I have been a longstanding lecturer (teaching and research) in the occupational therapy program at the University of South Australia (UniSA). I am also an experienced occupational therapy clinician who has a long-standing interest in child protection and the impact of child trauma throughout life, from a clinical, research and education perspective (with clinical experience in a range of mental health and paediatric roles, including an agency that focused on services for children experiencing trauma and their families).
My research interests include: child and adult well-being, the impact of trauma throughout the lifespan, mental health, and play and playfulness. I have expertise in a range of research methologies, including qualitative... Read more
About me
I have been a longstanding lecturer (teaching and research) in the occupational therapy program at the University of South Australia (UniSA). I am also an experienced occupational therapy clinician who has a long-standing interest in child protection and the impact of child trauma throughout life, from a clinical, research and education perspective (with clinical experience in a range of mental health and paediatric roles, including an agency that focused on services for children experiencing trauma and their families).
My research interests include: child and adult well-being, the impact of trauma throughout the lifespan, mental health, and play and playfulness. I have expertise in a range of research methologies, including qualitative research, case study design and survey design. I am passionate about training up and coming researchers, having supervised more than 15 honours by research students, and have coordinated the research honours preparation course for occupational therapy and speech pathology students for several years. I am also a member of the University of South Australia’s Safe Relationships and Communities Research Group (SRC) which promotes the development of safe and healthy interpersonal relationships and strong socially-inclusive communities.
About me
Occupational Therapy Australia
National registration with AHPRA
Peer reviewer for a range of journals such as the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy and the Journal of Occupational Science.
About me
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 30/07/2022 |
Child's best friend (New Zealand Listener), https://www.magzter.com/stories/news/New-Zealand-Listener/CHILDS-BEST-FRIEND |
| 06/06/2022 |
Assistance dogs found to help autistic children, https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/assistance-dogs-found-to-help-autistic-children |
| 29/05/2022 |
A Wet Nose and a Wagging Tail Opens Up a New World for Autistic Kids, https://www.newswise.com/articles/a-wet-nose-and-a-wagging-tail-opens-up-a-new-world-for-autistic-kids |
About me
Doctor of Philosophy University of South Australia
Master of Philosophy (OT) University of Queensland
Bachelor of Occupational Therapy The University of Queensland
My PhD was conferred in 2016, topic: Playfulness in Preschool Children: The Impact of Parental Characteristics and Child Abuse and Neglect. I have recently collaborated on a colleague’s (Sarah Seekamp) project, completing a scoping review to support interprofessional collaboration in the field of child protection (see research outputs). I have also continued to pursue my interest in the area of trauma through both honours and higher degree research supervision. A current masters by research student is examining the topic, Supporting foster carers in using play as a therapeutic tool. Some recent honours projects I have supervised include:
2023
Research
Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. Some long-standing staff members may have older outputs included. To see earlier years visit ORCID, ResearcherID or Scopus
Open access indicates that an output is open access.
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2024 |
Open access
1
1
|
| 2024 |
Open access
1
1
|
| 2023 |
10
8
|
| 2022 |
Open access
14
13
64
|
| 2022 |
Open access
4
3
5
|
| 2022 |
4
4
9
|
| 2020 |
Open access
25
24
7
|
| 2017 |
Open access
9
9
|
| 2014 |
Open access
21
18
|
| 2013 |
54
47
|
Research
My PhD was conferred in 2016, topic: Playfulness in Preschool Children: The Impact of Parental Characteristics and Child Abuse and Neglect. I have recently collaborated on a colleague’s (Sarah Seekamp) project, completing a scoping review to support interprofessional collaboration in the field of child protection (see research outputs). I have also continued to pursue my interest in the area of trauma through both honours and higher degree research supervision. A current masters by research student is examining the topic, Supporting foster carers in using play as a therapeutic tool. Some recent honours projects I have supervised include:
2023
2022
2021
2020
Member of the Scientific Program Committee for:
Member of UniSA's Teaching Innovation Group, Allied Health & Human Performance 2021 - current
External engagement & recognition
| Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| Australian Catholic University | AUSTRALIA |
| Bond University | AUSTRALIA |
| Curtin University | AUSTRALIA |
| Deakin University | AUSTRALIA |
| Federal University of Minas Gerais | BRAZIL |
| La Trobe University | AUSTRALIA |
| Monash University | AUSTRALIA |
| Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District | AUSTRALIA |
| Otago Polytechnic | NEW ZEALAND |
| Technological University of the Shannon | IRELAND |
| University of Newcastle | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Queensland | AUSTRALIA |
| University of South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Sydney | AUSTRALIA |
| Western Sydney University | AUSTRALIA |
External engagement & recognition
| Engagement/recognition | Year |
|---|---|
MemberOccupational Therapy Australia |
2018 |
MemberOccupational Therapy Australia |
2017 |
Occupational Therapy Australia
National registration with AHPRA
Journal reviewer for a range of journals, including the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal and the Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapists
Teaching & student supervision
Teaching & student supervision
Supervisions from 2010 shown
| Thesis title | Student status |
|---|---|
| Supporting foster carers in using play as a therapeutic tool | Current |
| Towards the development of foundational concepts for collaborative practice with parents in occupational therapy for children | Completed |
