Paula Barrett


Paula Barrett is a clinician, scholar, researcher and professor in the field of child psychology. She has been recognised as being amongst the top 1 percent of publishers within the field of Psychology and Psychiatry at an international level. Barrett is the author of the FRIENDS Programs, cognitive behaviour therapy based programs, endorsed by the World Health Organization, as best practice for the prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression, promoting resilience in families, schools and communities. Barrett is the director of Friends Resilience Pty and is adjunct professor in the School of Psychology at Edith Cowan University.

Education

For over two decades, Barrett has continued to develop and evaluate the world-renowned FRIENDS programs:
She has also developed the FOCUS program for working with children with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which has demonstrated efficacy for up to 7 years follow-up.
In 2020 and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Barrett developed and launched a Family / Community Package, designed to provide coping skills to families during times of adversity. This package has been used globally and receives positive feedback from participants.

Awards and honours