From the police force to the Pilbara

Jason Weel started his career in law enforcement before returning to university for postgraduate studies in psychology. His driving force has always been curiosity.

'I've always been inquisitive about people and sought that intimate one-on-one connection with others. I'm just lucky that there's a profession out there that allows that to be a vocation, really,' he says.

After studying criminology and psychology and serving as a police officer in Western Australia and Victoria, Jason chose to leave policing to focus on psychology.

Jason began his career in Western Australia Police Force before moving to Melbourne in 2015 to join Victoria Police. In hindsight, he says that decision was more about experiencing life in a different state than a true passion for policing.

'I quickly I realised that I no longer valued work as an officer. It was just too reactive for me.'

That realisation was the push Jason needed to enrol in a Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced) at Deakin, having previously completed an APAC-accredited undergraduate degree. Wanting to continue his work providing trauma counselling to military veterans, he was attracted to the flexibility Deakin offered as well as the convenient location near his then-home in Glen Waverley.

'I knew a bit about the location [of Deakin] and it just felt like a place I was always meant to be,' he says.

After completing the graduate diploma in two years part-time, Jason opted to continue with a Master of Professional Psychology. He was drawn to the practical, direct pathway the degree provided to a year of supervised practice – and the opportunity to make a difference sooner.

'I was looking at going down the clinical pathway, so for me it was about "how do I get there? How do I get access to fellow humans in a more efficient way?"'

He says that his experience at Deakin helped him build on his strengths as well as fill gaps in his clinical know-how.

'Working with people, exploring and roaming is something that comes naturally to me. What doesn't come naturally is sitting down and writing a report, which was a big part of the course. That was something that I took away from it because if I hadn't done a course like that, my ability to communicate and be very direct and clinical when needed wouldn't have been there.'

Jason’s most recent role as a psychologist working with fly in fly out (FIFO) workers at Western Australian mines is a relatively new one within the mining industry. His services are administered via employee assistance programs (EAPs) that mining companies provide to their employees. 

'The hours that these employees are doing are very extended – they’re 12 hours minimum. It’s a very structured, repetitive environment with not a lot of emotional openness or emotional literacy,' says Jason.

'A lot of people clearly do the work for the benefits from the financial side, but they also do it because there's something about removing yourself from your day-to-day existence, and then spending potentially from four days up to three weeks away, that’s quite interesting.' 

'You’re going somewhere, having everything basically structured for you – your meals, your role, the same people in the same swing – and there's almost a relinquishing of responsibility in many ways. And then you come back and whether you've got a family or you don't, that structure and purpose is something that you have to create for yourself.'

'It takes away personal responsibility in a really interesting way. And I see that manifest in a lot of different experiences for people on site.'

Jason has found the FIFO role fascinating and believes the role of psychology in mining is one that will continue to evolve.

'In 20 years, there'll probably be a specialised service specific to FIFO in the same way that there is for military services because they're very comparable in terms of the effects on the human,' he says.

A return to Melbourne and a more settled lifestyle is now on the horizon for Jason.

'The prospect of having a family shortly is something that will change the role work plays in my life. Ideally, I’d probably be looking at something like working in Fire Victoria or Victoria Police as a psychologist. That's the type of role that I feel combines everything that I've done.'

When it comes to advice for others considering a career in psychology, Jason’s answer is simple: follow the curiosity.

'My journey has been anything but linear, but there's been method to the madness. I would say really follow the curiosity and be with the curiosity. If understanding humans is something that you value, the worst thing that can happen is that you find that it's not the area of work or vocation that you want to be in.'

Jason also points out that there are many ways to explore an interest in working with people before committing to a degree.

'Consider roles where you're actually working with people as a way to capture that lived experience before you jump into an academic world. Really question the motivations behind why you want to be in this field and if it's something that you're passionate about. I think people get lost in this idea that it’s all about grades and pressure, people get locked into this narrow view of academia and becoming a psychologist. And I think this idea probably needs to be challenged a bit more,' he says.

'The upside is that you can be part of a field that’s very, very, very diverse. It's working with humans. It's such a meaningful, powerful and privileged position to be in.'