About Us
Mitch Durbridge, MAPS FCCLP
Clinical Psychologist
I am a Clinical Psychologist with 2 decades of experience working in the mental health field, having completed my Masters in Clinical Psychology at Flinders University in 2005. Prior to qualifying as a clinical psychologist I I worked as a Mental Health Support Worker and later as a Program Coordinator with Uniting Care Wesley Port Adelaide’s community mental health programs. Outside of my working life I have a lifelong passion for exercise, health and wellbeing, and the EXMO program is a culmination of many years of thinking about the ways in which I could develop a program that combined these areas of personal interest and professional expertise.
My own journey with maintaining an active life, healthy diet and good quality sleep has had it’s own ups and downs in the past decade. These personal experiences have given me an even greater understanding of the difficulties that others may have in pursuit of their own health related goals, and an even deeper appreciation of the importance of each of these areas to maintaining positive psychological, physical and emotional wellbeing. Through my own journey towards living a healthier life I has also gained a greater understanding of the ways in which we can learn about ourselves (and in some ways heal ourselves) through working on the struggles we may encounter along the way.
It has been my long term goal to find more effective ways to help others make positive lifestyle changes that will improve their quality of life, health and well being. I particularly enjoy helping others to find the love, passion and value in exercise that I have had throughout my life, while also understanding the challenges that exercise can bring, and finding ways to address and overcome them when they do. I also strongly believe that no matter your background or limitations there is a form of exercise out there for everyone that can be rewarding both emotionally and physically and I hope that our approach can help people find their own version of exercise that works for them. I also believe that through the process of exploring and overcoming our personal struggles with goals we want to pursue but find difficult to achieve, we can gain a deepened understanding of ourselves that aids us well beyond achieving the specific goal we set out for. That’s why I truly believe that the journey towards our goals has far more to offer us than simply the destination itself.
Awards and Qualifications
2001 – Bachelor of Psychology (Hons), Flinders University
2005 – Master of Psychology (Clinical). Flinders University
2005 – College of Clinical Psychologists Masters Prize (SA)
Publications
Durbridge, M. An Investigation of motivation for a memory task under varied goal setting conditions. [Unpublished Honours Thesis]. 2001.
Gardiner M, Sexton R, Durbridge M, Garrard K. The role of psychological well-being in retaining rural general practitioners. Aust J Rural Health. 2005 Jun;13(3):149-55. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1854.2005.00677.x. PMID: 15932484.
Mcdonald, J., Roche, A. M., Durbridge, M., & Skinner, N. (2003). Peer education: From Evidence to Practice: An alcohol and other drugs primer. National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA), Flinders University. http://nceta.flinders.edu.au/files/7812/5548/1521/EN65.pdf
Wilksch SM, Durbridge MR, Wade TD. A preliminary controlled comparison of programs designed to reduce risk of eating disorders targeting perfectionism and media literacy. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2008 Aug;47(8):937-47. doi: 10.1097/CHI.0b013e3181799f4a. PMID: 18596551.
Sam McDonnell, AMHSW
Mental Health Social Worker
I have Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a genetic condition that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system. CF results in ongoing damage to lung tissue and can also cause malnutrition, bowel and liver disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. By my early 20’s, life had become about managing losses – to my function, health, independence, relationships, and ‘a future’. Many of my peers (other adolescents and young adults with CF) had died, and so I also, did not expect to live. This was my world view. Death literacy came early to me.
When I was 25 years old, I was fortunate to receive a double lung transplant, which both saved my life and gave me a quality of life I had never known. I had to vastly re-work my expectations and plans for my future. I gained a Master of Social Work qualification and began working as a hospital social worker, supporting people experiencing significant age and health related loss. Over time, I undertook further training and more specialised roles in chronic disease management, oncology, liver transplant, and finally palliative care and bereavement care.
“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well” (Diane Ackerman)
For me, working as a specialist grief and bereavement therapist, is living the width.
Awards and Qualifications
1999 – Bachelor of Science (University of Adelaide)
2007 – Bachelor of Social work (Flinders University)
2010 – Master of Social Work (Flinders University)
2010 – Elaine MW Martin Prize (best student of the Master of Social Work course, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work)
Community Engagement and Professional Presentations
CarerHelp podcast – Managing grief and bereavement (2021)
Grief and Bereavement: Supporting caregivers and families
Spirituality, cultural and inclusive considerations in death and dying.
