Jane Maher is the only Psychodramatist, Clinical Family Therapist
& Credentialed Mental Health Nurse in Australia
specialising in therapeutic groups
for socially anxious teens.
Qualifications
Jane is a Certificated Psychodrama Practitioner with Australian Aotearoa New Zealand Psychodrama Association (AANZPA), and has a Masters in Clinical Family Therapy from The Bouverie Centre (Latrobe University, 2014) where she was awarded the Virginia Satir Award. She is a Credentialed Mental Health Nurse with the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses. She is an experienced facilitator of the Tuning into Kids/Teens and Dads suite of programs developed at Mindful Centre for Training & Research in Developmental Health. Being a Credentialed Mental Health Nurse means that Jane can offer Medicare rebated sessions under the Chronic Disease Management program.
Jane regularly presents at AANZPA conferences on her work with adolescents and families. She wrote her Psychodrama thesis “Friends are the Best Medicine – Applications of the Psychodramatic Method with Socially Isolated Teenagers” as part of her certification with AANZPA. This was based on the CHAT (Confident Happy Adolescents Talking) Group Program she developed at The Centre For Adolescent Health from 1997 -2005. This work was the start of her journey to loving working with socially anxious young people in particular neurodiverse young people on the Autism Spectrum. Now Jane works with neurodivergent people of all ages.
Jane is an avid gardener, has discovered the joys of meditation, has been doing yoga since her early 20’s and brings creativity into every aspect of her life. She loves living in the coastal regional town of Warrnambool, loves running groups and finds her work immensely rewarding.
Experience
Jane has more than 25 years experience in running Therapeutic Social Skills Groups for teenagers. She established the CHAT – Confident Happy Adolescents Talking Social Skills Peer Support Program at The Centre For Adolescent Health, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne in 1997.
She established her own practice, Evolving Roles, in 2005, working with teens and their families at several clinics in Melbourne, including at TARA with Dr Rob Gordon in Box Hill and Crisalida in North Fitzroy and Thornbury.
She has also facilitated in-person and online teen social skills groups through Distance Education Victoria and ran a peer group program for children and teens with parents with mental health issues with Carers Australia.
Jane worked for Alfred Health Child & Youth Mental Health Services as a Clinician/Case Manager from 2014-2018. In this role, Jane provided individual, group, parent and family counselling and psychotherapy as well as case management.
She has an extensive experience working with mental health conditions in children, teens, and adults, gained as a Mental Health Nurse, working at the Austin Health State-wide In-Patient Child Psychiatry Unit & the Austin Health Inpatient Adolescent Psychiatry Unit along with numerous Adult mental Health Services.
Professional Memberships
• Australian Aotearoa New Zealand Psychodrama Association – Psychodrama Practitioner
• Australian Association of Family Therapy – Clinical Family Therapist
“Being able to talk things through with Jane was fantastic. I can’t recommend her highly enough. She has really helped me turn things around and get back on track.”
Young Adult
Australian College of Mental Health Nurses – Credentialed Mental Health Nurse (#2830)
• Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia – Clinical Psychotherapist (#24481)
• Australian Health Professionals Registration Association
Evolving Roles 