MASSEY
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
ALUMNI
________

What led you to joining the Health Psychology program?

I was really interested in health psychology in my undergraduate study I have a passion for health orientated work. I was interested in clinical psychology as well l but health psychology seemed more holistic to me. I really wanted to go through a specific health psychology program and I was recommended by a lecturer at Auckland University to apply for the Massey Health Psychology program because it's quite critical and reflective. 

Are there any particular memories that stick out for you, when you were studying at Massey?

My study at Massey was all distance. Because my bachelor’s was at Auckland University, I really enjoyed that the master's program overall. I enjoyed the critical nature of the programme, it  forces you to engage in critical reflection throughout, regardless of paper and that was a skill that later in my career was very helpful. In terms of specific memories, I remember the block courses being really intense but also really fun. It was nice to be in an adult learning environment.

And what sort of career were you hoping for when you got into health psychology? 

I thought I'd end up in the DHB (District Health Board) system doing some sort of health psychology related work. I anticipated working more in the “front line” mental health space.

Did you go straight into psychology work from graduation?

Yes, when I was writing my master's thesis and coming up to the end and submitting it, my supervisor told me that I should apply for the military. I originally didn't think very much of it. Then when I was getting closer to submitting my thesis I thought I'll go on to the defence website and see whether they even have psychology positions. They did and I thought,” Okay, it can’t hurt to apply and I can still apply for other jobs”. I still very much thought I was going to end up in the DHB system. I was approached by Defence and went through the recruitment process, at the same time I submitted my thesis and 4 months later I joined the Army.  

What was the particular kind of job that you got in the military?

I joined as a registrant Psychologist in the military. They put you through a registration program. I joined and then worked as a Psychologist on one of the camps (Linton in Palmerston North) for a number of years. The registrant role is similar to the registered psychologist role, however since you are completing the registration programme there is additional project work and supervision across the work that you do with the intent of building up the competancies that are outlined by the NZPB.  

What do you find that you were doing at Massey that helped you once you got into your job with the military?

My whole master's program was really useful because the program is quite holistic so having the breath of understanding has been useful. . As much as I hate to admit it, the statistics and the research papers, are very useful. It's not the stuff that people necessarily enjoy doing in psychology, but it's the stuff that is very useful for your career . The critical reflection piece was and remains a core skill so it was nice to have built that foundation throughout the master program.  

How has your role developed from when you started to, to where you are now?

I started as a registrant Psychologist and got my registration. I worked in Palmerston North for five years as a camp Psychologist. The camp psychologist role is very broad, it involves teaching, workshops, coaching, stakeholder engagement, liaison and one on one work.  One of the standout aspects of being a camp psychologist is that you also support uniformed people as they come back from serving overseas. . After my role as a camp psychologist I was the 2IC for my team, which involved the same work as a camp psychologist but also included more team co-ordination. 

I am currently the  Head of Operational Psychology. My role now is focused on the policy and processes that we have to support our people serving overseas. I do more co ordination work, higher level stakeholder engagement, policy development and one on one work where I can.  

Any particular aspects of the Health Psychology programme that have contributed to what you're doing now? 

New Zealand hasn't yet integrated health psychology in the same way as our counterparts in the US or the UK. But the knowledge that you've gained from that course, or that field of study is invaluable in any kind of career.  

Is there anything else that you'd like to say about the career pathway, about your career pathway that you think would benefit other students? 

For anyone in the program, in psychology or the health psychology program, if they wanted to know more about what it's like to be a Psychologist in Defence please contact us. We share what we do and what it is like to be a psychologist in Defence. We are also more than happy to talk about the pathway and what the registration programme involves.