Alumni in profile
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Elizabeth Helmond
Bachelor of Applied Science (Psychology) 2000
Psychologist Elizabeth Helmond practised in an unusual and often overlooked area of psychology - helping people deal with grief over the loss of pets.
'Under the auspices of The Cairnmillar Institute in Camberwell, Victoria, I was responsible for the establishment and management of the first free counselling clinic at The Lort Smith Animal Hospital, which led to a very interesting career.'
'Through Lort Smith, I was invited to mentor final year veterinary students at Melbourne University in the skills of grief counselling. My work also included being spokesperson for the Pet Information Advisory Service. My role entailed speaking in the media about the trauma of pet loss and the misperception that pet loss is insignificant and pet grief is not valid.'
'My work as a psychologist in general practice covered a wide range of clients and issues. I gained a wealth of experience as an adjunct to my training, which enabled me to established my own private practice as a psychologist and trauma therapist. Many of my clients included people suffering from the effects of loss in many contexts, and trauma victims of horror events, such as abuse, loss of a child, suicide and relationship issues (which were often stress related). However, my main interest was specialising in pet loss and grief. Clients came from both the general public suffering shock, for instance, from the loss of their family pet and veterinarians and their staff who were often devastated by the loss of pets through unnecessary euthanasia.'
'I no longer do counselling work but am still affiliated with the veterinary industry as a grief educator at conferences and seminars for groups such as The Australian Veterinary Association and Vet Nurses Association and animal shelters such as The Lost Dogs Home.'
Elizabeth says that helping people to recover from trauma and loss has provided her with a great deal of fulfilment over the years.
'Helping a person in need is very rewarding when you see them recover and regain control over their lives. The investigative side of counselling work is very stimulating and often very exciting when you discover the underlying causes of their problem and enable them to gain a better insight into their lives.'
'I have a great affinity with animals and particularly like working with the veterinary industry. Being a vet is often perceived by the public as a warm fuzzy job. But it is very difficult and often fraught with great anxiety. To be able to help vets deal with difficult cases or devastated clients, gives me a lot of satisfaction,' she explains.
A Bachelor of Applied Science graduate in 2000, Elizabeth says her Deakin degree helped her fulfil a long held dream.
'Without my degree I could not have become a registered psychologist and pursued my dream of being a counsellor. I believe that all counsellors should be properly trained at university.'
'The Deakin Psychology course was very thorough and this meant that my marks enabled me to get into fourth year, a critical hurdle for becoming a psychologist. Doing the science stream that is available is a great advantage to a psychologist.'
Elizabeth says the locality of Deakin's Campuses and its support of mature-age students played a significant role in her decision to study there.
'I chose Deakin for many reasons. I wanted to do a particular course which was available at Deakin, and the Burwood Campus was within easy travelling distance. This was important time-wise when also caring for a family. Deakin seemed to have a higher profile than other newer universities.'
'Deakin also has wonderful facilities, a great range of courses and very dedicated educators. It is also very amenable to mature-aged students like myself; I entered university at 49 but I felt very welcome.'
Now semi-retired, Elizabeth plans to focus more on family and pursue her various community interests in coming years.
'Supporting the family is top priority. I am now semi-retired from private practice and doing the occasional seminar work, but I have several small voluntary projects For instance, I am currently an Honorary Member of the Ethics Committee at The Cairnmillar Institute helping to oversee the ethical standards of research of masters students. I also run a website as a source of free information to help people with grief and pet loss and I am also greatly involved with my local church - its all about helping people,' she says.
