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Cynthia
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Clinical Psychologist / Research Fellow
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Who do you work for?
Griffith University
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What does your job involve?
Coordinating large-scale research projects, which give us information about anxiety and depression in school children, how to prevent these conditions, and how to effectively treat them.
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What do you like most about your job?
The team of people I work with are lovely. The work is often interesting and it is a great feeling knowing that you have helped children and families here and overseas to live happier lives. The research that we do is world-leading and we are discovering many new and exciting ways to help people. Our programs have been translated into German, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese.
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What are the perks of your job?
Being given the opportunity to go to conferences, which might involve travel either interstate or overseas. I have attended conferences in the UK, Spain, Turkey and this year I will be going to The Netherlands.
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What is the most unusual or fun thing you’ve done in your job?
The most fun is definitely the travel, although it can be a bit intimidating to present at big international conferences. I have also have a lot of fun just doing the work that I do - I spend a lot of time in schools, running groups for both primary and secondary school students.
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What inspired you to choose a career in this area?
I chose psychology after studying some introductory psychology subjects in my Bachelor of Arts degree. I decided to specialise in working with children and adolescents, particularly in the areas of anxiety and depression, after completing my Masters degree. Working with these children and their families is interesting, challenging, and rewarding.
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How did you get to where you are now?
I enjoyed university so much and found the study so interesting that it wasn’t difficult for me to progress on to a post-graduate degree. After completing my Masters degree, I was offered a job through Queensland Health in a Child and Youth Mental Health Service. I worked there for two years before being offered my current position at Griffith University. I have been working at the University for three and a half years.
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Who or what has been an inspiration to you?
Many of the supervisors I have worked with are inspirational. They are very highly regarded internationally and have a great reputation for the clinical work and the research that they do. It is disappointing that sometimes the quality of their work is better recognised overseas than it is in Australia.
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What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
To keep life in perspective. Work hard, but work to live, don’t live to work.
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What training/qualifications do you have/need?
Bachelor of Arts Degree, completed at The University of Queensland. Honours Degree in Psychology, completed at The University of Queensland. Masters of Clinical Psychology, completed at Griffith University. Doctor of Philosophy, currently being completed at Griffith University.
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What subjects did you study at school?
English, Maths B, Modern History, Biology and Theatre.
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What are your career goals/plans for the future?
I would like to work in partnership with some close colleagues in a private clinic, and continue to specialise in the treatment of child and youth anxiety and depression.
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What career opportunities are there for people in your field?
There are a lot of job opportunities for psychologists with a Masters degree, however it can be very difficult to get a job as a psychologist working in a clinical area without having completed a Masters degree.
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What is the average starting salary for a graduate?
Starting salaries are often very disappointing for psychologists because many places do not offer higher pay for having completed a Masters degree or a Ph.D. Starting salaries are equivalent to what you might earn after having completed an Honours degree.
$35-45K
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