Critical Health Psychology | Critical Approaches to Health and Health Care

Lived Experience Leadership in Health Policy, Health Services, Health Research, and Health Education

Allyship to Marginalised Groups in Health Care

Dr Brett Scholz is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Medicine and Psychology, ANU College of Health and Medicine. He has held adjunct roles in the Adelaide Medical School at The University of Adelaide and in the Faculty of Health at the University of Canberra. Prior to his current position, he held a Research Fellowship in the SYNERGY Nursing and Midwifery Research Centre at the University of Canberra and ACT Health, was a Lecturer in the Centre for Applied Psychology at the University of Canberra, and completed his PhD in the School of Public Health at the University of Adelaide. Brett has served as a Board Member for the ACT Mental Health Consumer Network, and has been involved as Co-Founder and Chief Research Officer for Spur Projects. He is currently an Editor of the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, and an Editorial Board Member of the International Mad Studies Journal, Psychology of Men & Masculinities, and an Associate Editor of BMC Health Services Research.

As a critical health psychologist, Brett's research often focuses on ways in which health and health services can be more equitable, challenging power norms, and led by consumers. He has published refereed journal articles in Palliative Medicine, Health Psychology, Health Policy, Health Expectations, Health Promotion International, Qualitative Health Research, International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, Journal of Mental Health, among others.

Brett is currently Secretary of the International Society of Critical Health Psychology, and an Organising Committee member of the Service Users in Academia Symposium. He is co-editor of The Operative Word, the podcast of the International Society of Critical Health Psychology.

1. Critical approaches to health care

2. Allyship to marginalised groups in health and health care

3. Consumer leadership of health care systems

I am willing to contribute to the supervision of postgraduate students in critical health psychology, critical approaches to health services, and allyship to marginalised groups in health service provision.

Current PhD Supervision

• Stephanie Stewart (Psychology, The University of Melbourne), Consumer leadership in mental health
• Joshua Bishop (Psychology, University of Canberra), Improving mental health services for LGB people
• Zijian Wang (ANU), consumer leadership in palliative and end-of-life care
• Terri Warner (ANU), the framing of mental health and disability in the NDIS
• Jackie Ball (Psychology, University of Canberra) consumer-led, trauma informed care in mental health settings

Current Honours Supervision

• Cole Johnson (ANU), Collaborations between consumers and non-consumers
• Lillian Starling (ANU), Mental health professionals and lived experience

PhD Completions

• Josie Larkings (2018; Psychology, University of Canberra), Mental health professionals' and consumers' causal beliefs about mental illness: Impact on perceptions of mental illness and the treatment process
• Lucetta Thomas (2019; Faculty of Health, University of Canberra), An exploration into the psychotherapeutic needs of males who have been sexually abused by their biological mother in Australia: A qualitative description study
• Kristi Urry (2020; Psychology, The University of Adelaide), Sexuality and sexual health in mental health care settings: Perceptions of psychologists, psychiatrists, and mental health nurses in Australia
• Phoebe Drioli-Phillips (2020; Psychology, The University of Adelaide), Male discourses of anxiety and help seeking in an online discussion forum
• Karlee Johnston (2023; College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University), Understanding burnout in Australian pharmacists during COVID-19

Masters Completions

7 completions in Psychology, 8 completions in Medicine

Honours Completions

14 completions in Psychology

Research Mentorship Completions

2 completions from ANU internship programmes; 1 completion from the ACT Health vacation program