Dr Averil Cook

Dr Averil Cook is an innovative thinker and practitioner. Trained as a clinical psychologist and systemic family therapist Averil is an adjunct lecturer at UNSW and Director of Bodhi & Psychology a clinical service that works towards decolonising therapy through practice, training, supervision and consultation. Having lead Masters of Psychology training programs and been in leadership in NSW health services and academia, Averil has been vocal in advocating for cultural reflexivity and reform in the field of Psychology and continues through her work with the APPI, her advisory role in Tertiary Psychology training programs, and as a frequent guest on podcasts and in news articles.

As a woman of Chinese, Australian heritage she has been exploring her Wiradjuri heritage through her grandmother’s lineage and the intersection of personal identity and practice.
Across her career Averil has been passionate about social justice and has woven this into her work supervising and training therapists and services, in her work with mental health organisations and in research. Her current work includes consulting to the Human Rights Commission to support intersectional and embodied change through policy, politics and social- justice. In 2024 she began providing Supervisor Master Classes on behalf of PsyBA for therapist and Supervisors wanting to improve their cultural responsiveness. Dr Cook will soon publish a book chapter on the issues impeding the decolonisation of mental health in Australia alongside her colleague Michelle Lawrence. Her research collaborations include examining the effects of climate change on the mental health of diverse communities with NSW health with the Bureau of Meterology and the Ingham Institute.