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Quirky Kid® is a child psychology clinic and publishing house based in Australia. We work with parents, schools and clinics around the world to improve children’s social and emotional wellbeing. Our award-winning tools and resources have had a positive impact on children in more than 30 countries.
Principal Child Psychologist
Dr Kimberley O'Brien is one of Australia’s most trusted and recognised child psychologists with a knack for solving issues from the child’s perspective. In 2016, Dr Kimberley completed a PhD through Monash University on “Belonging and socioemotional wellbeing among students in the transition from primary to secondary school”. With 20 years of experience working locally and internationally, she is the co-founder of the Quirky Kid Clinic and an expert in child development and mental health.
She has given lectures to doctoral and master’s students and published 12 therapeutic resources with Quirky Kid, a book chapter on “Positive parent-child relationships” (Springer Press, UK) and published 5 other resources with Hodder Education as part of the series of PYP Activity books for children that included a book on Wellbeing: Teaching For Success for educators.
Dr Kimberley consults for a range of companies including Lego, Pilot Pen, Cartoon Network, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), Telstra, Toyota, Procter & Gamble (Duracell), Coles Group, Colgate-Palmolive and Activision (Skylanders).
Dr Kimberley also enjoys an active role in the Australian media, contributing to publications including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age and commenting on radio networks such as Triple J, ABC Radio, 2GB and 3AW. She regularly appears on television as a spokesperson providing her expert opinion on various topics with Channels 7, 9 and 10.
After beginning her career in child psychology with young offenders in the NSW Department of Juvenile Justice, she relocated to Scotland to provide therapy for juveniles aged 10 to 16 years. She gained skills in developmental psychology and play therapy before travelling extensively to acquire cross-cultural experience with non-English speaking children.
Returning to Australia, Dr Kimberley established her private practice in Glebe (Sydney) and later provided therapy for children, adolescents and families alongside Dr John Irvine. In 2006, Dr Kimberley conducted international research as part of The School Days Project, interviewing students in 52 countries to better understand school culture and multiculturalism. Dr Kimberley completed The School Days Project with indigenous children in Darwin, Australia.
Outside of the clinic, Kimberley loves to travel and conduct practical workshops for children’s mental health professionals in cross-cultural contexts. She also conducts interactive seminars and practical workshops around Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, London and Australia. In October 2022, Kimberley will fly to the Himalayas of Bhutan to train a team of child psychiatrists based in Thimphu hospital.
Dr Kimberley currently supervises her teams at the Quirky Kid clinics in Sydney and Wollongong.
Dr Kimberley has completed a Bachelor of Social Science in Psychology from Charles Sturt University, a Master of Arts in Developmental Psychopathology and a PhD through Monash University.
She is a member of The Australian Psychological Society (APS), a Fellow Member of the APS College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists (FCEDP) and a member of the Association for Research in Infant and Child Development (ARICD). She is also an Accredited Supervisor for Provisional Psychologists through the Psychology Board of Australia.
Dr Kimberley O'Brien Working with Children Check (WWC): WWC1010093E.
Kimberley has been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
Kimberley does not offer consultations under the NDIS scheme.
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Every month or so we’ll let you know about new jobs, placements or voluteering opportunities. We’ll also share some unique content about our team, upcoming products and more.
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