I am registered to practice as a psychologist in Australia. I hold the endorsement of Clinical Psychology with the National Registration Board (an area of practice endorsement indicates that the psychologist has completed an approved postgraduate qualification and supervised training and experience in the area of practice). I am a full member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).
My tertiary education includes Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) Honours First Class and Master of Applied Psychology (Clinical Psychology). My theses topics were on Apologies in Youth Justice and on Sleep Interventions for Under Three’s.
I have worked full-time as a Consultant in Therapeutic Residential Care Services for the Department of Communities. In this role, I gained a deep understanding of child development and the impact of complex trauma from family dysfunction or abuse. Continuous assessment of the young residents’ emotional and behavioural presentation was necessary to ensure that safety plans, trauma profiles and individual therapeutic plans were always current and relevant to the dynamic environment I worked closely with Group Home staff using attachment and trauma theory, mentalization, and reflective practice principles to encourage and support a therapeutic stance toward issues such as neurodevelopmental disabilities (ADHD, Autism, FASD), mental illness, drug and alcohol use, interpersonal conflict and violence, suicide and self-harm, and sexual abuse. I helped young people deal with the dynamics of dysfunctional families.
I have experience providing consultation and clinical services to Aboriginal clients (children and adults) referred by Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, as part of my postgraduate training. I delivered clinical care and support to cases with multiple high-risk factors including FDV, chronic and acute drug and alcohol dependence, homelessness, open CPRS cases, underage/ unplanned pregnancy, complex trauma etc. I also provided consultation and liaison services for children presenting with significant neurodevelopmental indicators (Autism, Intellectual Disability, ADHD), demandinga sensitive and collaborative approach to offering clinical opinion and advocacy and I maintain a strong interest in attachment theory and parental reflective functioning as it relates to family dynamics and complex/intergenerational trauma.
I joined Mindstate Psychology in 2023 as a clinical psychologist. I have completed family evaluation assessments for single expert witness reports and have undertaken psychological assessments to produce criminal injury compensation reports. Alongside this, I have worked in private practice, delivering evidence based assessments, clinical opinions, interventions and reports to support clients (children and adults) with a range of mental health difficulties associated with issues, including (but not limited to) separation & divorce, parenting & child protection involvement, interpersonal conflict, trauma, sexual abuse and grief & loss.
Throughout my practice I take a thoughtful, sensitive and inquisitive approach to both assessment and therapeutic work, which contributes to a trusting and open dialogue with clients and a considered, reflective style of report writing.
I have a strong background in suicide risk assessment and prevention through working in a crisis support role and have completed Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and Mental Health First Aid courses.
I have experience in administering and producing reports using a range of psychometric, diagnostic and screening tools to assess a variety of factors (cognitive, neurodevelopmental, personality, differential diagnosis etc.) with children, adolescents and adults.
I am current with the Professional Development training requirements of AHPRA which requires that I attend training relevant to my expertise. As part of my ongoing professional development, I have undertaken a range of training courses, workshops, and seminars. Of note are: Schema Therapy (2022); The Heart of Trauma (2021) Bonnie Badenoch; the Aboriginal Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Aboriginal Communities (2020), (including administration and analysis of the Westerman Aboriginal Symptom Checklist, adults (wasc-a) and youth (wasc-y); Risk of Harm to Others (the role of psychologists) (2019), Prof. Alfred Allan; Alexithymia as a key diagnostic feature of emotional disorders (2022), David Preece; Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI-Plus) (2023), Dr Phil Watts; Writing Reports for Court (2023), Dr Phil Watts; A Quartet of Challenging Issues in Family Law Disputes, Philip Stahl.
During my time with the Department of Communities I participated in a number of trainings under the Sanctuary Framework and oriented to working with children in out of home care, including Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, The Impact of Trauma and Advanced Trauma Practice.
In joining Mindstate Psychology, I benefit from receiving individual training and supervision in the area of Family Court assessment under the direction of Dr Phil Watts who has 30 years’ experience in family court assessments.
Justine does not have any publications at this time.
