Dr Alex Metse obtained a Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) and PhD (Clinical Psychology) from the University of Newcastle, Australia. She is a keen academic and clinical psychologist, with a passion for research, teaching and clinical practice. She has worked in various settings including primary health care, private practice and universities.
Lifestyle risk behaviours including tobacco smoking, poor nutrition, harmful alcohol consumption, inadequate physical activity (i.e., ‘SNAP’ risks) and poor sleep are leading contributors to the excess physical chronic disease burden experienced by people with a mental health condition. These risk behaviours also negatively impact mental health, highlighting the need for their consideration in the prevention and treatment of both chronic disease and mental illness. Dr Metse works closely with the Physical Health in Mental Illness (PHiMI) team at the University of Newcastle to understand the determinants of lifestyle risk behaviours among people with a mental health condition and to develop and evaluate behavioural and systems-based interventions to address such. She is particularly interested in (1) the impact of poor sleep on physical and mental health; (2) associations between poor sleep and SNAP risk behaviours; (3) opportunities to optimise care provision for poor sleep, in addition to SNAP risks, in all primary, secondary and tertiary health care settings; and (4) ‘multi-risk’ and ‘lifestyle psychiatry’ interventions.
Dr Metse is a fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and has coordinated various undergraduate and post-graduate psychology courses. She also supervises a number of HDR and Honours students and, as a Board-approved supervisor, provides clinical supervision to provisionally registered psychologists.
In terms of clinical practice, Dr Metse has experience supporting clients of all ages with a broad range of psychological difficulties, with assessment, formulation and treatment informed by the following approaches: CBT, DBT, ACT, Schema Therapy and Family Systems Therapy. She has also received specialised training in the treatment of sleep disorders and tobacco use disorder.
Professional Memberships
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulatory Agency (Psychologist with General Registration and Clinical Endorsement)
- Public Health Association of Australia
- Australasian Sleep Association
- Australian Health Promotion Association
- Australia and New Zealand Mental Health Association
- Australian Psychological Society
- Australasian Society of Behavioural Health and Medicine
- Australian Prevention Partnership Centre
- Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour Change, University of Newcastle, Australia
Awards/Fellowships
- 2016: University of Newcastle RHD Completion Scholarship
- 2015: University of Newcastle School of Psychology Excellence Award in the Area of Mentoring Fourth Year Students
- 2012: Australian Post Graduate Award
- 2011: Australian Psychological Society Prize
- 2011: University of Newcastle Basic Science Prize in Psychology
- 2011: University of Newcastle Science and Information Technology Faculty Medal
- 2011: University of Newcastle Deputy Vice Chancellors Honours Scholarship
- 2011: University of Newcastle Faculty of Science and Information Technology Honours Scholarship
- 2010: University of Newcastle Science and Information Technology Commendations List
- 2009: University of Newcastle Faculty of Science and Information Technology Summer Scholarship
Professional Social Media
Research Grants
|
Grant/Project name |
Investigators |
Funding body & A$ value |
Year(s) |
Focus (of research grant) |
|
Research Seeding Funds Award |
Dr Alex Mete |
The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre (TAPPC) $5000 |
2020 |
Sleep and SNAP risks |
|
Publication Grant |
Dr Alex Metse |
University of Newcastle’s Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour $4000 |
2020 |
|
|
Criminal Property Confiscation Grants Program |
Professor Andrew Lewis Dr Alex Metse Dr Renita Almeida Ms Amanda O’Donovan |
Department of Justice $400 000
|
2019-2020 |
The implementation of a family-based intervention (BEST) for youth substance abuse in Western Australia. |
|
Conference Scholarship |
Dr Alex Metse |
Murdoch University $2300 |
2019 |
|
|
Project Grant |
Dr Alex Metse |
University of Newcastle’s Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour $5000 |
2017 |
Prevalence of suboptimal sleep in Australia |
|
Travel Grant |
Dr Alex Metse |
Hunter Cancer Research Alliance $2000 |
2016 |
|
Research areas
- Health psychology
- Health risk behaviours
- Health disparities
- Clinical psychology
- Sleep
Teaching areas
- Abnormal Psychology
- Applied Psychology
Research Publications
- Lopresti A., Smith S., Metse AP., Foster T., Drummond P. (2020). The feasibility and efficacy of a brief integrative treatment for adults with depression and/or anxiety: a randomised controlled trial. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, doi: 10.1177/2515690X20937997.
- Metse AP, Bowman JA. (2020). Prevalence of self-reported suboptimal sleep in Australia and receipt of sleep care: results from the 2017 National Social Survey. Sleep Health, 6(1), 100-109. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2019.08.010.
- Stockings EA, Black N, Bartlem K, Metse AP, Regan T, Bailey J, Wolfenden L, Wiggers J, Bowman J. (2019) Outpatient interventions for smoking cessation and reduction for adults with a mental disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD013286. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013286.
- Bailey J, Bartlem K, Wiggers J, Wye P, Regan T, Stockings E, Hodder R, Metse AP, Clancy R, Dray J, Tremain D, Bowman J. (2019). Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of preventive care provision for chronic disease risk behaviours in mental health services. Preventative Medicine Reports. DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2019.100969.
- Metse AP, Wiggers J, Wye P, Wolfenden L, Prochaska JJ, Stockings E,…Bowman J. (2017) Smoking and mental illness: a bibliometric analysis of research output over time. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 19(1):24-31.
- Metse AP, Wiggers J, Wye P, Wolfenden L, Freund M, Clancy R,….Bowman J. (2017) Efficacy of a universal smoking cessation intervention initiated in inpatient psychiatry and continued post-discharge: a randomised controlled trial.