Dr Stephen Hirneth Psychologist

Dr Steve is a clinical psychologist with over 15 years’ experience working with adults, children and teenagers, treating a wide range of issues, from common life stressors through to severe mental illness. Stephen has worked across a range of mental health settings, including hospitals, community health centres and private practices. Stephen has extensive experience working with children and adolescents, having worked for over 10 years for local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, treating young people with severe and complex mental health disorders including depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis, anxiety disorders, attachment disorders and pervasive developmental disorders. Stephen has also worked extensively with adults, working for many years in private psychology practices in the area. Stephen has a particular interest in anxiety disorders, depression and bipolar disorders. Stephen is trained in a range of psychological therapy techniques, including cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). Stephen is a Psychology Board of Australia accredited supervisor for all forms of supervision in psychology. Stephen is well-recognised in the Newcastle area, providing supervision to other psychologists, lecturing and teaching postgraduate students, and providing clinical leadership to staff across a range of services. Stephen has also held several leadership and senior management roles in local psychology services, and can provide coaching / mentoring for other professionals aiming to develop their efficiency and effectiveness. Stephen has a keen research interest, particularly in the area of bipolar disorder, and has published a number of research studies in this field, funded by national research grant schemes. Stephen is a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) College of Clinical Psychologists and was an invited reviewer for the recent APS publication “Evidence-Based Psychological Interventions in the Treatment of Mental Disorders”.