Dr Philippa Specker

Dr Philippa Specker is a Clinical Psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Philippa received a BPsych (Hons) from the University of Sydney, and a PhD/Master of Psychology (Clinical) from the University of New South Wales.

Philippa’s research focuses on understanding the psychological and environmental mechanisms that underpin posttraumatic stress and recovery among people from refugee backgrounds. Philippa’s research program seeks to inform the development and delivery of evidence-based psychological treatments for refugee communities in Australia and Indonesia. Her research includes experimental, longitudinal, and clinical treatment studies that have been published in leading peer-review journals, including Clinical Psychological Science, European Journal of Psychotraumatology, and Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy. Philippa has also written for The Conversation.

Philippa’s research and clinical work on refugee mental health has attracted a number of awards and scholarships, including the UNSW Scientia PhD Scholarship, the Royal Society of New South Wales Scholarship, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies’ Outstanding Student Achievement Award, the Australian Psychological Society College of Clinical Psychologists’ Student Prize, the UNSW Science Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Award, and the Team Prize for Impactful Mental Health Research from the Society of Mental Health Research.

EMAIL: p.specker@psy.unsw.edu.au

CURRENT PROJECTS: RTRP Treatment Program for PTSD; Pathways to Refugee Wellbeing: Indonesia