Associate Professor Clara Murray

Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology & Director of the Clinical Psychology Program - Faculty of Medicine and Health; School of Psychology

Clara Murray

Phone: +61 2 6773 1793

Email: cmurra30@une.edu.au

Biography

Clara is a clinical psychologist specialising in clinical neuropsychology.

Since qualifying in Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford in 2009, Clara worked in community neuro-rehabilitation, both within the National Health Service and as an independent practitioner, providing psychological interventions to people living with acquired brain injury.  Prior to joining the University of New England, she lectured in psychology at masters and undergraduate level at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.

Qualifications

BA(Hons.) University College Dublin, MSc Oxford Brookes University, DClinPsy University of Oxford, PgDip University of Glasgow.

Awards

Best Poster Presentation – Australasian Society for Social & Affective Neuroscience Annual Conference, 2019

Teaching Areas

PSYC505 Clinical Psychological Assessment

Research Interests

Clara’s clinical and research interests relate to adult attachment, compassion-focused therapy, mindfulness and emotionally focused couple therapy. Clara is interested in adapting and evaluating therapy approaches which enhance adjustment, self-management and relationship outcomes following acquired brain injury. Clara is also part of a research group evaluating pedagogical advances in professional psychology training.

Research Supervision Experience

    Clara has previously supervised research students at Masters and PhD levels to completion at the University of Oxford and Anglia Ruskin University.  Clara currently supervises students in the 4th year Honours program and Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology) Program.  Her research supervision areas include:

    • Clinical psychology
    • Neuropsychological rehabilitation
    • Adjustment to disability
    • Adult Attachment
    • Compassion-Focused Therapy and mindfulness

Publications

Recent publications

Brown, H., Rock, A. J., Clark, G. I., & Murray, C. V. (Accepted). Thought-Action Fusion Mediates the Relationship Between the Dependence and Vulnerability to Harm Early Maladaptive Schemas and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptomology, North American Journal of Psychology.

Rice, K., Murray, C. V., Tully, P. J., Hone, A.,Bartik, W. J., Newby, D. and Cosh, S. M. (2022) Commentary: An Extension ofthe Australian PostgraduatePsychology Education SimulationWorking Group Guidelines: SimulatedLearning Activities Within ProfessionalPsychology Placements, Frontiers in Education. 7:840258.doi: 10.3389/feduc.2022.840258

Cosh, S., Rice, K., Bartik, W., Jefferys, A., Hone, A., Murray, C. & Lykins, D. (2022). Acceptability and Feasibility of Telehealth as a Training Modality for Trainee Psychologist Placements: A COVID-19 Response Study. Australian Psychologist

Rice, K., Schutte, N. S., Rock, A. J., & Murray, C. V. (2021). Structure, Validity and Cut-Off Scores for the APA Emerging Measure of DSM-5 Social Anxiety Disorder Severity Scale (SAD-D), Journal of Depression and Anxiety, 10(5), 406-412.

Murray, C. V., Jacobs, J-I. L., Rock, A. J., & Clark, G. I. (2021).  Attachment avoidance, thought suppression, self-compassion and depression: Testing a serial mediation model.  PLoS-One, 16(1). e0245056. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245056

Langley, E., Wootton, B., Clark, G. I., & Murray, C. V. (2021). The Utility of the Health Belief Model Variables in Predicting Help-Seeking Intention for Depressive Symptoms. Australian Psychologist. 10.1080/00050067.2021.1893598.

Janovsky, T., Rock, A. J., Thorsteinsson, E. B., Clark, G. I., & Murray, C. V. (2020). The relationship between early maladaptive schemas and interpersonal problems: A meta‐analytic review. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 1-40.

Ashworth, F. & Murray, C. V. (2019).  Compassion focused therapy for neurological conditions. In G. N. Years & F. Ashworth (Eds.), Psychological Therapies in Acquired Brain Injury (75-94).

Hu, M. T. T., Szewczyk-Krolikowski, K., Tomlinson, P., Nithi, K., Rolinski, M., Murray, C., Talbot, K., Ebmeier, K. P., Mackay, C. Y. & Ben-Shlomo, Y. (2014). Predictors of cognitive impairment in an early stage Parkinson's disease cohort. Movement Disorders, 29(3), 351-359.

Yeates, G., Edwards, A., Murray, C., Zapiain Creamer, N. & Mahadvan, M. (2013). The Use of emotionally-focussed couples therapy for survivors of acquired brain injury with social cognition and executive functioning impairments, and their partners: a case series analysis. Neuro-disability and psychotherapy, 1(2), 151-197.

Conference Presentations

Lykins, A. D., Hine, D., Cosh, S., Craig, B., Murray, C., & Parsons, M. (2020, June). As the world burns: Understanding the psychological impacts of climate change on young Australians to promote resilience. Paper presented at the 26th Conference for the International Association for People-Environment Studies (IAPS), Quebec City, Canada (to be held virtually due to COVID-19 pandemic).

Murray, C. V., Norbury, R., & Cooper, M. (2019). Imaging Detached Mindfulness: A pilot fMRI study [Poster Presentation]. Australasian Society for Social & Affective Neuroscience Annual Conference, Newcastle, Australia.

Yeates, G., Edwards, A., Murray, C., Zapiain Creamer, N. & Mahadvan, M. Couple relationships as loci for disconnection and opportunities for reconnection following neurological crisis: A workshop on the practice of emotionally-focused couples therapy following acquired brain injury. 8th European Family Therapy Association Congress, Istanbul. October, 2013.

Murray, C. & Yeates, G. Meta-cognition and brain injury: In the head or the conversation. World Federation for Neuro-rehabilitation, 7th Satelite Symposium for Neuro-Rehabilitation, Krakow. July, 2010.

Clinical Skills and Experience

Clara is an experienced clinical psychologist specialising in community neurorehabilitation and adjustment to long-term neurodisability. She trained as both a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist in the UK. Clara integrates her expertise in neuropsychological assessment with psychological formulation, in order to assist clients to understand and adjust to changes in functional abilities associated with neurological conditions. Clara has trained in a range of psychological approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy, and Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy.

Memberships

Psychology Board of Australia – Registered Psychologist with Area of Practice Endorsement in Clinical Psychology.  Registration No: PSY 0002093312

Australian Psychological Society – Member – Membership Number: 179398

APS College of Clinical Psychologists – Fellow – Membership Number 179398

British Psychological Society – Chartered Psychologist.  Membership No. 215010

External Profiles