Overview

The Victorian CCN is pleased to host a one-day series of in- person professional development workshops covering 'clinical pearls' within clinical neuropsychology.

The following topics will be discussed by experts within our field:

• Understanding and Diagnosing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in Children, Teens, and Young Adults – Dr. Julia Shekleton
• Family Violence Considerations for Neuropsychologists – Christine Thai
• Is It Feasible and Appropriate to Administer the WAIS-5 via Telehealth? – Daniel Milligan and A/Prof Rene Stolwyk
• Defence Against the Dark Arts: Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Practice – Dougal Phillips

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this professional development day, attendees will be able to:

• Understand early lifespan presentations of FASD
• Identify appropriate assessments and support options for children, adolescents, and young adults who may have a diagnosis of FASD
• Understand the nature, prevalence, and impacts of family violence
• Recognise indicators and signs of family violence
• Understand how to sensitively enquire about family violence and respond to disclosures using a trauma informed approach
• Develop an awareness of the risk of collusion when working with people using family violence
• Understand the legislative responsibilities for psychologists working in Victoria
• Identify and manage key ethical issues relating to teleneuropsychology practice (e.g. informed consent, client suitability, test security issues).
• Explain current evidence regarding validity, equivalence, and reliability of teleneuropsychology assessment, with a specific focus on the WAIS-5.
• Recognise key methods to administer and score neuropsychological assessments using telehealth technologies, with a specific focus on the WAIS-5.
• Describe the current capabilities and limitations of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and large language models (LLMs).
• Identify opportunities and risks associated with the use of GenAI in neuropsychological and broader healthcare contexts.
• Apply practical prompting and verification techniques to manage GenAI outputs safely and effectively.
• Evaluate current and emerging AI tools through a neuropsychological lens, including issues of cognition, ethics, and human–AI interaction.

Presenter(s)

About the presenter(s)

Dr. Julia Shekleton – Clinical Neuropsychologist

Julia completed a Doctor of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) at Monash University, following an Honours degree in Behavioural Neuroscience. She has over ten years’ experience working with paediatricians and allied health professionals to assess and support children with neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism, ADHD, FASD, specific learning disorders, and complex medical or mental health issues. Julia works collaboratively with educators across early childhood, school, and tertiary settings, and provides training to health, education, and community professionals. She has held roles at Sunshine Hospital and The Royal Children’s Hospital and currently works at Monash Children’s Hospital in the VicFAS and FASDConnect teams, alongside her private practice in Melbourne’s inner east.

Christine Thai – Clinical Neuropsychologist

Christine is a Clinical Neuropsychologist who works as a clinician/researcher in the Family Safety Team at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. She works with patients experiencing family violence and provides support and education to hospital staff to build their capacity to respond to family violence. Christine also works in private practice and Alzheimer’s disease research.        

Daniel Milligan – PhD Candidate

Mr Daniel Milligan is a PhD candidate within the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University. His PhD research focuses on practical and translatable applications of telehealth in clinical neuropsychology, with emphasis on both cognitive assessment and clinical intervention.

A/Prof Rene Stolwyk – Clinical Neuropsychologist

A/Prof Rene Stolwyk is a research and clinical neuropsychologist based within the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University. He works at the nexus of clinical research, clinical practice and clinical education, with a mission to improve cognitive and mental health outcomes for people with brain impairment. Specifically, his interests include cognitive rehabilitation, psychological therapy, teleneuropsychology and rural health, including leading the Monash TeleNeuropsychology Service, which provides neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation services to rural neurology patients throughout Australia.

Dougal Phillips – Clinical Neuropsychologist

Dougal Phillips is a senior clinical neuropsychologist with more than a decade of experience across public health and private practice. He is the director of PsyAx, a Melbourne-based neuropsychology practice, and also works at Alfred Health in aged psychiatry. Before training as a psychologist, he worked as a NAATI-accredited Japanese interpreter and translator and taught translation and Japanese language at several universities. His clinical interests include the differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders in individuals with high cognitive reserve, digital neuropsychology, and the intersection between neuropsychology and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).

Notes

Registration includes morning and afternoon tea, and lunch.

Venue: Monash College is easily accessible via public transport. The nearest train station is Southern Cross Station (5 mins away). Parking options are limited and we suggest attendees consider alternative transport options if possible.

Target Audience

This event is aimed at all neuropsychologists in Victoria.

CPD

It is up to attendees to assess and determine how learning from this event aligns with the requirements of their learning plan. The providers accordingly do not make any representation that the event counts towards attendees’ CPD learning requirements. If an attendee determines themselves that the learning they complete aligns to their learning plan, then they can decide to count those hours towards their CPD requirements for the registration cycle.

The information in this presentation has been prepared in good faith and for educational purposes only. Therefore, the information is general in nature and should not be relied upon in the treatment of any condition and you should seek your own independent professional and/or legal advice concerning any specific issue. The APS accepts no responsibility for any errors, omissions or decisions relating to the information. The content should not be reproduced without permission or unless permitted by law.

If you are experiencing registration difficulties please contact APS Events Support.