Who we are

After 15 years in the physical sciences I wanted a change. I love learning about people and what makes us who we are, and as a scientist, psychology (the science of the mind) seemed like a great fit. Graduate entry into psychology opened an efficient pathway for me to change career. The coursework has been stretching yet fascinating, and the opportunity to design and lead my own research projects has been especially exciting. As a scientist who deeply cares about people I feel I have found my place!

My research explores the impact of domestic violence on women's citizenship, service provision for Aboriginal communities experiencing family violence, and engaging men to address domestic violence. I’ve been researching rural women's experiences of domestic violence for over a decade in Australia and more recently how domestic violence work shapes practitioners living and working in rural communities. 

My social work degree has prepared me for my career in several ways and equipped me with numerous theories and tools that I can incorporate into my future practise when working with clients. I completed my first placement with Aged Care and Housing (ACH) where I had the privilege of working within a multi-disciplinary team with some extremely passionate, inspiring, hard working professionals. Working in their team allowed me to understand my role as a social worker and consequently, assisted me in developing my own social work identity.

My focus is in the field of child development, bullying, school violence and mental health and wellbeing  and I have produced educational resources in the form of videos and intervention resource packages. I’m undertaking a number of international research projects on the topic of school violence with researchers from Japan, Korea, Greece, Canada, Italy, and the USA.

My interest in autism began while studying savants as part of my PhD in Savant Syndrome. This work became the subject of an ABC documentary titled Uncommon Genius. I went on to develop a screening tool for Autistic Disorder suitable for use in children as young as 12 months of age. My work has now turned to older persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Specifically I'm interested in why persons with ASD may become unwittingly involved in crime.

Studying social work at Flinders has enabled me to fully acknowledge my personal strengths and facilitated my strong desire to help, support and empower people in a meaningful way. The placement experience and learning opportunities within the degree will focus your strengths and skills, increasing your confidence and enabling you to become an advocate for human rights and equality for all.