COVID-19 webinars – Meet our panellists

Alexandra Howard is Director of Disaster and Public Health Emergencies at Phoenix Australia and will be moderating our upcoming Psychological First Aid. What is it and why is it important for you? webinar. She is a clinical psychologist with more than a decade of experience in posttraumatic mental health. She has worked with emergency service and military personnel, traumatic injury patients, disaster-impacted communities, and the health professionals who support them. Alexandra’s particular expertise lies in post-disaster and workplace trauma support, with a particular focus on marginalised populations. She has published in the field of posttraumatic mental health and has presented her work at national and international conferences.

Professor Patricia Watson is an international expert in mental health who co-developed the principles of psychosocial care that remain the foundation of recovery efforts across the globe. Patricia will share a presentation at our upcoming Psychological First Aid. What is it and why is it important for you? webinar explaining the core elements of Psychological First Aid. She will then be joined by Betty Musgrove and Kellie Sutherland to share first-hand experiences, unique perspectives, and valuable insights through an in-depth and practical exploration of the critical issues.

Betty Musgrove is a Naarm/Melbourne based artist and arts worker. In her creative practice she has a diverse background in textiles, printmaking, book binding, 3D collage, installation, soft sculpture, wearable art and drawing. In her arts worker capacity she has spent the last decade in administration, media, marketing and communications, and supporting events and projects for feminist focused festivals and small arts organisations. She is passionate about community arts and enjoys working within teams that help people find creative outlets. She currently sits on the lived experience advisory board for the Arts Wellbeing Collective.

Kellie Sutherland has dedicated herself to various roles within the creative industries. She is a founding member and creative co-director of musical group Architecture in Helsinki, and since mid-2020 has been working in Creative Recovery roles for Regional Arts Victoria, supporting regional artists and communities who have been impacted by disaster. With a strong understanding of community-led and Creative Recovery practices, Kellie is passionate about inspiring, connecting and thriving creatively.

Themme Fatale is an internationally touring drag and circus artist, creator, and producer. In their performance work they have been described as “an aesthetic agitator”, creating work that blends the sincere and surreal, the camp and class-conscious, and uses humour to explore themes of gender, power, autonomy, and hope. In addition to their performance practice, they are also published visual artist, writer, and speaker. Their work has been featured in Archer Magazine, the Festival of Jewish Art and Music, Melbourne Fashion Week, the NGV, the Melbourne Pride Generations Project Archive, quoted in numerous academic texts, and one time shared on social media by Adrienne Maree Brown, which they insisted on including. They are passionate about the power of being a bit silly as a gateway to engaging people’s compassion in difficult topics.