Dr Alexandra Metse | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Dr Alex Metse obtained a Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) and PhD (Clinical Psychology) from the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Alex is an established early-career academic and clinical psychologist who is passionate about making a difference to the lives of vulnerable populations by reducing physical health inequities and improving mental health. A key focus of her clinical and research work is on the role of health behaviours such as smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity and suboptimal sleep in the interplay between physical and psychological health, and the need and health benefits of routinely addressing such behaviours. Other interests include the role and benefits of novel technologies to support delivery of mental and physical health interventions.

Alex has a particular interest in the pivotal role of sleep in promoting health and preventing chronic disease. In her clinical work, she has specialised in the treatment of clinical sleep disorders. This has informed the program of research she leads, which seeks to 1) improve the effectiveness and acceptability of treatments for suboptimal sleep and sleep disorders, 2) highlight the extent to which suboptimal sleep is an issue within the Australian population, as well as its key determinants, and 3) spotlight the need for routine preventative intervention in primary and tertiary health care settings. Much of her research is undertaken in collaboration with relevant industry partners, which ensures relevancy and that it addresses meaningful questions and supports timely translation of findings into policy and practice. Alex’s work is a driving force highlighting the need for improved treatments to address suboptimal sleep and for sleep to be a public health priority, shaping a healthier future for all. In recognition of her work, she has been invited as a leading expert to contribute to the development of various large-scale behavioural interventions and public policy briefs, including the recently published policy evidence brief entitled: Improving population sleep health to reduce preventable illness and injury, a report by the Mitchell Institute and Sleep Health Foundation.

Alex’s work has been published by prestigious top-tier journals and she has been invited to present her program of research at various national conferences. Alex remains at the forefront of evolving research in her field and is as editor for Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

In her teaching, Alex consistently implements authentic, evidenced based and cutting-edge teaching strategies which engender the development of professional competencies and skills needed to address identified gaps in the current workforce. For example, the need for more psychologists skilled in the treatment of sleep disorders in Australia. Alex’s leadership in teaching has been recognised and she is an awarded Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. She also supervises several HDR and Honours students and, as a Board-approved supervisor, provides clinical supervision to provisionally registered psychologists.

In Alex’s clinical practice, in addition to treating sleep disorders, she has experience supporting clients of all ages with a broad range of psychological difficulties, with assessment, formulation and treatment informed by the following approaches: CBT, DBT, ACT, Schema Therapy and Family Systems Therapy.