Dr. Kyli Hedrick

Kyli Hedrick, Psychologist in Melbourne at Cova Psychology.
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Dr. Kyli Hedrick

(she/her)
“I am invested in creating an accepting and supportive space for clients to explore any issues they may be experiencing. I treat my clients with warmth, dignity and kindness, and take a client-centred, strengths-based approach to counselling. I believe that establishing a safe and trusting relationship, and working alongside clients in a collaborative way, are both central to the therapeutic process. I also believe that integrating difficult experiences, as challenging as this may be, can bring about meaningful changes in self-awareness, identity, and purpose in a person’s life.”

AREAS OF EXPERIENCE

I am a Senior Psychologist with over 15 years of experience working with adolescents, adults, and families across public health, private practice, not-for-profit trauma services, and higher education. I have a particular passion for trauma-informed care and for providing accessible, culturally sensitive psychological support. I am experienced in helping people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds who have been affected by:

  • Violence, sexual and/or physical assault, accidents, displacement or major life transitions, or other traumatic experiences: Supporting recovery from acute and complex trauma with evidence-based therapies to restore safety and stability.
  • Complicated grief and loss: Helping clients process bereavement and find ways to re-engage with life after profound loss.
  • Depression: Working collaboratively to reduce symptoms of low mood, fatigue, and hopelessness while building motivation and resilience.
  • Anxiety: Supporting clients to manage generalised anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, and social anxiety through practical coping strategies.
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Using structured treatment approaches such as Exposure and Response Prevention to reduce intrusive thoughts and compulsions.
  • Stress: Helping people recognise stress triggers, manage overwhelm, and build tools for long-term resilience.
  • Low self-esteem: Supporting clients to challenge self-critical thinking and foster a stronger, more confident sense of self.
  • Interpersonal and relationship concerns: Improving communication, resolving conflict, and building deeper connection with others.
  • Women’s health concerns: Offering emotional support around fertility, pregnancy, perinatal loss, perimenopause, and menopause.

I have a particular interest in working with people from immigrant, asylum-seeking, and refugee backgrounds. This includes offering psychological support for challenges related to resettlement, navigating immigration processes, and coping with displacement and cultural adjustment. I strive to ensure that therapy is inclusive, safe, and respectful of the diverse identities and experiences of the people I work with.

I hold a PhD in Psychology from the Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, where I maintain an active honorary affiliation. My academic career has included roles as Senior Lecturer, Lecturer, and Research Fellow in Psychology and Public Health at five Australian universities, as well as in Scandinavia. Over more than 15 years, I have combined my clinical practice with teaching and research, training future psychologists and contributing to the evidence base for mental health care. My research on the intersection of health and human rights, and the psychology of justice, has been published in international peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. I have also contributed expert commentary to media discussions on mental health and wellbeing.

Outside of my professional work, I can often be found enjoying Melbourne’s coffee culture, taking long walks, listening to music, and writing.

THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES

I am a committed and empathic psychologist. I aim to create a safe space for clients to talk about any concerns they may be having. Clients would describe me as kind, warm, down-to-earth, compassionate, and insightful. I also like to use humour (where appropriate) as a therapeutic tool.

Depending on my clients’ needs and preferences, I draw on a range of evidence-based approaches including:

  • Mindfulness: supporting present-moment awareness and self-compassion.
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): encouraging psychological flexibility by helping clients accept difficult emotions and take action aligned with their values.
  • Solution Focused Therapy: emphasising strengths and goal-oriented change to help clients find practical solutions.
  • Strengths Based Therapy: identifying and using personal strengths to support growth and resilience.
  • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT): helping clients identify and shift unhelpful thought patterns to improve emotional well-being.
  • Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET): processing traumatic memories within a coherent life narrative.
  • Narrative Therapy: exploring and re-authoring the stories clients hold about themselves and their lives.
  • Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) principles: providing strategies for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.

LANGUAGES

I speak Danish, and have a basic working knowledge of Swedish.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

QUALIFICATIONS

  • PhD in Psychology, The University of Melbourne
  • Master of Applied Psychology (Community Psychology), Victoria University
  • Bachelor of Arts (Honours) (Psychology), Flinders University
  • Graduate Diploma in Psychology, Flinders University
  • Post Graduate Diploma (Social Science), La Trobe University
  • Bachelor of Arts (Social Science), La Trobe University


SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  1. Borschmann, R., Kinner, S., & Hedrick, K. (2024). Setting the standards for safeguarding health and wellbeing in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities. The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, Volume 36, 100851.
  2. Hedrick, K., & Borschmann, R. (2023). The enduring harm from permanent offshore processing arrangements in the Pacific Islands. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 47(6), 1-4.
  3. Hedrick, K., & Borschmann, R. (2023). Self-harm among unaccompanied asylum seekers and refugee minors: protocol for a global systematic review of prevalence, methods, and characteristics. BMJ Open, 13:e069237.
  4. Hedrick, K., & Borschmann, R. (2022). Prevalence, methods, and characteristics of self-harm among asylum seekers in Australia: protocol for a systematic review. BMJ Open, 12:e060234.
  5. Hedrick, K., & Borschmann, R. (2021). Addressing self-harm among detained asylum seekers in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 45(1), 80.
  6. Hedrick, K., Armstrong, G., Coffey, G., & Borschmann, R. (2020). Temporal variations in the distribution of self-harm episodes and methods used across the Australian asylum seeker population: An observational study. PLOS Medicine, 17(8), e1003235.
  7. Hedrick, K., Armstrong, G., Coffey, G., & Borschmann, R. (2020). An evaluation of the quality of self-harm incident reporting across the Australian asylum seeker population according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. BMC Psychiatry, 20, 301.
  8. Hedrick, K., Armstrong, G., Coffey, G., & Borschmann, R. (2020). Self-harm among asylum seekers in Australian onshore immigration detention: How incidence rates vary by held detention type. BMC Public Health, 20, 592.
  9. Hedrick, K., Armstrong, G., & Borschmann, R. (2019). Self-harm among asylum seekers in Australian immigration detention. The Lancet Public Health, 4(12), E604.
  10. Hedrick, K., Armstrong, G., Coffey, G., & Borschmann, R. (2019). Self-harm in the Australian asylum seeker population: A national records-based study. SSM – Population Health, 8, 100452.
  11. Hedrick, K. (2017). Getting out of (self-) harm’s way: A study of factors associated with self-harm among asylum seekers in Australian immigration detention. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 43, 89-93.
  12. Okimoto, T., Wenzel, M., & Hedrick, K. (2013). Refusing to apologize can have psychological benefits (and we issue no mea culpa for this research finding). European Journal of Social Psychology, 43, 22–31. [10.1002/ejsp.1901]
  13. Wenzel, M., Woodyatt, L., & Hedrick, K. (2012). No genuine self-forgiveness without accepting responsibility: Value reaffirmation as a key to maintaining positive self-regard. European Journal of Social Psychology, 42(5), 617-627. 1002/ejsp.1873]
  14. Hedrick, K., & Borschmann, R. (2020). Self-harm in immigration detention has risen sharply. Here are 6 ways to address this health crisis. The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/self-harm-in-immigration-detention-has-risen-sharply-here-are-6-ways-to-address-this-health-crisis-146679.