Approach and Experience
With a warm, empathic approach, I enjoy facilitating people getting in touch with what matters most to them in life.
Since 2011, my experience as a psychologist includes working:
- with children, adolescents, parents, adults, and older adults,
- across the metropolitan and wheatbelt regions,
- in private practice and the public sector,
- with public service work in child protection, community mental health (across the child & adolescent, youth, adult, & older adult streams), inpatient mental health (both youth & adult), and community drug and alcohol services.
My qualifications and professional affiliations are:
- BSc(Psych) Hons(1st class) GradCert(ResearchCommercialisation) MPsych(Clin) PhD
- MAPS FCCLP MACPA EMDRAA CEDC
My varied interests in psychology include:
- Clinical psychology, health psychology, organisational psychology, positive psychology, and transpersonal psychology.
Other Relevant Vocational and Life Experience
My current work is informed by my rich and varied life experiences – academic, vocational, and recreational.
I spent many years at university as a sessional academic and as a research associate, with experience spanning both information systems (including 3D virtual worlds) and psychology. I have a background in performing arts, including music, theatre, and musical theatre.
I am a long-term meditator and a former yoga teacher.
Over the years I have engaged in a wide variety of competitive and recreational sports, and continue to enjoy exercising for health and wellbeing.
I have a strong affinity for WA’s natural beauty and wildlife. I have travelled widely, both across Australia and around the world.
Research
Doctoral research:
- In my PhD I examined the efficacy and effectiveness of Kabat-Zinn’s mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program in promoting mental health and wellbeing in a sample of adults from the community who did not have mental health diagnoses.
- My doctoral research also evaluated the psychometric properties of two recently developed mindfulness measures using factor analysis, comparing those with and without mindfulness meditation experience.
- Dreher, C. (2009). The Efficacy of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction in Promoting Mindfulness, Psychological Health and Well-being. Bentley, WA: Curtin University of Technology School of Psychology.
I have contributed to the following National Eating Disorders Collaboration publication:
- Watson, H. J., Elphick, R., Dreher, C., Steele, A., & Wilksch, S. (2010). Eating disorders prevention and management: An evidence review. Crows Nest, NSW: National Eating Disorders Collaboration.
Presentations and Supervision
I have given numerous presentations on various topics in psychology to community and professional groups.
I am a board-approved supervisor and have experience since 2014 providing supervision and peer consultation.