Natasha is a PhD Candidate in the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle. Her research explores mental health and wellbeing with young people who have a background of forced displacement. Specifically, she is interested in the mental health impacts of societal attitudes towards refugees as depicted in media, social media, and political commentary. Natasha has published her research in scholarly journals, has presented her research at various national conferences and has been invited as a reviewer for academic journals due to her expertise in mental health.

Natasha has been working in the community mental health sector for 12 years, in various roles from front line service delivery and management to research and evaluation. She has worked for community managed organisations in the UK and Australia and more recently has worked for NSW Health as a Senior Project Officer at Everymind. She has led evaluations of community mental health services across NSW and QLD as a Senior Evaluation and Research Coordinator for Flourish Australia. Natasha has also consulted for the Mental Health Branch of the NSW Ministry of Health, developing policy and resources for Ministry funded mental health programs.

As a passionate advocate for mental health and diversity, she has worked pro bono in various non-profit organisations, currently working with the Cultural Diversity Network Inc (CDNI), an organisation that assists newly arrived migrants and refugees, with a particular focus on fostering wellbeing and belonging. As a member of CDNI, Natasha provides expertise for research and evaluation activities.

Examples of mental health research and evaluation activities over the last decade include:

Evaluation of a transitional housing scheme in SE Queensland that supported people to leave long-stay mental health facilities

Evaluation of a community housing scheme that provided mental health and tenancy support to people with sever and enduring mental health issues Evaluation of ADHC-funded “complex needs” 24-hour supported housing

Various program-specific consumer satisfaction surveys

Development of content for an online intervention for carers of people with anxiety and depression

Development of a program manual for Housing and Accommodation Support Initiative (HASI)

Development of a data dictionary for HASI and Mental Health Community Living Support for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (MH CLS-R)