As an innovator, thought leader, and skilled educator, Dr Cait (Catherine) McMahon OAM is one of the few psychologists globally who has dedicated over 30 years working with those in the media industry and human rights fields on work related trauma exposure.
Throughout her career she has collaborated extensively with newsrooms, alongside journalists, journalist unions, human rights and research organisations focusing on maintaining psychological safety in the face of extreme stress and trauma. As well as supporting those in daily news she has also assisted organisations to support staff verifying war crimes; significant human right violations and historians cataloguing historical trauma. This includes spearheading the first ever gathering of Australian First Nations journalists coming together to discuss the impact of trauma in all its forms on their role as reporters and truther tellers.
In 2016 Cait was honoured with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her commitment to the mental health of journalists and the broader media community. Beyond the award, she authored one of the pioneering research pieces on journalists and trauma in 1993 at Latrobe University, Bundoora. This early work laid the foundation for a subsequent PhD in the same field from Swinburne University, Hawthorn.
Having served as the Founding Managing Director of the Dart Centre Asia Pacific (2003-2021), a project of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, she directed its growth from the ground up training Indigenous journalists in psychological safety and trauma awareness in countries such as Tonga, Pakistan, Jordan, Samoa, Vietnam to name just a few.
Today, Dr McMahon is an Honorary Fellow of Phoenix Australia, Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, at the University of Melbourne.
Cait’s journey reflects a passion for social justice and elevating the mental health discourse within the media industry, especially for Australian First Nations journalists.
Cait was awarded a joint-Fellowship with Rachael Hocking. A joint Fellowship is for applicants who have a project on issues that affect Australian First Nations peoples that is justifiably strengthened by having at least one Indigenous Australian’s perspective on the topic.
Project
To investigate journalists’ mental health support appropriate for Australian Indigenous reporters
Cait McMahon
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