passionate about well-being
About
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Josephine Tognela
Josephine Tognela is a Registered Psychologist with five years experience providing psychometric assessments and evidence-based clinical interventions in the South West. She completed her Master of Professional Psychology in 2022 and is currently a Master of Clinical Psychology Student and PhD Candidate exploring strategies to optimise informal social support for bereaved parents.
Josephine has worked in private settings providing ADHD Assessments, Intellectual/Educational Assessments and psychological support for children, adolescents, and adults. Presently, Josephine is working in the private sector providing therapeutic support for individuals utilising Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Schema-focused Therapy, Psychoeducation, Positive Psychology, Solution-Focused Therapy,and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Josephine is passionate about helping people make sense of their unique challenges and finding strategies to realise their vision for a better life. She brings this passion into her private practice, where she provides ADHD Assessments and Intellectual/Educational Assessments for children, adolescents, and adults, and therapy for adults 18+.
Publications
In their second study, Josephine and her colleagues explored how bereaved parents experience informal social support after the death of a child, revealing that such interactions are emotionally charged and shaped by mutual emotional regulation between parents and their supporters. The study highlights that support can either comfort or harm, depending on the emotional availability and attunement of the supporter. Read the full study here
In their third study, Josephine and her colleagues interviewed bereaved parents together with their closest supporter — a friend, sister, or partner — to explore how support is created within these special relationships after the death of a child. The study found that truly helpful support doesn't come naturally, even to those who care deeply; it involves gently resisting the urge to fix, reassure, or avoid, and instead offering steady, patient presence. The findings show that quiet companionship, saying the child's name, and simply staying are among the most powerful forms of care, and highlight the need for communities that make space for grief rather than hurrying it along. Read the full study here
AHPRA PSY0002472803
0009-0007-5711-7356