Clinical Neuropsychologist Helen Tinson
Eighteen years dedicated to supervising the next generation of specialists has earned PA Hospital’s Clinical Neuropsychologist Helen Tinson the University of Queensland (UQ) Roger Dooley Award for Excellence in Supervision.
The previously titled ‘External Supervision Excellence Award’ was renamed in 2023 in honour of UQ’s highly respected Clinical Psychologist and career supervisor Roger Dooley, making Helen its inaugural winner.
With nearly 25 years of clinical experience under her belt, Helen’s wealth of knowledge and caring nature have sealed her reputation as a consummate supervisor among both colleagues and her more than 35 trainees. But Helen says it was a passion for supporting patients with complex neurological conditions that led her to the specialty.
“Part way through my psychology training, I realised that I loved learning about health conditions, particularly those involving the brain, as well as working with people who live with them. So as a post-graduate, I trained as both a clinical psychologist, working with mental health conditions, and also as a neuropsychologist, working with brain injury and illness,” she said.
After completing her own training extensions at PAH, Helen launched her PAH career in 1998 and says the decision to stay was an easy one.
“The PA Hospital has a really strong reputation, which I’m proud to be a part of. I live quite a long way from the PAH, and although opportunities have come up closer to home, I’ve always loved working here,” she said.
“I never moved on, but by the same token, if we didn’t have people that have been around for a while, we couldn’t train the next generation of psychologists and neuropsychologists.”
Sharing her supervisory role with Advanced Neuropsychologist Joanne Oram for 22 years, Helen says the pair have been pleased to experience the Neurosciences department flourish over time and is grateful for the support of her peers.
“Neuropsychology is a very niche specialty, so it’s easy to feel isolated if you’re working alone or in private practice. We started out with a very small team of neuropsychologists here, and for a long time it was the only hospital that had more than one neuropsychologist, so I have always had colleagues to support and be supported by, to discuss cases with, and to bounce ideas off.
“There are quite a few neuropsychologists around the hospital now, so the team has really grown in that time,” she said.
“I’m very proud of the fact that Joanne and I have been able to share a role for as long as we have. It means the students who do their placements with us and the graduates who come and work with us, get both of us. One of us is always here, so trainees get a consistent style of supervision and support.”
Between her clinical caseload and supervision experience, Helen says it is the hospital’s uniquely balanced team and variety of caseloads that sets it apart for both specialists and trainees.
“We see such a variety of different brain-related illnesses and injuries in our service, which makes our work really interesting. I think that's part of why students like coming here, too, because they get exposed to a varied caseload and that sets them up very well for being our future workforce.”
Reflecting on her career achievements over the past two decades, Helen says her time with patients is still the most fulfilling aspect of her role.
“I love working with patients more than anything else. Even after all this time, I love hearing their stories and being able to provide information and strategies to them that can help manage their various health conditions. At the end of the day, that’s the best part.”
Congratulations Helen, and thank you for your continued dedication to your patients and trainees.