PACFA welcomes two new members, Claire Malengret and Andrea Szász, to the Professional Standards Committee (PSC).
The PSC provides strategic oversight of all activities relating to the PACFA’s Training Standards and the PACFA National Register.
Claire Malengret
Claire is currently the National Clinical Advisor at an Australian non-for-profit organisation that supports young people and their families who have been impacted by cancer. She also works in private practice, particularly providing training and professional/clinical supervision to helping professionals across Australia and New Zealand.
With over 15 years’ experience in education, mental health, counselling and organisational development roles, she is passionate about coming alongside people, building trust and transparency, and supporting them to increase their self-awareness and grow their skills and capabilities. Claire has also spent several years as a volunteer in pastoral care settings and institutions, and through these experiences, has a depth of understanding and knowledge of this context.
Claire is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, endorsed Mental Health Practitioner, accredited Supervisor and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner who holds a Master in Counselling, a Graduate Diploma in Management, and Bachelor of Education. She will complete her Master in Business Administration (MBA), specialising in Human Resource Management, at the end of 2022.
Originally from South Africa, Claire lives with her partner and their beloved Cavoodle, Kenny, on Kabi Kabi country (Sunshine Coast hinterland).
Andrea Szász
Andi (Ondi) is a clinical psychotherapist in private practice in Sydney, specialising in the treatment of trauma. Her work is grounded in the Conversational Model of psychodynamic psychotherapy, Somatic Experiencing® and is informed by attachment theory and interpersonal neurobiology.
Since 2020 Andi has been an Associate Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sydney Master of Science in Medicine (Trauma-Informed Psychotherapy) Program. She holds a Master of Science degree in Medicine (Psychotherapy), a Graduate Diploma of Psychology, a Bachelor in Counselling, and she is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner®.
Andi is a reliable coder of the Adult Attachment Interview. She is working on her PhD at the Brain and Mind Centre, collaborating in research with the Westmead Psychotherapy program. Her passion is integrating her academic knowledge with the deeply known wisdom of the body and her own experiences as a practising psychotherapist over more than a decade.