Warami, my name is Teasha Poblet, I am a proud Dharug woman born on Dharug land in South Western Sydney.   I am currently in my second and final year of Mast Clinical Psychology at the Australian Catholic University.  For the last three years I have worked in Aboriginal identified roles within child protection.   First in a role as early intervention caseworker working alongside Aboriginal families to address the challenges they were facing.  I most recently worked as a Provisional Psychologist providing evidence-based trauma therapies to children in Out of Home Care.

I chose to study psychology and pursue specifically clinical psychology because I had recognised the deep need for this in my community.  I have seen a lack of access to culturally safe and responsive mental health care for Aboriginal people.   There is undoubtedly a shortage of Aboriginal mental health clinicians.   The vast majority of Aboriginal people seeking mental health support will come through public health systems, which is why I am hoping to pursue a career in the public health space as a Clinical Psychology Registrar when I graduate.

While most of the work I do impacts on an individual level, I also want to take opportunities to contribute on wider scales.   I hope to contribute wider improvements to Aboriginal health through advocacy, research and mentorship of other Aboriginal mental health clinicians.   I would also like to become involved in curriculum development of psychology courses at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level to equip all training psychologist with understandings of Indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being.    I hope this can better equip the future workforce of psychologists with culturally responsive lenses to provide better mental health care for Aboriginal consumers.

Semester 1 of 2023 marked the start of my final year of my Master of Clinical Psychology. While I was excited to be nearing the end of my six-year-long journey to becoming a registered psychologist, there was still a lot to go. In semester 1 I juggled placement, attending class, coursework and starting my research project. My placement during semester one was at St. Vincents Hospital in Sydney where I provided psychological services under the supervision of clinical psychologists within the early psychosis and adult rehabilitation teams. During my time at the hospital, I also ran groups in the adult inpatient ward and drug and alcohol ward.

In addition to giving me valuable clinical experience what I was reminded of in this placement is how anyone can be impacted by mental health and the significant impacts to their lives and families. This reminder made me appreciate my role even more than I already do. I cannot wait to get out there and work full-time. I also got some opportunities to work with mob while I was there.

The semester was full of appreciation and humbling moments. It was also the most difficult time of study juggling so many priorities at once. Most of my evenings and weekends were spent working on assignments and my research project. I did not have time to work and had to resign from my position. If it was not for financial aid, completing a master’s of clinical psychology would not have been possible for me. Despite its challenges, I do not regret my career path. Helping people with their mental health feels like my purpose and it is worth the sacrifice to be able to do this as a career.