Our academics produce high-impact research that informs the clinical psychology profession and evidence-based treatments for the community.
Health research is an area of strength in UTS’s research strategy. The strategy is underpinned by a significant investment and a focus on collaborative and interdisciplinary research; innovative technological approaches; commitment to researcher development and strengthening the relationship between research and teaching and learning.
The Discipline of Clinical Psychology at UTS has a research-intensive culture, with experienced academics working in diverse research fields. Our research primarily focuses on the areas of:
- Health psychology
- Remote treatments
- Child and adolescent mental health
- Infant and child development
- Anxiety and related disorders
- Mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavioural therapy
- Eating disorders and body image
- Ageing and decision-making
- Rehabilitation psychology
- Emotion regulation
- Young adult palliative care
- Life limiting illness
- Animal behaviour
- Alternate foods
- Clinical geropsychology
- Cognitive Science
- Moral cognition
- Social learning and decision-making
- Psycholinguistics and Bilingualism
- Neuroscience (including neuroscience of consciousness)
- Human-Machine Interaction
- Perception in real and virtual environments
- Human Learning and Behaviour
- Biological Psychology
- Reward-seeking
- Psychological aspects of weight management
- Mental health in higher weight
Research Degrees
The Discipline of Clinical Psychology at UTS offers the following research degree:
Supervisors
Our research supervisors are outlined below.
Research Clinics/Laboratories
Scholarships
Visit the Scholarships at UTS page for more details about all scholarships, prizes and awards offered by UTS.
Current PhD Students and Topics
A selection of our current PhD candidate projects are outlined below
| Student | Project | Primary Supervisor |
| Colleen Alford | Understanding and addressing the specific needs of parents/carers of autistic children and adolescents with eating disorders: A parent-based adjunct to standard child and adolescent eating disorder treatment | A/Prof Deb Mitchison |
| Stephanie Beavers | Exploring change in an adolescent eating disorder day program | A/Prof Deb Mitchison |
| Sophie Berry | Prevention of Eating Disorders in Schools | Dr Amy Burton |
| Harvey Billingham | Clinician Perspectives on Trauma Recovery and Implementation of Trauma-Informed Care: Implications for Australian Health Systems | Prof Ian Kneebone |
| Ian Boreham | Understanding the History and Dimensionality of Purpose in Life and its Implications for Healthy Ageing | Prof Phoebe Bailey |
| Catherine Calvi | An Investigation of Loneliness, Body Image Concerns, and Quality of Life in People Living with Endometriosis | Prof Toby Newton-John |
| Louise Carpenter | The Co-review and Expansion of a Learning Health System in Eating Disorder Treatment | A/Prof Deb Mitchison |
| Bree Cavanough | Investigating the Interaction between Gait and Global and Local Processing: A VR Study | Dr Matthew Davidson |
| Anjana Chalise | Phenomenology of Feeling Eureka (aha) Moments: Studying the Neuroscience Behind Cognitive Paradigm and Emotional Impasse | Dr Matthew Davidson |
| James Donohoe | Protecting Humans in the Digital Era: Examining the Impacts of Technology on Mental Processes and Cognitive Liberty | A/Prof Kiley Seymour |
| Isaac Dunn | Cognitive Behavior Therapy for LGBTIQA+ Identifying Individuals | Prof Bethany Wootton |
| Denise Goggin | The Effects of Comorbid Depression and Age of Diagnosis on Group-Delivered Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Adult ADHD | Dr Melissa Rouel |
| Jenna Haidar | An Investigation of the Trajectory of Emotion Dysregulation from Childhood to Adolescence and the Clinical Implications | Dr John McAloon |
| Melissa Lethbridge | An Exploration into Suicide Risk Training for Australian Postgraduate Psychology Students | Prof Toby Newton-John |
| Hannah McHardy | Feasibility and Efficacy of an Online Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Intervention for Transgender and Gender Diverse Young Adults | Prof Bethany Wootton |
| Maral Melkonian | Stepped Care Treatments for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder | Prof Bethany Wootton |
| Amarnie Mohammed | Program Evaluation of the Next Steps Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program and its Application into Remote and Indigenous Communities | A/Prof Deb Mitchison |
| Ellen Parker | Mental Health Difficulties amongst Professional and Pre-Professional Dancers | Dr Anastasia Hronis |
| Caitlin Pedel | The Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavioural Therapy in Minimising Psychopathology in Youth with Internalising Disorders: A Rural/Remote Perspective | Dr Anastasia Hronis |
| Terry Rae | Therapeutic Dragon Taming: The Effectiveness of a Therapeutically Applied Dungeons and Dragons Group Program in a Public Mental Health Setting | Dr Poppy Watson |
| Rivqa Rafael | Acceptability and Efficacy of Strengths-Based High-Intensity Remote Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder | Prof Bethany Wootton |
| Sarah Rees | Adapting Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Populations: A Cultural and Clinical Evaluation | Dr Dean Spirou |
| Lawrence Roux | Does Cognitive Flexibility Medicate Pain Intensity and Magnitude of Disability in Patients with Chronic Pain | Prof Toby Newton-John |
| Catherine Ryan | Understanding the psychological aspects of ocean swimming for older adults | Prof Phoebe Bailey |
| Rebecca Seah | Trauma-Related Shame and Causal Attributions in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) | A/Prof David Berle |
| Neeraja Shankar | An investigation of the impact of culture on parenting practices and the clinical implications for parenting programs and child outcomes | Dr John McAloon |
| Alyssia Simos | Understanding the relationships between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Insomnia and Nightmares | A/Prof David Berle |
| Melissa Sims | Death Anxiety and it's Relationship with Suicidality | Prof Ross Menzies |
| Amy Wang | A Fully Remote Stepped-Care Treatment Using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder | Prof Bethany Wootton |
| Halaina Winter | Remote Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) | Prof Bethany Wootton |
For further information about commencing a research degree in the Discipline of Clinical Psychology contact a potential supervisor or email gsh.future@uts.edu.au to make a confidential enquiry.
UTS Psychology Research News & Media
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The psychological implications of Big Brother’s gaze
Kiley Seymour and Roger Koenig warn us of the psychological impacts of living in a surveillance society.
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UTS Psychology Successes in the 2024 APS Awards!
A hat-trick for UTS Psychology staff and alumni at the Australian Psychological Society Major Awards for 2024!
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A/Prof Seymour Dissects the Brain at the World Science Festival
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Near Death Moments
Dr Matt Davidson appeared as an expert guest on SBS program Insight in July 2024 to discuss the neuroscience behind near death
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Packing up Mum and Dad's Home
In this piece published in The Conversation, Dr Penney provides some tips on navigating the mental health impacts of packing up
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Why is a messy house such an anxiety trigger?!
In an article for The Conversation, Dr Erika Penney explains why clutter can stress us out so much, why women are more affected
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Mental distress is much worse for people with disabilities
Dr Anastasia Hronis outlines the gap in knowledge and practice that sees people with disability and mental illness falling between
