Dr Philippa Specker

Dr Philippa Specker is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Clinical Psychologist at the School of Psychology, UNSW Australia. Philippa is also a member of the Refugee Trauma and Recovery Program, within the School of Psychology at UNSW.

Philippa's research focuses on understanding the psychological and environmental mechanisms that underpin psychological recovery and psychosocial adaption among people from refugee backgrounds. Her research program seeks to inform the development and delivery of evidence-based psychological treatments for refugee communities in Australia and overseas. Philippa is also interested in using research insights to improve access to, and the provision of, interventions for people from refugee backgrounds. 

Specific research areas include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, emotion regulation, emotion regulation flexibility, trauma and displacement, post-migration stress and adaption, and cross-cultural mental health. Her research includes experimental, longitudinal, and clinical treatment studies that have been published in leading journals, including Clinical Psychological Science, European Journal of Psychotraumatology, and Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy. Philippa has also written for The Conversation. Philippa predominantly works with refugee communities in Australia and Indonesia.

Philippa received a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) from the University of Sydney, and a PhD/Master of Psychology (Clinical) from the University of New South Wales.