Clinical Psychologist / B.Soc.Sci (Psych); B.A.Hons (Psych); Ph.D. (ClinPsych)

What exciting project are you working on right now?

Launching the GROW Program in Nth Iraq to help internally displaced refugees ‘grow' through their tragic circumstances (building on and contribute to post-traumatic growth research)

What's one major challenge you've overcome in your life?                           Navigating family tragedy. Recovering from the loss of a loved one.

What's one thing you are personally passionate about?

I am really passionate about my family. My wife and five children mean the world to me. I want to do everything within my capacity to be the best husband and father I can be. 

What's one thing you are professionally passionate about?

I am passionate about equipping and empowering people in highly effective ways - giving mental health service delivery a real shake up and wake up. I hate the idea of doing ‘sameness' better. I love to innovate and think outside the square, pioneer new things, and push the boundaries of what’s conceived possible. 

You give advice, but what's one of the best pieces of advice you've been given?

Do whatever it takes to prioritize, invest in, and protect relationships: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

What's one of your greatest professional achievements to date? 

More than 100,000 participants have graduated from the EMPOWER Trauma Rehabilitation program in Nth Uganda (written and launched in 2006, helping child soldiers, sex slaves, and communities impacted by civil war). The program has since been translated into French, Swahili, Russian, Khmer, Spanish, Arabic and Acholi and is now being used to help countless survivors of torture and trauma worldwide. 

What's one of your favourite psychology 'reads’? 

'The Brain that Changes itself’ by Dr Norman Doidge - exploring neuroplasticity and innovations on the frontier of modern day brain science