Dr Ben Mullings is a Psychologist who provides psychological care to individuals balancing the need for empathy, trust, and emotional safety, alongside up to date knowledge from research.  Ben’s consulting rooms are in Brentwood, servicing all nearby surrounding areas. He applies psychotherapy across diverse contexts with a focal interest in anxiety disorders, relationship issues, and the positive and negative uses of technology in everyday life. Ben provides telepsychology services to reach people in distant areas. In the academic setting, he lectures and presents across a range of issues: psychotherapy models, case formulation, evidence-based care, qualitative research methods, and group therapy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science (Psychology) with first class Honours
• Master of Psychology (Counselling Psychology)
• PhD (Psychology)

Background

Psychotherapy with Individuals, Couples, Families, and Groups

Ben has worked as a counsellor and later as a psychologist for over 20 years. He has worked with individuals, couples and groups. Since 2007 Ben has spent the majority of his time in private psychological consulting at Brockman House (2007-2008), the Health@520 complex (2009-2013), at ‘Applecross Clinic’ (2013-2017), and now at Likeminds Clinic.

Mental Health Advocacy

Across the last decade Ben has been actively engaged in campaigning for mental health care policy reform. He calls for increased support for psychological care over radio, the newspapers, and publications within the profession. Between 2008 and 2011 Dr Ben Mullings ran a professional discussion forum (‘Conscience‘) for psychologists to reflect about critical issues within the profession.

From 2011 he has coordinated the Alliance for Better Access campaign calling for reforms to the Medicare system. The group is primarily comprised of mental health care consumers and concerned members of the general public, however, it is joined by all of the mental health professions including psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, general practitioners, occupational therapists and mental health nurses.  A petition run by the Alliance for Better Access at Change.org had over 15,000 supporters and was lodged in the federal senate. As an advocate, Dr Ben Mullings has met with state and federal politicians, presented at a senate inquiry in Canberra, and has tabled formal submissions to Government. Between 2015 and 2020, Ben co-founded the Australian Mental Health Party to provide a humanistic political platform for policies which optimise mental health and well-being.

Lecturing and Academia

In recent years, he has shared this time working in academia. His written work has been published in core textbooks, in journals, and continues to be used in the training of university students studying psychology and counselling from undergrad to postgraduate levels. Ben has a decade of experience in academic roles at Curtin University, the University of Notre Dame, Murdoch University and Edith Cowan University with experience as a course coordinator, clinic director, and a supervisor for both placements and research.