I am a proud Barada and Kabalbara woman who has lived in the Central Queensland region my whole life from Ghungalu country in Blackwater, to Dharumbal country; my children’s traditional country where I have established important community and family connections. I am currently studying Masters of Clinical Psychology after completing my undergraduate degree and Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) with CQ University.
I began my journey to become a psychologist just after my oldest child was born. My motivations for becoming a clinical psychologist lie within my passion for First Nations health and well-being. I am very grateful for the yarns I had with my Aunty Mona Kielly; who instilled this belief in me that I can be a Psychologist. I am very blessed to come from a family where my Aunties (my Nan’s sisters) who have always been strong community advocates who worked in the front lines of the community.
For me, I am working towards creating my own pathway for advocacy, just like my aunties. As I truly believe that becoming a clinical psychologist is an avenue for advocacy; specifically, to advocate for mob to access culturally safe psychology services, to promote cultural competency in the mental health field and to advocate for my community.
I started working at Wakai Waian Healing whilst I was completing my undergraduate degree and have been supported and mentored by Ed Mosby, Joe Sproats and my colleagues. I have achieved some pretty significant milestones during my time here, including completing my undergraduate and honours degree and being accepted in the clinical masters program. During my time at Wakai Waian Healing, I have undergone not only significant growth as a professional, but also significant personal growth; as a mother, a Barada/Kabalbara woman and a community member which has transformed my understanding of healing. This has impacted my academic journey where I have gravitated towards the paradigms of traditional First Nations healing, self-determination, cultural governance, and attachment; specifically, strength in kinship to foster strong families and identity formation.
I strongly believe that healing is rooted in our traditional ways of knowing, being, and doing, as well as principles of trauma-informed and culturally grounded practice. A saying that Ed has that I truly resonate with is “We have what it takes to heal”. To me that is the essence of self-determination; Mob working with mob, using our ways of yarning, storytelling and healing. To ultimately contribute to improving our wellbeing.
My vision extends beyond individual therapy; it encompasses a broader healing movement within our communities. I aspire to model what it means for mob to look after mob to encourage self-determination without external interference. It is less about therapy in the conventional sense and more about a shared journey of healing and growth.
I believe that being in this space can help me work towards a vision where traditional healing practices, and holistic approaches are combined with psychological methods and techniques to achieve real outcomes for all. I have been fortunate to visit various communities, through FIFO work, where I have been fortunate to have a lot of yarns and had the privilege to hear some powerful stories. Where I have witnessed firsthand the resilience and strength of our people. Standing on the cusp of completing my master’s degree, I reflect on the journey that has brought me here. My family, my mentors, colleagues and community have supported me every step of the way, and I hope to continue this path of advocacy for years to come. My story is not just my own; it is a tapestry woven with the stories of my people.