Catherine Brown

Where someone lives should not determine whether they can access high-quality mental health support. Growing up in rural Victoria, and now working as a clinical psychologist in Central Australia, I’ve seen firsthand how significant the barriers to mental healthcare are in rural and remote settings and the opportunity to do things differently.

This belief led my sister and me to co-found SisterTalk, a digital group therapy service for women living in rural and remote Australia. Our programs bring women living hundreds of kilometres apart together to access support and connect with others facing similar challenges. I have the privilege of witnessing women across different generations, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds support each other and engage meaningfully with group therapy. Seeing the impact of this model of care has strengthened my conviction that digital group therapy can do more than overcome distance: when designed well, it can enable collective healing.

My background as a clinical psychologist and research fellow has shaped how I approach this work. I have designed, implemented and evaluated scalable digital mental health programs across clinical and research settings, with a focus on translating evidence into accessible, effective mental health care. These experiences have taught me that innovative approaches to mental health care are only effective when they meet the needs of the people and communities they are intended to serve.

Through my Churchill Fellowship, I will learn from international leaders who have developed innovative approaches to digital group therapy and bring those lessons home to Australia. My goal is to establish a best-practice framework for delivering culturally safe and gender-responsive digital group therapy to women in rural and remote Australia. Ultimately, I envision a future where women no longer have to choose between living in the communities they love and accessing the mental health care they deserve.