Ms Kristen MURRAY

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About Me
Research
Current Teaching
Qualifications
Experience
Selected Publications

I am a final year Clinical PhD student in the Department of Psychology.  I would like to work in both research and clinical practice when I have graduated from my PhD.  My PhD research in stress and body image in adolescence is supervised by Professor Don Byrne and Dr Elizabeth Rieger.

My research interests include adolescence and psychopathology during this time.  I am particularly interested in body image, eating disorders and obesity in young females and males, and the psychological factors that contribute to these issues.  My Honours and PhD research have focused on stress in adolescence and how this relates to body image satisfaction and body change strategies.  I also have broader interests in body image across all ages and in the design and implementation of prevention and intervention programs to improve body image and prevent its associated outcomes, for example, eating disorder pathology.

Lecturing

POPM8001 (Research, Treatment, Policy: Current Issues in Mental Health): one lecture, body image and eating disorders (2011)

Tutoring

PSYC3020 (Health Psychology): Tutor (2008)

I completed a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science (Psychology) at the Australian National University in 2007, majoring in Biological Anthropology and Psychology.  In 2009, I completed an Honours degree in Psychology at the Australian National University, receiving First Class Honours.  I am nearing completion of the clinical practicum requirements as part of my postgraduate degree and am currently registered as a Provisional Psychologist within Australia.

I have experience working in research in addition to my academic study.  I have been employed with the Centre for Mental Health Research (CMHR) in the Australian National University since 2008, working for AFFIRM: The Australian Foundation for Mental Health Research to raise funds and awareness to support research in mental health, and as part of this role I am coordinating a Youth Ambassador program in Canberra secondary schools.  I am also employed part-time in CMHR as part of the Beacon project, an online database of web programs for physical and mental health issues (beacon.anu.edu.au).

Publications

• Murray, K.M., Byrne, D.G., & Rieger, E. (2011). Investigating adolescent stress and body image. Journal of Adolescence, 34 (2), 269-279
• Christensen, H., Murray, K., Calear, A. L., Bennett, K., Bennett, A. & Griffiths, K. M. (2010). Beacon: a web portal to high-quality mental health websites for use by health professionals and the public. Medical Journal of Australia, 192(11): S40-S44.

Conference Proceedings

• “The Role of Adolescent Stress in Body Image and Body Change Strategies”, oral presentation as part of a symposium focusing on eating, weight and shape concerns at the Australian Psychological Society Conference, Canberra, October 4-8 2011.
• "Beacon: A database of online applications for mental and physical health”, poster presentation at the Australian Psychological Society Conference, Canberra, October 4-8 2011.
• “Exploring Adolescent Stress and Body Image”, oral presentation at the Centre for Eating and Dieting Disorders (CEDD) Meeting the Challenge Conference, Sydney, May 27-28 2010.