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Dr. Cate Bearsley-Smith

Dr. Cate Bearsley-Smith

Biography

I received my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Child, Adolescent and Family) from Latrobe University in 2002. Since January 2002 I have worked as a clinical psychologist in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in Gippsland. In January 2005 I began a 0.4 position with Monash University, based at the Regional Clinical School in Traralgon. Working as a clinical academic within Monash and CAMHS allows me to engage in my three professional interests - clinical practice, research and teaching in the area of child and adolescent psychology.

Email Dr Cate Bearsley-Smith

Academic Qualifications

Monash University, 1996: Bachelor of Science (Psychology and Pharmacology)
Monash University, 1996: Bachelor of Arts (Linguistics)
Deakin University, 1997: Bachelor of Science Honours (Psychology), First Class
La Trobe University, 2003: Doctorate in Clinical Child, Adolescent and Family Psychology (DPsych)

Research Interests

Within clinical child and adolescent psychology, my main areas of interest are the following:

  1. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training (ACT).  ACT is third-wave behavioural therapy of growing international importance.  I am particularly interested in researching its application with children, adolescents, parents, schools and/or health care providers.
  2. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) clinical research.  CAMHS are complex environments in which to conduct research.  I am conducting a beyondblue funded feasibility trial for the treatment of adolescent depression within CAMHS in Gippsland.  I am interested in research exploring the process issues associated with conducting research within CAMHS.

Potential Student Projects

Examples of potential research areas I would like to supervise with Honours and Post-Graduate Diploma students include:

  1. What impact does Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) have on perceived stress and wellbeing amongst:
    - Psychology students? or
    - Health service providers (e.g. mental health clinicians)?
  2. What experiences and lessons have Victorian CAMHS gained from engagement in clinical research over the past five years?
  3. What are the challenges in disseminating and evaluating an evidence-based practice in a CAMHS?  A rural case study

Examples of potential PhD research areas include:

  1. What impact does classroom-delivered Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) have on improving the wellbeing of children and adolescents?
  2. What is the impact on parent and child wellbeing of parent-training in ACT (e.g. for parents of infants, adolescents, or special needs children)?
  3. What is the impact on staff stress, wellbeing and organizational functioning of training health care providers in ACT?
  4. What constitutes ‘treatment as usual’ within CAMHS for specific client groups?
  5. How ‘evidence based’ is usual care in CAMHS?

Grant Support

2006. Bearsley-Smith, C., Oakley Brown, M., Reddy, P., Frances, K., Sellick, K., & Chesters, J. beyondblue grant: Does Interpersonal Psychotherapy improve clinical care for adolescents with depression attending a rural child and adolescent mental health service? A feasibility study. $52,066

Awards

APS Award for Top Honours Psychology Honours Student at Deakin University, 1997

Publications

Bearsley-Smith, C., Oakley-Browne, M., Sellick, K., Villanueva, E., Chesters, J., Francis, K. & Reddy, P. (submitted for publication) Does Interpersonal Psychotherapy improve clinical care for adolescents with depression attending a rural child and adolescent mental health service?  Study protocol for a cluster randomised feasibility trial.  BioMed Central Psychiatry.

Bearsley-Smith, C., Sellick, K., Chesters, K. & Francis, K. (submitted for publication) Dissecting Treatment Content in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services - Development of the Treatment Recording Sheet.  Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research.

Bearsley-Smith, C., Chesters, J., Sellick, K. & Francis, K. (submitted for publication) Preparing for a clinical trial in a rural Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. Australasian Psychiatry.

Bearsley-Smith, C., Bond, L. M., Littlefield, L. & Thomas, L. R. (submitted for publication) Family Matters:  Key Predictors for Risk of Homelessness Compared to Drug Abuse amongst Adolescents. European Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Bearsley, C. & Cummins, R. (1999) No place like home: life quality and purpose of homeless youths. Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless, 8(4), 207-226, Kluwer Academic, New York.

Conference Presentations

TheMHS conference, Townsville, Australia, 2006

Australian Psychological Society Inaugural Relationships Conference. Melbourne, 2002

Australian Psychological Society Conference, Melbourne, 1998

Current teaching

4th year medical students MBBS psychological medicine rotation within the Gippsland Regional Clinical School

3rd year medical student MBBS teaching in Evidence Based Clinical Practice.

Clinical Activities/Membership

Clinical assessment and treatment of children, adolescents and their families

Member of the Australian Psychological Society College of Clinical Psychologists

Member of the Association of Contextual and Behavioral Science (ACBS)

ACT peer supervision group facilitator

Psychologists Registration Board of Victoria, Reg. No. 6074