Psychology Board members

Ms Rachel Phillips

Appointed as Chair and a practitioner member from Queensland

General Registration (Higher Degree pathway), Endorsement in Clinical Psychology

• B Arts (Hons), M Clin Psych

Rachel Phillips is an endorsed Clinical Psychologist and Board-approved supervisor of provisional psychologists. Rachel has worked predominantly in the public health sector across a variety of settings, including acute hospital, community child and youth mental health, and alcohol and drug outpatients. She has more recently worked in psychology leadership positions and hospital administration roles. She has also worked in private practice – as a sole practitioner, within large practices, and with psychiatrists. Rachel has had a longstanding role as a clinical supervisor of provisional psychologists completing the different pathways to general registration as well as registrars in clinical psychology.

Rachel’s experience in psychology regulation started when she was appointed to the National Psychology Examination committee in 2010 and assumed the Chair role in 2017. She was appointed to the Queensland Regional Board in 2014 and to the Psychology Board of Australia in August 2015.

Ms Miranda Bruyniks

Appointed as a community member

• MBA, B Occ Thy, GAICD

Miranda Bruyniks is a non-executive director and consultant who has worked in regulatory and human services roles. Miranda provides advice to government, boards, committees, and service providers about building safe and accessible services, and works with services, to use consumer feedback as an opportunity for improvement.

As Complaints Commissioner, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Quality and Safeguards Commission, Miranda led the establishment of the first national complaints system about the quality of NDIS services, and the mandatory system for NDIS registered providers to respond to, and report, the abuse and neglect of people with disability.

At the Disability Services Commissioner in Victoria, Miranda led the oversight, investigation and resolution of critical incidents and complaints. Her experience includes oversight of service providers at the Department of Human Services and the Transport Accident Commission in Victoria, and managing the Medical Assessment Tribunals, a dispute resolution service in Queensland. Miranda was appointed to the Psychology Board of Australia in December 2021.

Professor Petrina Coventry

Appointed as a community member

Prof. Petrina Coventry is an experienced business ethicist who has worked in Asia, the United States and Europe in global leadership roles for The General Electric Company, The Coca Cola Company and Proctor and Gamble.

She has worked across multiple industry sectors including healthcare and education and her work in ethics and governance and commercialisation of research projects has led to increased involvement with governments, investment boards, and industry associations across the Australasian region.

She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, (FAICD), A Fellow of the Australian Institute of Health & Safety College of Fellows (FAIHS), a Vincent Fairfax Fellow (VFF), and a Fellow of the Australian Human Resource Institute (FAHRI) as well as a Non-executive director of Beston Singapore Pte Ltd and Director of Industry Partnership and Research Impact for the Freemasons Centre for Male Health and Wellbeing within the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). Petrina was appointed to the Psychology Board of Australia in December 2021.

Ms Marion Hale

Appointed as a community member

Marion Hale has worked in improving equity and justice in the community for the last 28 years. Her career has spanned education, crisis support, counselling, community development, policy development and population health.

Marion’s commitment to gender and health was rewarded in 2012 when she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to visit programs around the world that support women to become smoke free in pregnancy. As a result of this fellowship, in 2015 Marion was elected as President of the International Network of Women Against Tobacco and is serving her second term as President.

Marion works as an Educator for the Drug Education Network in Tasmania. She is a member of the Mental Health Tribunal of Tasmania, a consumer representative on The College of Emergency Medicine, a panel member the Alcohol Advertising Review Panel and was most recently elected to serve on the Legal Professions Board of Tasmania. Marion was appointed to the Psychology Board of Australia in May 2015.

Ms Vanessa Hamilton

Appointed as a practitioner member from ACT

General Registration (4+2 pathway), Endorsement in Clinical Psychology

• B Soc Sc, B Arts (Hons)

Vanessa Hamilton is an endorsed Clinical Psychologist and Board-approved supervisor of provisional psychologists and clinical registrars. Vanessa has lived and worked in the ACT since 1994 and is currently the director of a large, multidisciplinary local private clinic, along with teaching into the psychiatric registrars training program locally. She has worked across the public sector in the ACT (Mental Health and Child Protection), as well as within the tertiary and community sectors before settling into private practice.

Vanessa has been involved in psychology regulation across two distinct periods. Prior to National regulation she was a member, and then chair, of the ACT Psychologist Registration Board from 2005 to 2009. She then returned to regulation in August 2015 when she was appointed as the ACT practitioner member on the Psychology Board of Australia and is now in her third term.

Mr Chris Joseph

Appointed as a community member

Chris is a fourth-generation farmer in a family farming operation in regional Queensland that specialises in the production of irrigated and dryland food and fibre crops as well as hay production and a cattle enterprise. He is a graduate of the University of Queensland, the Australian Rural Leadership Program and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Chris has served the interests of regional, rural, and remote areas of Australia with his work in water, health, education, regional services, communications, and cultural issues. He is currently a director with Southern Queensland Landscapes, where he sits on the Audit and Risk committee and Chairs the First Peoples committee.

Chris understands the importance of mental health as part of the right to health care for all Australians, regardless of where they live. Chris is dedicated to his many community positions and his grassroots experience in rural Australia brings an important perspective to the Board. Chris was first appointed to the Board in 2018 and is currently serving his second term.

Professor Kimberley Norris

Appointed as a practitioner member from Tasmania

General Registration (Higher Degree pathway), Endorsement in Clinical Psychology

• B Arts (Hons), PhD Clin Psych

Kimberley Norris is an endorsed Clinical Psychologist and Board-approved supervisor of provisional psychologists. Kimberley works across clinical practice, education, research and evaluation contexts across a variety of settings, including community adult mental health, child and parental mental health, and extreme environments such as first responder and Antarctic populations.

She has more recently worked in psychology leadership positions and is currently employed as the Head of Discipline and Director of Postgraduate Professional Training Programs (Psychology and Counselling) at the University of Tasmania. She has also worked in private practice, and is the Consultant Clinical Psychologist for the Australian Antarctic Program. Kimberley has had a longstanding role as a supervisor of provisional psychologists completing the different pathways to general registration as well as registrars in clinical psychology.

Kimberley's experience in psychology regulation started when she was appointed to the ACT/VIC/TAS Regional Board in 2021. She was appointed to the Psychology Notifications Committee: Assessment and Psychology Immediate Action Committee in 2022, and to the Psychology Board of Australia in September 2023.

Mr Timothy Ridgway

Appointed as a practitioner member from South Australia

General Registration (4+2 pathway), Endorsement in Organisational Psychology

• B Arts (Hons)

Tim Ridgway is an endorsed organisational psychologist and a Board-approved supervisor for provisional psychologists. Tim has worked predominantly in private practice as a consultant to both public and private organisations across Australia and internationally, working on individual, team and organisational level assignments. He has extensive consulting experience in leadership, learning and development, executive coaching and psychological assessment. More recently Tim has worked with sporting organisations at state and local levels and with AFL clubs in South Australia, Queensland and Victoria.

Tim has held a board position with the Leukaemia Foundation of Australia since 2009 and provides consulting services to other boards on their performance, review and strategic planning. Tim was a foundation member of the advisory group to the Adelaide University Masters of Organisational Psychology program and has delivered lectures and supervised students of this program over many years. He is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Tim was appointed to the Psychology Board of Australia in October 2018.

Dr Jennifer Thornton

Appointed as a practitioner member from Western Australia

General Registration (4+2 pathway), Endorsement in Counselling Psychology and Clinical Psychology

• B Sc (Hons), Dip Ed, M Psych, PhD

Jenny Thornton is an endorsed Clinical and Counselling Psychologist. She began her career as a psychologist in Education (TAFE). After completing her Master of Psychology, Jenny taught in postgraduate programs while maintaining a private practice. Jenny was Program Director of the Master of Psychology (Counselling Psychology) and Master of Psychology (Professional) courses at Curtin University until 2019. She has supervised registrars and psychologists holding endorsements.

Jenny has been involved in psychology regulation and accreditation since 2007. As Presiding Member of the Psychologists Registration Board of Western Australia, she transitioned to the National Scheme and served as Chair of the NT/SA/WA Regional Board for eight years. She was also a past Director of the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council. Jenny was appointed to the Psychology Board of Australia in October 2018.

Dr Robyn Vines

Appointed as a practitioner member from New South Wales

General Registration (Higher Degree pathway), Endorsement in Clinical, Health and Counselling Psychology

• BA (Hons), MSc (Clin Psych), PhD, GAICD

Robyn is an endorsed Clinical, Health and Counselling Psychologist who has worked in a variety of academic and clinical practice settings across Australia and internationally. Robyn started her professional career as a Senior Clinical Psychologist at University College Hospital in London, returning to Australia as Deputy Director and Head of Clinical Services at the Cairnmillar Institute in Melbourne; then as Head of Student Services at Swinburne University. Moving to NSW in 1990, she has worked predominantly in the university sector at UNSW, Charles Sturt University and most recently at the Bathurst Rural Clinical School of the Western Sydney University Medical School. She also worked for three years (2004-2007) in the student services sector in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Robyn is passionate about integrated primary mental health care including co-location of psychologists and doctors in general practice; she is also strongly committed to equitable mental health service delivery in rural and remote Australia.

An experienced regulator, Robyn has served two terms on the NSW Psychology Council (2012-2018). She practices as a clinical psychologist in Bathurst, NSW and teaches in the Bathurst Rural Clinical School at Bathurst Base Hospital. Robyn was appointed to the Psychology Board of Australia in December 2021.

Professor Kathryn von Treuer

Appointed as a practitioner member from Victoria

General Registration (4+2 pathway), Endorsement in Health Psychology and Organisational Psychology

• GradAppSc-nurs, BBSc (Hons), MBSc, DBA, GCHE

Kathryn von Treuer is both an endorsed health and organisational psychologist, and a Board-approved supervisor. She combines over 20 years of industry experience, mainly in the health sector, with 10 years of academic experience at the School of Psychology at Deakin University. Kathryn commenced as the Executive Director and Professor at the Cairnmillar Institute in 2016 and is an Honorary Associate Professor within the School of Medicine at Deakin University.

Over many years Kathryn has held a number of executive level roles and board positions, such as Director (Research) for the 100% Project. Kathryn sat on the ACT/Vic/Tas Regional Board from 2010 to 2017 and was appointed to the Psychology Board of Australia in August 2015.