BPsych (Hons)

MClinPsy

PhD

MAPS

FCCLP

Erin is a Clinical Psychologist with over 15 years’ experience across clinical and research settings. She has extensive expertise in the treatment of anxiety disorders, including individual therapy for social anxiety disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, and panic disorder; group-based CBT programs for social anxiety; and innovative treatments for co-occurring anxiety and substance-use problems through research trials.

As a Research Fellow at the University of Sydney, Erin contributed to research on the prevention and treatment of co-occurring substance use and mental disorders, trauma, social determinants of health, and the role of compassion in wellbeing. She has published widely, received multiple research awards, and delivered training and wellbeing programs for health professionals, academics, and students in areas such as managing stress, worry, and overwhelm, addressing imposter syndrome, and cultivating self-compassion.

Erin provides evidence-based therapy for adults, with a focus on anxiety disorders—particularly social anxiety, generalised anxiety, panic, and co-occurring anxiety and substance use. Her other clinical interests include stress and burnout (among academics, professionals, students, and parents), adult ADHD, and midlife women’s mental health (including issues related to perimenopause, career or relationship changes, and late-diagnosed ADHD).

Her therapeutic style is down-to-earth and collaborative, drawing from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), and Schema Therapy. Erin aims to help people develop greater understanding and compassion for themselves and others, strengthen confidence in their ability to cope, and make meaningful, lasting change.

Selected publications

Grummitt, L., Kelly, E., Newton, N., Stapinski, L., Lawler, S., Prior, K., Barrett, E. (In press). Self-compassion and avoidant coping as mediators of the relationship between childhood maltreatment and mental health and alcohol use in young adulthood. Child Abuse & Neglect, available online 8 November 2023. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106534

Grummitt, L., Rowlinson, K., Cassar, J., Conroy, C., Birrell, L., Stapinski, L., Barrett, E., Macauley, J., Teesson, M., Newton, N., Kelly, E. (2025). A randomised controlled implementation trial of the feasibility and effectiveness of school staff delivery of a selective substance use and mental health program during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Public Health, 25(1), 349. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21493-1

Stapinski, L.A., Guckel, T., Kelly, E., Prior, K. (2024). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder and Alcohol Use Disorder. In: Wolitzky-Taylor, K. (eds) Treating Comorbid Substance Use and Emotional Disorders. CBT: Science Into Practice. Springer, Cham.

https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-031-62971-6_2

Grummitt, L., Bailey, S., Kelly, E., Birrell, L., Gardner, L. A., Halladay, J., Chapman, C., Andrews, J. L., Champion, K. E., Hunter, E., Egan, L., Conroy, C., Tiko, R., Nguyen, A., Teesson, M., Newton, N. C., Barrett, E. L. (2024). Refining the Universal, School-Based OurFutures Mental Health Program to Be Trauma Informed, Gender and Sexuality Diversity Affirmative, and Adherent to Proportionate Universalism: Mixed Methods Participatory Design Process. JMIR Pediatr Parent, 7:e54637 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2023.200308

Grummitt, L., Barrett, E., Halladay, J., Bailey, S., Birrell, L., Hunter, E., Kelly, E., Champion, K., Gardner, L., Nguyen, A., Chapman, C., Newton, N., Teesson, M. (2023). Embedding action on social and structural determinants of mental health into a national framework: An “immunisation schedule” for the prevention of common mental disorders. Mental Health & Prevention, 32, 200308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2023.200308

Grummitt, L., Kelly, E., Barrett, E., Lawler, S., Prior, K., Stapinski, L., & Newton, N. C. (2022). Associations of childhoodemotional and physical neglect with mental health and substance use in young adults. Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 56(4), 365-375. 

https://doi.org/10.1177/00048674211025691

Grummitt, L., Barrett, E., Kelly, E., Newton, N. (2022). An Umbrella Review of the Links Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Substance Misuse: What, Why, and Where Do We Go from Here? Subst Abuse Rehabil, 13, 83-100. https://doi.org/10.2147/SAR.S341818

Stapinski, L.A., Prior, K., Newton, N., Biswas, R.K., Kelly, E., Deady, M., Lees, B., Teesson, M. & Baillie, A. J. (2021). Are we making Inroads? A randomized controlled trial of a psychologist-supported, web-based, cognitive behavioral therapy intervention to reduce anxiety and hazardous alcohol use among young adults. eClinicalMedicine, 39, 101048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101048

Debenham, J., Grummitt, L., Newton, N., Teesson, M., Slade, T., Conrod, P., & Kelly, E. (2021). Personality-targeted prevention for adolescent tobacco use: Three-year outcomes for a randomised trial in Australia. Prev Med, 153, 106794. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106794

Grummitt, L., Kelly, E., Barrett, E., Keyes, K., & Newton, N. (2021). Targets for intervention to prevent substance use in young people exposed to childhood adversity: A systematic review. PLoS One, 16(6), e0252815. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252815

Kelly, E., Newton, N. C., Stapinski, L. A., Conrod, P. J., Barrett, E. L., Champion, K. E., & Teesson, M. (2020). A novel approach to bullying intervention: Personality-targeted intervention for adolescent victims and bullies in Australia. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(4), 508-518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2019.04.010

Barrett, E., Adams, Z., Kelly, E. Peach, N., Hopkins, R., Milne, B., Back, S., Mills, K. (2019). Service provider perspectives on treating adolescents with co-occurring PTSD and substance use: Challenges and rewards. Advances in Dual Diagnosis, 12(4), 173-183.

https://doi.org/10.1108/ADD-07-2019-0005

Kelly, E., Newton, N. C., Stapinski, L. A., & Teesson, M. (2018). Prospective associations between personality and bullying among Australian adolescents. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 52(2), 173-180. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867417726583

Kelly, E., Newton, N. C., Stapinski, L. A., Slade, T., Barrett, E. L., Conrod, P. J., & Teesson, M. (2015). Concurrent and prospective associations between bullying victimization and substance use among Australian adolescents. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 154, 63-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.06.012

Kelly, E., Newton, N. C., Stapinski, L. A., Slade, T., Barrett, E. L., Conrod, P. J., & Teesson, M. (2015). Suicidality, internalizing problems and externalizing problems among adolescent bullies, victims and bully-victims. Preventive Medicine, 73, 100-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.01.020

Selected awards

Tracy Goodall Early Career Award, Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy, 2020.

Australian Drug Foundation Primary Prevention Award for Dissemination, 2019.

Australian Rotary Health and Alliance for the Prevention of Mental Disorders Award for Research Excellence, PhD Researcher Award, 2018.

UNSW Research Excellence Award, University of New South Wales, 2018.

Vice Chancellor’s Award for Academic Excellence, Master of Clinical Psychology, Macquarie University, 2010.