Helen Milroy
Honorary Research Fellow
MBBS; FRANZCP; CATCAP
Helen Milroy is a descendant of the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia but was born and educated in Perth. She is Australia’s first Indigenous doctor and child psychiatrist. Currently, Helen is the Stan Perron Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Perth Children’s Hospital and University of Western Australia and Honorary Research Fellow at The Kids Research Institute Australia, where she is Co-Director of the Embrace research collaboration.
Helen is the Chair of the Gayaa Dhuwi Proud Spirit Australia organisation and a board member of Beyond Blue. Helen has been on state and national mental health and research advisory committees and boards with a particular focus on Indigenous mental health and the wellbeing of children. From 2013-2017, Helen was a Commissioner for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and from 2017-2021 was a Commissioner with the National Mental Health Commission.
In 2020, Helen was the joint winner of the Australian Mental Health Prize and named the WA Australian of the Year for 2021. Helen is also an artist and published author and illustrator of children’s books. She has been shortlisted for several children’s literature awards and received the 2021 Whitley Award for best early childhood reader for Backyard Birds.
Projects
WA Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS) Data Linkage Study
This study is a partnership between researchers, the Aboriginal community and government to provide evidence for policy and practice addressing high priority health and wellbeing issues for Aboriginal children and families.
A community-led, trauma-informed psychosocial intervention to improve health outcomes of children and young people with Type-1 diabetes
T1D can be a traumatic diagnosis for children and young people, and often involves strict adherence to painful treatments, comorbid mental health conditions, and shortened life expectancy.
Co-designing a trauma-informed program for parents whose infant has had a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) admission
Having a newborn child admitted into a NICU can be highly traumatic for parents. The compounding effects of the NICU clinical environment, having a seriously ill child, in addition to the inability to care or adequately bond with your child can be extremely distressing.
Building a culturally safe mental health system for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people
The impact of colonisation, genocide, and continuing discriminatory policies have created a context for ongoing disadvantage, trauma, and high rates of mental health issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.
A trauma-focused program for childhood and adolescent dissociation
Dissociation is the act of separating oneself from reality and is often used by children and young people to disconnect from traumatic experiences.
STEPS - Equitable Approach to Early Self-Regulation Promotion
This research aims to co-design the components of a practical and equitable public health approach to promoting mental health in toddlers and young children in Western Australia (WA).
Global Scales for Early Development: Piloting the Family Check Up Program
Every year, over 80,000 Western Australian children will have a diagnosed mental health disorder.
Wellbeing study
Burns are a common cause of emergency presentations, and most burn injuries happen to children and adolescents.
November 2020
Mind The Distance
May 2020
Mind The Distance
May 2020
Published research
Treatment for Childhood and Adolescent Dissociation: A Systematic Review
Dissociative symptoms are linked to experiences of trauma, often originating in childhood and adolescence. Dissociative disorders are associated with a high burden of illness and a poor quality of life. Despite evidence suggesting that early intervention can improve outcomes, little research exists on the treatment of dissociative disorders in childhood and adolescence.
A wellbeing program to promote mental health in paediatric burn patients: Study protocol
One of the most traumatic injuries a child can experience is a severe burn. Despite improvements in medical treatments which have led to better physical outcomes and reduced mortality rates for paediatric burns patients, the psychological impact associated with experiencing such a traumatic injury has mostly been overlooked. This is concerning given the high incidence of psychopathology amongst paediatric burn survivors.
“It's a big trauma for the family”: A qualitative insight into the psychological trauma of paediatric burns from the perspective of mothers
Despite the medical and surgical improvements of paediatric burn injuries, burn injuries can be a painful and traumatic experience for the child and their family. It is therefore important to explore the experiences of caregivers who support their child throughout the burn journey. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the traumatic nature of paediatric burns on the family from a caregiver's perspective.
Expert survey: safer research with parent survivors of child maltreatment
Intergenerational trauma research typically focuses on parent survivors. No specific guidelines are available for conducting research with parent survivors despite potentially unique risks. To investigate research safety with parent survivors, we conducted an online survey of 38 researchers regarding experiences of parent survivors in their research, precautions taken, ethical review experiences, and researchers’ mental health during the project(s).
"I just get scared it's going to happen again": a qualitative study of the psychosocial impact of pediatric burns from the child's perspective
Advances in medicine have improved the chances of survival following burn injuries, however, psychosocial outcomes have not seen the same improvement, and burn injuries can be distressing for both the child or young person, negatively affecting their wellbeing. Pediatric burn patients are at a higher risk of developing psychopathology compared to the general population.
The effectiveness of a day hospital mentalization-based therapy programme for adolescents with borderline personality traits: Findings from Touchstone—Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are at a substantial risk of harm to themselves and others, experience high levels of functional impairment and typically are high users of tertiary healthcare to address their mental health concerns. As indicators for BPD typically emerge in adolescence, a day therapy service in Bentley, Western Australia, Touchstone Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), was developed as an intensive intervention for adolescents with indicators for BPD and its associated symptomology.
Resilience and Posttraumatic Growth after Burn: A Review of Barriers, Enablers, and Interventions to Improve Psychological Recovery
Burn injuries are traumatic experiences that can detrimentally impact an individual’s psychological and emotional wellbeing. Despite this, some survivors adapt to psychosocial challenges better than others despite similar characteristics relating to the burn.
The psychological impact of paediatric burn injuries: a systematic review
To review and synthesise qualitative literature regarding the psychological outcomes following paediatric burn injuries, and to determine if children and adolescents who experience a burn injury have elevated risk of psychopathology following the injury.
Caregiver-mediated interventions to support self-regulation among infants and young children (0-5 years): A protocol for a realist review
Self-regulation is a modifiable protective factor for lifespan mental and physical health outcomes. Early caregiver-mediated interventions to promote infant and child regulatory outcomes prevent long-term developmental, emotional and behavioural difficulties and improve outcomes such as school readiness, educational achievement and economic success. To harness the population health promise of these programmes, there is a need for more nuanced understanding of the impact of these interventions.