As a consultant psychologist for ASIO I’ve got the best of both worlds. I decide when I work, and I get to contribute to the ASIO mission of protecting Australia and Australians from threats to their security.
I’ve been a clinical psychologist for 15 years, and have had my own practice for 10. I’m really proud of how hard I worked to build up my business and grow the small team who helps me run it.
I love my work, but a few years ago I knew I needed a different challenge. The kids were older and I had a steady stream of clients. I’m an independent person and find running my practice really rewarding, but I also yearned to be part of something bigger.
So I started working with ASIO as a consultant psychologist to conduct vetting security assessments. The assessments help determine whether a potential ASIO employee is suitable to hold a security clearance – all ASIO officers need to have an appropriate level of trustworthiness and resilience, among other attributes.
The work I do for ASIO involves conducting psychological assessments on new employees who are obtaining their initial security clearance, and existing workers revalidating theirs.
I assess whether they're suitable to work within the organisation and access top secret information. We assess potential employees who are applying for all kinds of roles at ASIO, from corporate professionals, technical specialists or operational teams at the front line of intelligence collection.
This means I might do face to face interviews, or review all parts of an existing employee’s assessment. At times I might assist on the Employee Assistance Program or provide support to managers involving complex staff situations.
Working with the ASIO staff psychologists is professionally rewarding. They perform such an important role and I get to collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams who are at the front-end of helping the organisation to understand the kind of risks and vulnerabilities that people hold.
Despite my concerns that I might not be able to juggle it all, working with ASIO has worked out really well. I get to keep my practice and be my own boss, but when I do work for ASIO I am part of their team, where the expertise I bring to the table is well regarded and valued. I’m also well compensated for my work.
The role provides an interesting opportunity for me to use all aspects of my psychological training to understand the whole person. There is a set of psychological challenges and conundrums that are unique in this environment where I get to use my skills in a way that I could not in any other context. But what I find really fulfilling is the sense that I’m contributing to a broader mission.
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