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Sandy is a psychologist,
whose area of clinical and research expertise is in the area of
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). She completed the Doctorate of
Clinical Psychology degree within the School of Psychology at
the University of Sydney before going on to complete her PhD (to be conferred later this year) in
Psychology. Her PhD research investigated self-perception,
depression, loneliness and friendship in children and
adolescents with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders.
During her postgraduate studies she was awarded the A.H. Martin
Scholarship for ranking first place in the Doctor of Clinical
Psychology program and the Postgraduate Research Prize for
academic achievement. Prior to commencing her post-graduate
studies, Sandy completed her Honours in Psychology at the
University of Sydney where she was awarded First Class Honours.
During her undergraduate studies, she was awarded the Walter
Reid Memorial Fund for academic merit twice.
Sandy has worked as a psychologist in a variety of clinical
settings in Australia, including private and government hospital
settings and university clinics. Sandy has received extensive
training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Family Therapy,
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness. She has
experience working with a range of clinical disorders and
difficulties including depression, bipolar, anxiety (phobias,
obsessive compulsive disorder), eating disorders and personality
disorders. She has provided individual and group treatment for
these difficulties in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
While Sandy has worked with both adults and children presenting
with a range of psychological difficulties, she has particular
experience working with those diagnosed with ASD. She has worked
with children and adolescents with lower-functioning and
higher-functioning ASD, and their families. She received
training in Applied Behavioural Analysis and worked as an ABA
therapist for several years. Working in hospital, clinical and
research settings, she has provided both assessment and
treatment of ASD and ASD-related difficulties (e.g., anxiety,
behavioural problems, depressed mood). Using CBT and family
therapy therapeutic frameworks, she has worked on an individual
and family basis with children and adolescents with ASD, helping
them learn social interaction skills, developing their
understanding and expression of emotions, and learn strategies
for emotional regulation. She has also run child and parent CBT
groups for social skills development and emotional and
behavioural management.
Sandy currently holds clinical registration with the Australian
Board of Psychology (registration number PSYC0001323589) and is
recognised as a generalist provider of psychological services
under Medicare.
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