Meet the team – Chloe Duncan

Meet Chloe, the leader of our Psychology Team and a member of the Early Links Senior Leadership Team. We talked to Chloe about being a Psychologist at Early Links and what she enjoys most about her role.

What does being a Psychologist at Early Links involve?

My clients are a mixture of children, adolescents, and caregivers. I work with older children and adolescents on things like anxiety management and social skill development. I work with parents/caregivers of younger children to support things like behaviour management, dealing with big emotions, and promoting brave behaviour in kids who struggle with anxiety that might impact their school, community, and home lives.

I also provide support and guidance to the seven other psychologists we currently have in the psychology team at Early Links, helping them to access great training and supervision opportunities so they can best support the children and families they are working with.

How long have you been with Early Links?

I’ve been with Early Links for around three years now and prior to that I was busy completing a Master of Psychology degree. I’m originally from New Zealand, where I spent some time doing volunteer work with victims of crime and trauma. The wonderful people I work with here at Early Links have certainly helped make Australia feel like home.

What do you enjoy most about being a Psychologist?

I love supporting my team to develop and reach their potential. They’re a fantastic team who build up and support each other to be the best clinicians they can be. It’s also been great to watch the Psychology team grow and thrive, doubling in size.

Is there anything about our Psychology services that you wish more people knew?

We often work with caregivers of young children rather than directly with the child themselves. We support caregivers to learn skills they can then apply at home to encourage their child’s development in a number of areas. We love to upskill caregivers so they have this toolbox full of strategies to tackle new behaviours and challenges that may arise in the future as well. Plus, this means instead of only getting one hour of therapy a week (in clinic with a psychologist), the child can be getting support from an upskilled caregiver, all day every day, maximising gains.

How might someone identify that they or someone they know could benefit from our Psychology services?

If your child is having big emotional or behavioural responses and you’re not sure how best to respond, or they have big fears stopping them from doing the things they need to and want to do (e.g. school, time with friends), we might be able to help. If they’re finding it hard to navigate the social world and interact with peers, or they need a lot of extra help getting daily tasks completed, we might also be able to provide some support.

Get in touch if you would like to find out more about the support that Chloe and our Psychology Team provide.