Olivia Nash-Dolby
“I love being able to form connections and have meaningful conversations. I see my role as encouraging clients to come to their own realisations, and form goals that are important to them.”
Olivia Nash-Dolby is the newest member of the Vida Psychology family, recently coming on board as a Provisional Psychologist. She’s settling into the team while learning the tricks of her professional trade, and we couldn’t be happier that she chose to join us. Olivia shares her inspiration for becoming a Psychologist, and what she’s learned since starting her career at Vida.
Our newest Provisional Psychologist
Olivia Nash-Dolby joined the Vida Psychology family in July 2021, and has already quietly established herself as a valued member of our team. Softly spoken and deeply empathetic, clients accessing her telehealth services might catch a glimpse of her cat, Kewpie, as she settles into Olivia’s lap. Starting a new role during a global pandemic isn’t an easy task for anyone, but Olivia has taken it in her stride. Here’s what she’s learned so far:
“A lot of your undergraduate degree is very theory heavy and involves a lot of reports. The internship is a change of pace – it’s more about honing your practical skills, like remaining empathetic and building rapport. You’ll start to explore your own personal style as a therapist. It’s an exciting time!”
When she joined Vida, Olivia’s main responsibility was meeting with clients to triage them to another practitioner. She’s learning how to assess the needs of each client and match them with one of our Psychologists, who then assist them through their counselling journey. Olivia has also quickly picked up the ins and outs of administrative work, and will spend the rest of her internship meeting with her supervisors, undergoing professional development, and eventually seeing her own clients.
Inspired by a need for access
Olivia grew up in regional Far North Queensland, an experience that shaped her view of psychological services. Her hometown had limited access to counselling and psychology services, but Olivia had the opportunity to see first-hand the benefits they could bring.
“The mother of one of my friends ran a psychology practice, and during high school I worked there doing administrative tasks. Seeing the change happening in people’s lives after engaging with psychological services inspired me to pursue a career in this industry.”
Moving to Melbourne to pursue her passion, Olivia studied at RMIT University and Monash University before joining the team at Vida Psychology. She now has one year as a Provisional Psychologist ahead of her, and she’s already learned so much.
“I love being able to form connections and have meaningful conversations. I see my role as encouraging clients to come to their own realisations, and form goals that are important to them. The relationship and support I provide are really important, but the hard yards are put in by the clients themselves. Even in the few weeks I’ve been here, I can already see the change happening with my clients.”
Cultivating a connected team
Since starting her role at Vida Psychology, Olivia hasn’t only formed connections with clients, but also with her colleagues. She says the warm team culture is one of the reasons why she’d recommend Vida to other young Psychologists.
“Carmen (Vida’s Founder, Director and Principal Psychologist) has cultivated a strong connection within the Vida family. Even throughout lockdowns, we check in with each other. One of our Psychologists, Fiona, is a Yoga teacher, and she’s led a class for our team over Zoom. It’s a great way to stay connected.”
But for Provisional Psychologists like Olivia, it’s about more than just the team – it’s also about developing clinical skills and being mentored by senior Psychologists. Thankfully, she’s found that here, too.
“All the practitioners at Vida have their own areas of expertise, and they bring that unique knowledge to the practice. We have a collective mentality based on our ethos of sharing knowledge, tools and resources. We’re committed to ongoing learning and pushing yourself to excel and be the best therapist you can be.”
Do you want a career where you can empower people to live meaningful lives?