Working with the 'human condition' isn't for the faint hearted. It requires a great amount of empathy, common sense and academic smarts.

That’s why I always advise students to seek out good, kind clinicians who will spend time telling them about the profession – warts and all.

In my role now, I work with veterans and their families to support their therapeutic journey towards self-determination and growth.

But I’ve also been fortunate to travel for my work. I’ve trained psychologists and social workers in Mongolia on ethics, trauma counselling and suicide prevention. I love cricket, and I actually used the sport as a tool for social networking and development with Mongolian students.

I’ve also been able to teach in Singapore and Hong Kong with Monash University. And I’ve led a team of clinicians in post-disaster recovery operations including the Black Saturday Bushfires and the 2004 Tsunami.

As a former Monash student, I really miss the clinical storytelling by Dr Laurie Bartak and Dr Phillip Greenway – both brilliant psychologists and educators. I truly enjoyed the support and guidance from some great academic staff in my time, a few of them were true mentors for my development as a clinician.”