Rate My Professor Sally Hunt

Associate Professor Sally Hunt is a registered Clinical Psychologist and academic in the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She earned her Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) Honours, Master of Psychology (Clinical), and PhD from the University of Newcastle, completing her doctorate in 2015 on the neuropsychological profiles of individuals with comorbid depression and alcohol use disorders under the supervision of Professor Amanda Baker and Emeritus Professor Pat Michie. Over more than two decades, Sally has worked extensively in clinical and research roles in mental health, including as a Clinical Psychologist at Hunter New England Health (2003-2005), Psychologist at Hunter Area Health Service (2001-2002), Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Research Manager at the Priority Research Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health (2005-2014), Project Manager at the University of New South Wales National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (2013-2016), and various positions at the University of Newcastle since 2014, such as Senior Lecturer, Project Manager for the Priority Research Centre for Brain and Mental Health, and Clinical Supervisor. Currently, she is the inaugural Convenor of the Master of Professional Psychology Program since 2019 and Convenor of Higher Degree Research programs in the Discipline of Psychology.

Sally's research specializations include comorbid affective disorders, psychosis, personality disorders, and alcohol/other drug use problems, with expertise in neuropsychological assessment, cognitive behaviour therapy, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness-based interventions. Her post-doctoral work emphasizes women's mental health, problematic alcohol use among women, psychological birth trauma, and e-Health interventions for co-occurring disorders. Notable publications include 'Randomized controlled trial of cognitive-behavioural therapy for coexisting depression and alcohol problems: short-term outcome' (Addiction, 2010), 'Recruiting for health, medical or psychosocial research using Facebook: Systematic review' (Internet Interventions, 2016), 'Individual placement and support for vocational recovery in first-episode psychosis: randomised controlled trial' (British Journal of Psychiatry, 2019), 'Systematic review of neurocognition in people with co-occurring alcohol misuse and depression' (Journal of Affective Disorders, 2015), and 'Development and Validation of the Maternal Drinking Motives Scale' (Substance Use & Misuse, 2024). She has received the University of Newcastle Women in Research Fellowship (2020), Australian Rotary Health Impact Award (2018), and University of Newcastle School of Medicine and Public Health Staff Award for Early Career Research and Innovation Excellence (2017). Through conference keynotes, podcasts, radio interviews, and psychologist training, her work advances evidence-based treatments and awareness of alcohol harms, especially for women.