Madeline is a Clinical Psychologist with a special interest in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), with her PhD exploring the psychosocial determinants of the acts and functions of NSSI convened in 2018. She has been invited to present the results of her research at numerous renowned mental health conferences, including the International Mental Health Conference and the Australasian Conference of Child Trauma. Madeline has also published several peer-reviewed papers in international mental health journals. 

She has been actively engaged for the past 21 years in an educational, therapeutic, practical and theoretical capacity in the area of NSSI, and psychology more broadly. She is passionate about dispelling the many myths that persist about NSSI. 

 

At Nillumbik Community Health Service, she was the Project Officer on the Managing Deliberate Self Harm Project, and produced the original and widely disseminated "From Harm to Calm: Understanding & Responding to Deliberate Self-Harm" information resources for young people engaging in NSSI and those who support them. In this role she also co-developed and co-facilitated the 12 week From Harm To Calm therapeutic group.

 

Since 2003, Madeline has developed and facilitated considerable educative material on NSSI in a variety of formats, from 45 minute lectures through to full day workshops, delivered nationally to a range of adults across the mental health, community, medical, and educational sectors. This included full day workshops to the Australian Psychological Society’s College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists; school psychologists with the Department of Education in Canberra; and creating bespoke training packages for a division of the Department of Education in Victoria, and a rural Catholic Education region, respectively. Madeline also enjoys working in a consultative capacity with schools providing professional development, therapeutic secondary consultations, supervision, and policy development around NSSI.

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Throughout her PhD, she was engaged as a sessional lecturer and tutor at Victoria University and worked as a research officer at both Victoria University and Youth Advocacy and Support Service (YSAS). She now divides her time between her psychology practice, Wishart Psychology in Williamstown; Wyndham Clinic Private Hospital; and in an educative, training and consultative capacity on NSSI for The Body as a Voice. 

 

Over the past 21 years she has worked as a youth, school, and trauma counsellor across community, educational, private practice and psychiatric settings. Madeline has experience working with a range of presenting issues and comorbidities in clients, such as depression, anxiety, adjustment, grief and loss, trauma and personality disorders. She has particular knowledge and experience in emotion dysregulation, distress tolerance. difficulties with interpersonal skills, and risk assessment and management in clients with self-injurious behaviour.