It’s a great honour to be the Chair for the Newcastle Branch. I'm a Clinical Psychologist working in Psychology for 22 years. I started in Private Practice during the commencement of the Better Access scheme back in 2006. Since 2008 I have been the Director of a Women’s Clinic in Lake Macquarie where I specialise in Women’s Mental Health across the ages. I am a clinical and general Psychology supervisor and hold a position on the University of Newcastle’s Human Research Ethics Committee. I also spend time guest lecturing, training, and writing in the domains of Women and Psychology. I am a working mum of three children. I have been a member of the APS since my intern years and have always advocated for such a supportive institute due to my own positive experience. The APS was a rich resource during my student days, I leant heavily on them during my early career, especially when starting private practice and continue to have rich relations and support through the APS

I am a Registered Psychologist with a background working in public mental health services in the NSW Central West. I made the jump into private practice in 2014 when I moved to the Newcastle area. I have been associated with the APS since 2005 and have served on committees in various roles with both the Western Region branch and the Newcastle branch. The APS has been a wonderful support professionally over the years and provides a great way to network with other psychologists. In practice I use a range of therapeutic approaches, but since training in EMDR in 2016 this has been my focus. I am an EMDR Accredited Practitioner, Consultant in Training, and Treasurer of the APS EMDR Therapy and Psychology Interest Group.

I am an Endorsed Clinical Psychologist and a Fellow of the Clinical College. I worked in the field of Intellectual Disability within the NSW Public Service in Sydney, on the NSW Central Coast and in Newcastle for four decades. I continued working in this field for three years within an NGO in Newcastle for four years prior to retiring in 2020. I now work within a voluntary capacity as a telephone crisis supporter at Lifeline. I have been a member of the Newcastle Branch of the APS since 2009, and I joined the committee in 2017. I have been the Treasurer of Newcastle Branch for the last three years.

Erin is currently undertaking the Master of Clinical Psychology program at UoN. Previously Erin undertook a PhD (Psychology) focussing on the child developmental impacts of father-child play interactions and has since submitted her thesis for examination. Erin is interested in child development with a particular focus on cognition and emotional regulation. As an active member of the APS Newcastle Branch since 2019, she is passionate about connecting the psychological community with local events, and serves as the social media coordinator.

It is with great pleasure and gratitude that I am able to serve as a committee member for the Newcastle Branch.
I am currently studying the Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced) with Swinburne University of Technology and hope to complete my fourth year of study in the next 18 months.
I enjoy keeping active, networking and believe in continued learning. To keep busy and give back to society, I work full-time, volunteer with St Vincent de Paul and as a Crisis Supporter with Lifeline.
I hope that as a committee member, I can promote the fantastic Psychologists in the Newcastle area, encourage networking and continued learning.
I hope to see you at an event soon.

Tanya has just completed her Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) at the University of Newcastle. Tanya has worked in business for the past 30 years, with a focus on People and Culture. With so much of her work involving human behaviour and interaction, mental health support and relationships, it was a natural progression to follow her passion and study. Tanya joined the committee in September 2022 as a student representative to become involved in the community of Psychology in Newcastle and to support the team to engage members in networking, professional and personal development activities and share experiences.

I am currently in my third year of undertaking a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Advanced) at the University of Newcastle. I have worked in finance and business consulting (technology and startups), for the past 10 years, however much of what I did related to psychology, and after bringing my three daughters into the world I became really interested in human behaviour. I am excited and grateful to be a part of the APS here in Newcastle. There is so much amazing support for students, both online and in-person within the branch, and I look forward to being a part of growing this network over the coming years.