I’ve always had a huge passion for working with people, and especially love working with children.
BayPsych is fortunate to have Stephanie Fornasier practicing at our Browns Plains clinic. Stephanie specialises in providing psychological and counselling services to children and families. Her research interests include the impact of social networking on young adults, and the role that parents play in feeding their children. Stephanie fills a void in the Browns Plains area and has extensive experience working with children who have autism, Aspergers, disability and behavioural difficulties.
What attracted you to psychology?
I am extremely fascinated by the brain and how we can change our mind’s functions to live better lives. I’ve always had a huge passion for working with people, and especially love working with children.
Tell us about one of your most memorable moments…
I was working with a 17 year old who was extremely difficult to engage with and refused to believe he needed help. After many months, at the end of one visit he said, “talking to you seems to make me feel better, so I guess you’re not useless”. It was the best feedback I ever received! When I finished working with him, he was able to accept support from other agencies as he transitioned out of care of Child Safety, so it seems this was a bit of a turning point for him.
In what ways do you think psychology will change in the next 10 years?
I am hoping that as awareness of mental health issues increases, it will become much less of a stigma for people to access psychological services. I also hope that there will be much more support available for minority groups and in remote/rural locations where support is currently spread thin.
Who is your role model?
I love music, and Björk is a musical artist I have always looked up to. She’s a great role model for women, not bound by conventions or pressure to do exactly what she wants to. Her creativity, passion and energy is boundless, and she’s always trying to find new ways to push the envelope, including being inspired by neurologist Oliver Sacks to create an album (‘Biophilia’) which aims to educate the world about music’s powerful influence on the mind.
Read a good book lately?
I am currently halfway through George Orwell’s 1984, bit of a latecomer on that one! Prior to that I had re-read the Diary of Anne Frank, since I had the opportunity to visit her house in Amsterdam at the end of last year. Such a beautiful snapshot of adolescent longing, introspection and hope, made all the more tragic knowing how the story ended.
Stephanie is based at our Browns Plains office, to make an appointment with her please call (07) 3809 3573.
