A top-up scholarship for PhD candidate Katherine Murfitt is set to address a “significant gap” in training for psychologists.
The Embrace scholarship, which provides up to $10,000 towards the PhD of emerging researchers, will support Katherine’s development of a training resource for psychology supervisors, training the next generation of psychologists to better support LGBTQA+ young people.
“As a clinical psychologist myself, I noticed there was a real gap in the amount of formalised support that we got in our training,” Katherine said.
After discussing it with colleagues from around the country and across training pathways, it became apparent that supervision was being under-utilised nation-wide. That should be addressed in a rigorous way.
“It’s a significant gap and we can see how this translates: although there is an increase in mental health concerns for LGBTQA+ people, we are not seeing a corresponding increase in accessing of mental healthcare. What are the barriers the accessing inclusive psychological support? Existing research suggests this is – in part – because of insufficiently trained clinicians.”
With this scholarship, Katherine will be able to better translate findings into a practical resource with input from a lived-experience advisory group. She will also keep an eye on opportunities to disseminate the research on the national and international stage, boosting the profile of the Youth Mental Health team and creating networking opportunities.
The Embrace top-up scholarship will be available annually through to 2029 thanks to principal partner Rio Tinto and Channel 7 Telethon Trust.