John has chaired the judging panels for the NSW Premier’s Community Awards since 2010 and was an Australia Day Ambassador in 2011.

Prior to his appointment at Alzheimer’s Australia NSW, John was a member of the NSW Parliament between 1995 and 2008. He was sworn in as Deputy Premier in August 2005 and was NSW Transport Minister from January 2005 and Minister for Finance from April 2007 until his resignation from politics in September 2008.

Previously he had held six other Ministerial appointments including the portfolios of State Development, Police (twice), Education and Training, Corrective Services, Fair Trading and Sport and Recreation. He was also Minister responsible for World Youth Day 2008, the APEC Conference in 2007 and other major events.  He also served as the Legislative Assembly representative on the Macquarie University Council for six years.

John graduated in Arts and Law from the University of NSW. He also holds a Master of Arts from Macquarie University and a Diploma of Education from Sydney Teachers College. He worked as a teacher for 16 years until his election to Parliament in 1995.

He is married to Deborah and they have five children – three girls and two boys.

 

Prof Janet Greeley

Professor Janet Greeley has an enviable track record as a university researcher and administrator, and is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences.

She has extensive experience in executive management and lists her areas of research interest as the psychology of addictive behaviour, especially the role of learning in drug tolerance and dependence. The early part of her academic career was spent in Canada, where she obtained a BSc (Hons), an MA and a PhD in Psychology.

Professor Greeley has held academic positions at the University of New South Wales, James Cook University and served on a number of government advisory committees, and a range of professional societies.

She is a member of the Strategic Policy Advisory Committee of the Australian Medical Council and an alternate member of the Board of the Hearing CRC.

 

Prof Peter Lovibond

Professor Peter Lovibond obtained his Ph.D. in Psychology (1980) and M.Sc. in Clinical Psychology (1984) from the University of New South Wales.  He was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Cambridge University (1980-1983) and Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Sydney (1983-1984) before moving back to the University of New South Wales, where he was Head of the School of Psychology from 2002-2008 and is now Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Science.

His research focuses on human associative learning and expectancy theories of anxiety.  He has also investigated the long term stability of depression, anxiety and stress.  In 1995 he published the DASS, a self-report measure of the negative emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress which is widely used by researchers and clinicians.

Professor Lovibond has served as Chair of the NSW Branch of the Australian Association for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (AACBT; 1990-1991), National President of the AACBT (1991-1992), and convenor of the 14th National AACBT Conference held in Sydney in 1991.  He is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and has held a number of positions within APS, including Chair of the Organising Committee for the 39th National Conference held in Sydney in 2004.  He is also a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, and is a Consulting Editor for the Journal of Abnormal Psychology and Learning and Behavior.  He is a past member of the Social Economic and Behavioural Sciences panel of the Australian Research Council.

 

Prof Susan Spence

Prof Susan H Spence is Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.

Sue was previously Pro Vice Chancellor (Quality and Student Outcomes) and prior to joining Griffith University, she was Dean of the Division of Linguistics and Psychology at Macquarie University in Sydney. She has also held the positions of Deputy President of Academic Board, at the University of Queensland where she was also Head of the School of Psychology and Head the School of Journalism and Communication. She is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society, British Psychological Society and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Her research interests lie in the causes, assessment, prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression in young people. She is on the editorial boards of several international journals and has also been a member of numerous State and Commonwealth advisory committees and granting bodies in Australia, in the area of mental health. Her research currently focusses on the use of the internet to deliver effective treatments for anxiety and related problems with children and adolescents.

 
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