Dianne Perrett-Abrahams

CURRICULUM VITAE & EXPERTISE

Name: DIANNE’ PERRETT-ABRAHAMS, Forensic, Health & Clinical Psychologist, M. Psych. Forensic (Monash), Dip. Ed. Psych. (Monash), B.A.(Psych.) Monash, M.A.Ps.S, M.A.A.P.I, F.A,C.F.P, F.A.C.H.P, F,A.C.C.P, F.A.I.M,F.I.M.L, F.M.I.P.C.
Celebrating 40 years membership of the Australian Psychological Society.
Membership of Australian Association of Psychologist Inc. since inception in 2010.
Inaugural Forensic Psychology Masters Graduate, Monash University 1994. PhD (Prelim) incomplete.
Nominated; The Australian of the Year 2010 awards for services to psychological clinical health (final five).
Endorsed Forensic, Health & Clinical Psychologist Psychology Board of Australia Registration No:PSY0001118794 A.P.S Registration No: 012886.
Professional Associations:
Member of the Australian Psychological Society (40 years),
Fellow of the Australian College of Forensic Psychologists,
Fellow Australian College of Health Psychologists,
Fellow Australian College of Clinical Psychologists,
Secretary Victorian College of Health Psychologists 2016-2018
Chair of the Victorian College of Health Psychologists 2018-2020
Committee Member College of Health Psychologists 2016-present.
Victorian College of Health Psychologist Committee Member 2016-present date.
Member of Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
Member Australian New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and the Law.
Member of the Disability Discrimination Legal Service.
Member of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc.
Member Victorian Psychosexual Association,
Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.
Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders.
Foundation Member of the Institute of Personnel Consultants.

Victorian Research:
1. Identification and treatment Issues of Addiction, trauma, WorkCover, Expert testimony and Court procedures Lecture, GP’s Training and Professional Development under the Better Outcomes Program and small group learning 2005, 2006. 2007, 2008, 2010
2. Sex Differences in Sources and Experiences of Stress and Predictors of Stress Amongst Members of the Vic. Police Force, Master of Psychology (Forensic) Thesis and paper to the Victorian Police Force, 1994.
3. Gender Differences and Stress in the Victorian Police Force, Fourth World Congress of Behaviour Therapy (1992).
4. People to People program lecture tour Implications re: ‘Single Child Policy’ Universities Beijing, Shanghai, Kuming China (1994)
5. The research/ implementation/ coordination of the first police employee assistance program (EAP) in Australia at the behest of the Police Association of Victoria from 1987 to 1993. This service was developed to provide psychological services, potentially, to 10,000 police members and their families with the implementation of this program involving the coordination and management of psychologists across the State of Victoria. The EAP involved the design and delivery of psychological, short and long term, treatment interventions to Police.
6. The research/ development and implementation of the EAP to the Legal Aid Commission Victoria and the direction of this program for 8 years. This service provided crisis intervention and on-site debriefing following the Queen Street Massacre with post trauma service for the entire staff of the Legal Aid Commission for 12 months in the aftermath of this event.
7. The research and co-implementation of the Addictive Behaviours Unit Dandenong Pinelodge Private Hospital opened August lst, 1991. Providing inpatient and outpatient therapy for drug, alcohol and gambling addiction.
8. The research and implementation of a trauma inpatient program with after care group programs for patients with an emphasis on police clients at Elsternwick Private Hospital 1993.

Current Position:
1988 – Present Director/ Forensic/ Health/ Clinical Psychologist – Victorian Occupational Support Service (V.0.S.S.), 517 Main Road, Eltham. Vic. 3095.
In December 1988 I founded the Victorian Occupational Support Service (VOSS). From the outset VOSS provided services for The Victorian Police Association, The Legal Aid Commission, Carlton and United Breweries and the State Electricity Commission. It was during this time that I created and implemented the first 24 hour comprehensively serviced employee assistance program for the Victoria Police Association. This broad-reaching program provided 24 hours on call service implemented by a team of psychologists throughout Victoria and was utilised by 4500 police members over the 6 ½ years of the program’s operation. The training of police delegates formed a mandatory function of the EAP, with educational and training provided to police by VOSS psychologist under my direction. Forensic reports and expert testimony were provided for police in divers arenas, i.e., WorkCover, Crimes Compensation and criminal matters. An extensive drug and alcohol program with in-patient care formed a major component of this EAP.
The EAP for the Legal Aid Commission encompassed the psychological care provided to a staff of 800 with crisis intervention following the Queen Street massacre. The general psychological treatment program for this organisation included the design and delivery of treatment interventions, training of staff, statistical analysis, drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation. Additionally, consultancy provision services to Legal practitioners
Similarly, I provided a comprehensive National EAP for CUB across Victoria, NSW, Queensland and Tasmania the design and delivery of treatment interventions for CUB included the training of staff, statistical analysis, drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation.
Additionally, I was responsible for providing a major retrenchment program for the closure of CUB’s Brisbane Brewery. I was also responsible for providing redundancy counselling with vocational guidance and psychometric testing at CUB’s Abbotsford Brewery, Victoria. I provided a similar program for the closure of the SEC’s corporate office in William Street, Melbourne.
Critical Incident interventions:
I have provided emergency trauma counselling following the Clifton Hill siege to police and members of the public. Following this critical incident my staff and I were requested by Police Command to assess interview tapes of the offender to assist with issues of profiling and possible pathology. In the immediate aftermath of the Queen Street massacre, I provided crisis intervention to the Legal Aid Commission staff and attending police with follow up care provided for 12 months in the aftermath of this critical incident. Similarly, Trauma counselling was provided to affected police and Magistrate Court staff following the Russell Street bombing. Trauma counselling and long-term psychological treatment has been provided to police following the murders of police at Marysville, Walsh Street, and Moorabbin. Long term psychological treatment has been provided to Victorian police members affected by violent critical incidents to them involving shootings, stabbings and assaults and those involved in the fatal shooting of offenders.
I provide a diverse and established psychological practice premised upon implementing focused strategies to: Individuals (adults, adolescents and children), families and groups. I provide a specific focus in: – Expert testimony and psycho-legal services; Psycho/legal assessments and reports; trauma issues; clinical services (hospital accreditations, psychiatric, drug & alcohol); WorkCover, Comcare, Veterans Affairs and TAC patients.
Psychological testing facilitation includes forensic, clinical, personality, IQ, and vocational.
Treatment formulations include -clinical diagnosis and assessment, treatment interventions and rehabilitation of patients for psychopathology, trauma injury, drug/ alcohol and gambling addiction; Interpersonal, relationship, family, child interventions; divorce, custody, child welfare interventions. Employee Assistance Program design & implementation; Work Evaluation; Return to Work Assessments.

I have provided psychological assessment and reports (over 35 years) in a range of legal jurisdictions including Supreme Courts, County
Courts, Magistrates Courts, VCAT, VOCAT, Tribunal settings and parole boards. I have provided expert testimony in all of these settings.
Consultancy:
My consultancy services have been provided to the Victoria Police Force, The Legal Aid Commission of Victoria with consultancies in the provision of training, staff selection criteria and counselling of personnel and staff. I have provided research to such organisations in the field of forensic and clinical practice.
Montclair Private Hospital 1993-1998 in clinical practice regarding Alcohol and Drug treatment and psychiatric, Dandenong Pinelodge Private Hospital 1991-1998 in clinical practice, drug and alcohol and psychiatric.
I have provided consultancy to Eltham Psychology Clinic 1148 Main Rd., Eltham from 1998-2014, in general psychological clinical practice with an emphasis in the areas of addiction and trauma.
Elsternwick Private Hospital 1993- 1996, clinical practice – trauma patients in inpatient care.
From 1992- 2002 I provided consultancy services to Monash Family Psychiatry, Clayton.
Training:
The training programs that I have designed and implemented include: –
Drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation,
Trauma and grief debriefing,
Police welfare delegates training in stress recognition,
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder implication and police welfare,
Stress management,
Change management,
Motivational techniques,
How to set up and utilise the EAP,
Groups:
Groups that I have facilitated include: –
Drug & alcohol,
Co-dependency,
Grief and Loss,
Stress Management,
PTSD, Treatment and Rehabilitation,
Sexual assault and incest,
Supervisors and work performance.

Previous Positions:
The Alcohol and Drug Foundation of Victoria and Occupational Support Service, Park Street, South Melbourne, 1986 to 1988.
Designated, Acting Manager, Consulting Psychologist and Psychologist in charge of individual patient therapy programs. I supervised Drug & alcohol rehabilitation and long-term inpatient and outpatient care, large business programs, and Industry EAP Programs. I was initially the Coordinator/Peninsular Region and Project Manager, Responsible for major EAP’s, i.e., CFA, SEC Vic., Yooralla, Frankston City Council, and Prahran City Council.
Provisional Psychologist Drug & Alcohol Foundation of Victoria, Supervision and training in all aspects of D & A psychological intervention and inpatient and outpatient psychological intervention.
Provisional Psychologist to Fisher & McDonald Management Consultants, Little Collins Street, Melbourne. In this capacity I implemented and analysed test data in respect of executive placements in the specialist areas of law including solicitors, and chartered accountants for major chartered accountancy organisations.
Provisional psychologist Monash University, Research Assistant David Syme School of Business under the supervision of Dr. Dennis Keillerup.
Prior to training as a psychologist, I was a tertiary trained and qualified Management Consultant, Foundation Member Institute of Personnel Consultants, and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and the principal of Capital Management Consultants, Swanston St., Melbourne. I spent 15 years in this vocation and provided expertise in the selection and placement of executive staff for major law firms, chartered accountancy organisations and specialised computer programmers.
Major Consultancy Interests & Expertise:
I have been accredited to a range of hospitals specialising in the psychiatric treatment of adults and adolescent patients. My expertise in drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation has been gained over 38 years with my accreditation to most of the major hospital facilities in this field at various times. I completed my supervision for registration as a psychologist with the Victorian Drug & Alcohol Foundation and with this foundational training and expertise expanded upon over the ensuing years of clinical practice has been the catalyst to being called upon to provide lectures and seminars in this field of expertise. I have provided psychological interventions including group work in forensic settings for example Mont Park’s Forensic Ward 5, Sale Prison focusing on protected prisoners and Pentridge Prison regarding the general prison population. More recently I have provided interventions for prisoners at Malmsbury Youth Services and the Thomas Embling Centre.

• My primary interest continues in all aspects clinical practice in forensic/health/clinical psychology. I provide over 100 psycho-legal assessment and reports on average each year with the provision of expert testimony. My abiding interest in trauma and stress disorders has been achieved over 38 years of psychological clinical practice and my experience in this field has been gained with the benefit of ‘coalface’ involvement pursuant to major critical incidents to long term individual patient treatment. I have a major interest in police crisis intervention and occupational stress.
Major Consultancy Interests Include:
In mental health and treatment facilitation of dual disorders and conditions, trauma disorders, anxiety and depression, complex disorders, forensic psychology and expert testimony; victims of crime treatment and rehabilitation. Treatment intervention re: stress disorders, police crisis and occupational stress, critical incidence and crisis debriefing. complex pain disorders- treatment and management, child sexual abuse and trauma treatment intervention, early childhood development, adolescence counselling, alcohol/drug detoxification and rehabilitation. Gambling rehabilitation, anxiety disorders, family counselling, individual therapy.
Publications and Papers:
1. Police Stress: The Superman Syndrome (1992), P A Journal, Vol. 58-1
2. Vic. Police Force: Sex Differences in Sources and Experiences of Stress (1992)
3. Gender Differences and Stress in the Victorian Police Force, Fourth World Congress of Behaviour Therapy (1992).
4. Stress Management and Organisational Wellness, Federation of Telecom Employees, TUTA, 1991, 1992.
5. Stress, Content and Context, Australian Police Federation, 1992
6. Sex Differences in Sources and Experiences of Stress and Predictors of Stress Amongst Members of the Vic. Police Force, Master’s Thesis and paper to the Victorian Police Force, 1994
7. People to People program lecture tour Implications re: ‘Single Child Policy’ Universities Beijing, Shanghai, Kuming China (1994),
8. Report on Appeal Trial Yunnan Province Court, Kuming, China 1995
9. Employees Assistance Programs Impact & Effectiveness, TAFE, 1996.
10. Pathological Gambling, Break Even, Gold Coast, Qld. 1999.
11. Alcohol and Drug Awareness Lecture, Community Program Seminar, 1999, 2000, Alcoholism in Women, Community Lecture, Geelong. 2001 Alcohol and Drug Issues in the Workplace: Lecture to Industry executives 2002.
12. Alcoholism and treatment, AA lecture in conjunction with Dr. George Vaillant (author History of Alcoholism) 2003, 2004.
13. Alcoholism and Issues of Identification and Diagnosis within the Medical profession. AA Anniversary Lecture, Geelong 2005..
14. Identification and treatment Issues of Addiction, trauma, WorkCover, Expert testimony and Court procedures Lecture, GP’s Training and Professional Development under the Better Outcomes Program and small group learning 2005, 2006. 2007, 2008, 2010.
15. TLC Workshop Intensive: Workshop for female survivors of child sexual abuse. 9 Feb, 2017, published; Living Now, Feb. 2017.
16. Therapy Dogs, How and Why! College of Health Psychologists Webinar 2019.
17. Hiding in Plain Sight, Opioid misuse and addiction Webinar College of Health Psychology, 2020.