Melissa Freire

In her role as Senior Research Associate, Dr Melissa Freire manages the Project Researching the Impact of Separate and Missing (PRISM) Family.

Melissa completed her BPsych (Hons I) and PhD at the Australian National University. Melissa’s doctoral and post-doctoral research focused on understanding the cultural and epistemological factors that influence literacy and learning for Australian Indigenous peoples in the Northern Territory and New South Wales, to facilitate equitable and inclusive access to essential services. 

Melissa’s overarching goals are to conduct research that will inform the development of new ways to support equitable and inclusive access to services that can improve health and wellbeing.  Her ongoing research focuses on understanding factors that influence health and wellbeing in applied contexts, such as education, health, and workplace settings. Current research projects investigate the relationship between mental health and help-seeking behaviour in different contexts and how this relationship is influenced by various factors, including mental health shame and self-compassion. As a cross-cultural researcher, Melissa is also interested in understanding how culture can influence such relationships.

Current Projects: PRISM