The Psych Ascend Team: Promoting Excellence in
Mental Health Practice
Meet Our Directors:
Jillian Harrington & Leanne Clarke OAM
Psych Ascend brings together the passion Jillian, Leanne and their dedicated colleagues share for pursuing excellence in mental health practice.
Jillian Harrington
Jillian Harrington is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice, and is a long-standing employer and board-approved supervisor of psychologists across the career span. Jillian’s areas of clinical interest include perinatal and infant mental health, developmental trauma and neglect, traumatic brain injury, emergency services and veteran mental health.
An experienced Company Director and Graduate of the AICD, Jillian has held corporate and clinical governance roles in primary care, including as a Director of a Primary Health Network. In 2018 Jillian was appointed to the Medicare Review Taskforce’s Mental Health Reference Group and continues to consult with government and other stakeholders in the mental health and primary care sector.
Jillian is currently the national health policy Chair of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists. She is a Director of the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council, the Chair of the Blue Knot Foundation and President of the Applied Neuroscience Society of Australasia.
Leanne Clarke OAM
Leanne is a Clinical Psychologist and Director of Southside Health & Wellbeing, a large clinical psychology, psychiatry and allied health practice in Southern Sydney. Leanne has engaged in extensive advocacy work at federal and state government levels in the areas of mental health service delivery.
Leanne was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2023, in recognition of her dedication to mental health and community health advocacy. Across her career she has served on many professional boards and committees, including the Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network (CESPHN), the Australian Clinical Psychology Association, and was appointed by the Health Minister to the Federal Government's Medicare Review Mental Health Reference Group.
Leanne is a board-approved supervisor and provides clinical supervision to psychologists across the career span, as well as mentorship to clinic directors with a shared commitment to ongoing quality improvment and community service.