Paula Barrett completed her Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours and a Licenciatura in Clinical Psychology at Lisbon University, Portugal. She completed a Clinical Masters Degree at the University of Queensland in 1991 and her Doctorate in 1995. Paula is presently under tenure as an Adjunct Professor of the School of Education at the University of Queensland. She has supervised 24 Honours, 19 Masters and 12 PhD students to successful completion of their postgraduate degrees

Paula was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship at the age of 16; a Commonwealth Scholarship in 1991 to complete her research Doctorate; the National Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy Early Career Award for her research and innovation in the field of clinical psychology in 1998; the National Australian Psychology Society Award for outstanding scholarship in the discipline of psychology in 1999; and most recently, Paula received the "Lord Mayor's 2007 Australia Day Achievement Award" for outstanding services in the community for families and children

Paula is the patron of the Pathways to Resilience Trust that works to implement the Fun Friends and FRIENDS for Life programs in Australian schools in areas of low Socio-Economic Status, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse and Indigenous backgrounds, as well as regional and remote areas, particularly those affected by drought. By implementing these programs in underprivileged Australian schools the Trust is working to prevent anxiety, depression and youth suicide, and to promote resilience in families and communities in areas of need. To date the Trust has provided 6,936 children with the possibility of receiving these programs.

In 2007 Paula's Fun Friends program was officially launched by the Queensland Premier, the Honourable Bligh, MP, to aid in the prevention of anxiety and depression in 4 to 6 year olds. Paula has recently published FOCUS, one of only three treatments for OCD that have been proven effective worldwide. Paula's work has been highly sited in Cochrane reviews on the topics of anxiety and OCD.

More about Paula

Video - A television piece recently shown in Australia Video - Paula's speech from the Telstra Business Women's Awards Blog - Some updated background information on Paula (A Pathways Blog) Web Page - Newspaper article about the Telstra Business Women's Awards Web Page - Paula has also recently been named one of Queensland's 50 Best and Brightest

Paula has given numerous invited keynote addresses at international conferences including: an invited keynote presenter and the invited Chair for the session on Mental health promotion strategies at the Implementing Mental Health Promotion Action conference in Barcelona on Sept 13-15, 2007 organised in conjunction with the World Health Organization; the International Congress on Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy V, Barcelona, Spain 9th -20th July, 2007; and the World Health Organization Conference, Oslo, Norway, 2006

Email: PBarrett@pathwayshrc.com.au

International References

1. Professor F. Verhuist and Dr E. Utens, Child Psychologists, Erasmus University Medical Centre, the Netherlands;
2. Dr Sabine Wilhelm, Associate Professor of Psycology, Harvard Medical School, the United States
3. Professor John Walker, Professor, Department of Clinical Health Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Canada;
4. Rute Meneses, PhD, Universade Fernando Pessoa, Portugal;
5. Dr Julia Gallegos, Department of Special Education, The University of Texas at Austin, Mexico;
6. Professor Wendy Silverman, Ph.D, Professor of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, Florida International University
7. Ms Jackie Walker, General Manager, Lifepaths Charitable Trust, New Zealand;
8. Distinguished Professor Thomas H. Ollendick, Director, Child Study Center, Virginia Tech College of Science, the United States;
9. Ms Vuoko Ahti, Executive Manager, Aseman Lapset ry (Children of the Station), Finland;
10. Ms Sandy Allen, Director, Innovation & Special Initiatives, Alberta Mental Health Board, Canada;
11. Professor Margarida Gaspar de Matos, Health and Clinical Psychologist, Portugal;
12. Ms Catherine Austin, Director, Austin Resilience Development Inc., Ontario, Canada;
13. Ms Niamh Clarke, Senior Psychologist, Health Service Executive, Ireland;
14. Professor Paul Stallard, Child and Family Mental Health, Bath, United Kingdom;
15. Professor Einar Heiervang, Head of Research, Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University of Bergen, Norway ;
16. Professor-in-Residence John Piacentini, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioural Sciences, UCLA School of Medicine, the United States;
17. Ms Maja Soco and Ms Maja Pelicaric, Sto Koluri, Croatia.
18. Yuki Matsumoto, PhD, Director, Pathways Japan, Australia and Japan;
19. Mr Gylfi Jón Gylfason and Ms Berglind Dögg Bragadóttir, Educational Office, Fræðsluskrifstofa Reykjanesbæjar, Iceland;
20. Ms Kelly Angelius, Manager, British Columbia FRIENDS Program , Ministry of Children and Family Development, Canada