NICKNAME: Ams or Ame
QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor of Arts (Psychology & Indonesian Studies), Honours in Psychological Sciences & Associate Member of the Australian Psychological Society
ACHIEVEMENTS: Becoming a registered Psychologist was a huge achievement after such a long road! When I look back, teaching English in an Indonesian orphanage alone for 6 months at age 18 is an achievement which was quite a turning point for me too.
WHY DID YOU PURSUE PSYCHOLOGY? I have always been fascinated by the reasons people are the way they are. When I was young, one of my favourite past times was “people watching” and trying to guess who people were and where they came from. As an adolescent, I saw many of my friends struggle through mental health issues and hard times in their lives. It was around this age that I committed to finding a way to help people get through difficult parts of life. Later, I learned that a career in Psychology was one way to achieve this goal.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WORK AT BODYMATTERS? Ever since I first set foot in BodyMatters, I knew I wanted to be part of the team here. I love the welcoming nature of the practice and the professionalism of the staff. Further, I whole-heartedly share the ethos of BodyMatters and believe that the work they do is vital and extremely valuable for so many.
YOUR FAVOURITE QUOTE: When it rains, always look for rainbows.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS: Living by the beach with my family and hopefully still working in a job I am passionate about.
FAVOURITE SPORTS OR ACTIVITIES: I used to be a competitive gymnast and still love watching Gymnastics. I also enjoy social Netball and any beach-related activities.
FAVOURITE HOBBIES OR INTERESTS: I love travelling! I have explored every continent except Antarctica and my travel list never stops growing. I also love listening to music, watching live music and laughing.
WHAT IS YOUR SECRET SKILL: I am known for great story-telling! There is a joke among my friends that whenever I walk into a dinner party, everybody stops talking and waits for me to start.
WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU: I think that I am quite easily inspired. It only takes an interesting conversation with a colleague, a tiny quote from a book or an image of a faraway place and I have a flood of new plans and ideas. Working with intelligent, funny and thought-provoking people has definitely helped me become who I am today.
WHO WERE YOUR CHILDHOOD HEROES: My Kindergarten Teacher and Mary Poppins – they were both extraordinary and I wanted to be just like them!
3 THINGS YOU WOULD TAKE ON A DESERT ISLAND: An endless playlist of music, photos and red wine.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE INDULGENCE: Whenever I have a day off, I love to re-design my vision board. I stick on pictures, quotes, magazine clippings, business cards and snippets of things that I love or things that I want to do.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE: Cloud Atlas – I loved the book even more.
FAVOURITE PLACES TO TRAVEL: Indonesia – especially Sumatra. I also love weekend getaways to Melbourne, Tasmania or just a little up or down the coast.
IF YOU DIDN’T PURSUE PSYCHOLOGY, WHAT OTHER PROFESSION WOULD YOU PURSUE: Primary School Teaching
