Teaching Strengths
Dr Cecily Young
Senior Lecturer
School of Psychology
College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences
I am a Lecturer in the School of Psychology and a Registered Psychologist (endorsed by the Psychology Board of Australia as a Clinical Psychologist). I am also a Board Approved Supervisor. My clinical experience includes perinatal mental health, working with adult survivors of childhood trauma, completing psychological and developmental assessments, and consulting within multidisciplinary teams. My doctoral thesis examined resilience in the transition to parenthood. I have a particular interest in qualitative research methods (including reflexive thematic analysis) but also use quantitative methods.
I am passionate about the needs and experiences of families with young children. I am particularly interested in the barriers which block access to supports and exploring the experiences of children and parents who are underrepresented in existing literature (e.g., First Nations, single-parent families, LGBTIQA+, culturally diverse).
Research interests
- Child mental health and development
- The transition to parenthood
- Development, implementation, and evaluation of psychological programs and resources
- Developmental and complex trauma
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Clinical Lecturer | University of Adelaide |
| 2024 - 2024 | Psychology Tutor | University of Adelaide |
| 2021 - 2024 | Senior Psychologist | Department for Child Protection |
| 2015 - ongoing | Doctoral Candidate | University of Adelaide |
| 2010 - 2022 | Clinical Psychologist | Effect Psychology |
| 2010 - 2014 | Clinical Psychologist | Families SA |
| 2008 - 2009 | Volunteer counsellor | Migrant Resource Center |
| 2007 - 2009 | Volunteer team leader | Drug ARM South Australia |
| 2006 - 2008 | Psychology Tutor | University of South Australia |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Award | Australian Postrgaduate Award | - | - | - |
| Language | Competency |
|---|---|
| English | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| Polish | Can read, write, speak and understand spoken |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 - 2021 | University of Adelaide | Australia | PhD |
| 2009 - 2010 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Master of Psychology (Clinical) |
| 2007 - 2007 | University of South Australia | Australia | Graduate Diploma (Jungian Studies) |
| 2005 - 2005 | University of South Australia | Australia | Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) |
| 2002 - 2004 | University of South Australia | Australia | Bachelor of Psychology |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Young, C., Roberts, R., & Ward, L. (2021). Enhancing resilience in the transition to parenthood: a thematic analysis of parents' perspectives.. J Reprod Infant Psychol, 39(4), 358-370. Scopus14 WoS8 Europe PMC5 |
| 2020 | Young, C., Roberts, R., & Ward, L. (2020). Hindering resilience in the transition to parenthood: a thematic analysis of parents' perspectives.. Journal of reproductive and infant psychology, 40(1), 1-14. Scopus15 WoS15 Europe PMC7 |
| 2019 | Young, C., Roberts, R., & Ward, L. (2019). Application of resilience theories in the transition to parenthood: a scoping review. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 37(2), 139-160. Scopus43 WoS40 Europe PMC23 |
| 2014 | Young, C., & Denson, L. (2014). Psychological health and provision of grandchild care in non-custodial 'baby boomer' grandparents. Journal of Family Studies, 20(1), 88-100. Scopus15 WoS13 |
| 2014 | Rayment, P., Young, C., & Guidolin, M. (2014). Therapeutic interventions for traumatised children in the child protection system in South Australia: matching the therapy to the child. Developing Practice: The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal, (38), 34-48. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Young, C., & Ayers, S. (2021). Risk and resilience in pregnancy and birth. In M. Ungar (Ed.), Multisystemic Resilience: Adaptation and Transformation in Contexts of Change (pp. 57-77). Oxford University Press. DOI Scopus6 |
| - | Young, C. (2020). Transition to Parenthood. In Unknown Book (pp. 1-10). Wiley. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Young, C., Roberts, R., & Ward, L. (2016). Mapping perinatal research: A scoping review of resilience theory in the transition to parenthood.. In Archive of Women's Mental Health. Melbourne. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Young, C., Roberts, R., & Ward, L. (2016). Mapping perinatal research: A scoping review of resilience theory in the transition to parenthood (Poster).. Poster session presented at the meeting of Frontiers in perinatal mental health - Looking to the future.. Melbourne. DOI |
Sawyer. A., Russo, K., Young, C., Princi-Hubbard, R., Carbone, J., Richardson, V., John, M., Smedley, C., Reece, C. & Due, C. (2025). Attachment-informed perinatal care – Evaluating a universal program to support infant mental health at the transition to parenthood Women’s and Children's Hospital Foundation, $699,802
Healthy Development Adelaide Travel Grant. Awarded to attend and present at the World Association of Infant Mental Health conference (Rome, September, 2018), $1,000
2025 Course Coordinator, Professional and Interpersonal Skills, Psychological Measurement and Assessment
2024 Tutor, Psychology Skills and Applications
2024 Guest Lecturer, Master of Psychology Program, Assessment of Infant Development
2023 and 2024 Guest Lecturer, Master of Psychology Program, Personality Assessment
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 - ongoing | Member | Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies | Australia |
| 2016 - ongoing | Member | Australian Association for Infant Mental Health | Australia |
| 2016 - ongoing | Member | Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth | - |
| 2015 - ongoing | Member | Healthy Development Adelaide | Australia |
| 2009 - ongoing | Member | Australian Psychological Society | Australia |
