Elisabeth Shaw

For over 20 years Elisabeth has provided clinical supervision and consultation to individuals and teams across a range of public and private services related to trauma, drug and alcohol issues, women’s services, sexual assault, migration and settlement, children and child protection and disability. In addition she consults to many clinicians in private practice in areas related to relationship and family issues, and focussed psychological strategies.

Elisabeth has lectured in Couple and Family Therapy and/or professional ethics in the Masters programs at the University of New South Wales, Australian Catholic University and Jansen Newman Institute, and the Graduate Diploma for Relationships Australia. She has taught in the Graduate Certificate in Supervision and Consultation for Relationships Australia NSW, as well as guest lecturing for the Australian Association of Supervision amongst others.

Elisabeth has a particular interest in ethics and is head supervisor, trainer and senior consultant with The Ethics Centre. This includes provision of an Ethics Counsel program for impaired practitioners and staff members. Elisabeth has published her work in areas of clinical practice, supervision and ethics. A selected list is available for view.

Elisabeth Shaw co-founded and co-manages the Kirralinde, Drummoyne Psychotherapy Centre. She is also the CEO of Relationships Australia NSW, and holds a number of Board positions both within and outside the Relationships Australia network. Elisabeth has lectured in Human Resource Management at University of Newcastle, School of eBusiness & Management and in the Graduate School of Business (MBA Program). Her professional experience is supported by training through her Masters Degree in Management (Community) (UTS), Masters degree in Professional Ethics (UNSW), and as a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. For over 15 years she has worked extensively with middle and senior managers in not-for-profit and public sector organisations providing

• management/executive coaching, consultation and training

• team/organisational training and development

• ethical reflection and development

Her expertise is focused on

(1) governance in health/community service delivery, that is the processes, structures and quality provisions required for effective service delivery, and

(2) the management of human capital; that is, specific people management skills as well as the guiding of key processes relating to change, ethics, conflict, morale, team building and performance management.

(3) Development of emotional intelligence and ethical decision making.

Elisabeth commonly works with leaders and managers over a series of contracted sessions focused on specific goals or skills. She also works longer term with leaders who want to have a space outside of their usual network to reflect on work skills, personal and leadership growth and stress management.

Michael Carroll & Elisabeth Shaw (2012) Ethical Maturity in the Helping Professions; Making Difficult Life and Work Decisions; Melb.: Psychoz; (2013) UK: Jessica Kingsley Pub.

Elisabeth Shaw & Jim Crawley (2007) (Eds.) Couple Therapy in Australia, Issues Emerging from Practice; Melb. Psychoz.

Elisabeth Shaw & Jan Breckenridge (2013) Reciprocal influences – Exploring the intertwining identities of therapist and mother, in Mothering and Psychoanalysis: Feminist, Sociological and Clinical Perspectives, Beuskens,P. (Ed.) Toronto: Demeter Press.

The slide into boredom: Sexual complacency in long term relationships, in Elisabeth Shaw & Jim Crawley (2007) (Eds.) Couple Therapy in Australia, Issues Emerging from Practice; Melb. Psychoz.

A comprehensive approach: The family safety model in working with domestic violence; co-authored with A. Bouris and S. Pye, in Challenging Silence, Innovative responses to Sexual and Domestic Violence, Jan Breckenridge and Lesley Laing (1999) (Eds), Allen and Unwin, Australia.

Working with Trauma: Implications for Supervision & Ethical Practice.(2018)
– Benjamin, R.; Haliburn, J & King, S (Eds). Humanising Mental Health Care in Australia – Introducing a Trauma-informed Approach. Routledge:London

Ethical Decision Making from a Relational Ethics Perspective Humanising Mental Health Care in Australia – Introducing a Trauma-informed Approach (2016)
– L Hecker (Ed) Ethics and Professional Issues in Couple and Family Therapy, New York: Routledge

Ethics for Counselling Psychologists (2016)
(co-author Michael Carroll) in Feltham, C. (Ed) Handbook for Counselling Psychologists 4th Ed SAGE: London:

“There is no longer room for me on your lap” How becoming pregnant and becoming a mother impacts the therapy relationship (2014)
(Co-Author Jan Breckenridge) in Beuskens, P. (Ed) Mothering and Psychoanalysis: Feminist, Sociological and Clinical Perspectives, Toronto: Demeter Press

Judgement and Post Modern Practice (2013) Psychotherapy in Australia, Feb.

Relational ethics and moral imagination in contemporary systemic practice, ANZJ of Fam. Therapy, 2011 April.

Ethics and couple and family therapy, In-Psych, 2011 March.APS Melbourne.

The Family Safety Program: a comprehensive strategy for working with Domestic Violence; co-authored with A. Bouris and S. Pye, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 16(4).

Guilt and the Working Parent co-authored with Dr Ailsa Burns, Australian Journal of Sex Marriage and the Family 1992.

The training of receptionists as part of the clinical team Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy – (1996)

Relational Ethics & Moral Blindness in Contemporary Systemic Practice
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, Dec. 35(4) 493-509 – (2014)

Reciprocal influences – Exploring the intertwining identities of therapist and mother, co-author Dr Jan Breckenridge
Psychotherapy in Australia (August) – (2014)

Balancing mentoring and monitoring in systemic supervision
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 33(4) 296-310. – (2013)

Invited Rejoinder to a paper by Wileman, R. and Wileman, B.: Towards Balancing Power in Domestic Violence Relationships, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 16(4)

Evidence based couple therapy: A perspective on (clarity of) theory and (messiness of) practice The CAPA Quarterly: 2010

Ethical competence in couple and family therapy The CAPA Quarterly 2013

Evolving thoughts on ethical maturity The CAPA Quarterly 2013Ongoing column since 2009 on ethical issues in counselling practice titled “Sacred cows and sleeping dogs” for Psychotherapy in Australia.

The Pointy End of Supervision: Managing Legal, Ethical and Performance Issues in the Nurturing Space of Supervision Psychotherapy in Australia, May.

The Anxiety in Maintaining the Couple Relationship, Psychotherapy in Australia, 2001 May.

Engaging men in relationship counselling: issues for female therapists, coauthored with Julie Beauchamp, Psychotherapy in Australia, 2005 vol 6 (3) pp26-37.

International Conference on Supervision, Institute of Psychiatry, Sydney 2003 Pre conference workshop and conference presentation Shouldering all burdens:

Managing the invitation to be ethical backstop;

Keynote address: SCAPE conference Sydney 2012: Ethical trainers and training in ethical maturity

Keynote address: SCAPE conference ACT 2008: Ethics in teaching counselling and psychotherapy

Keynote address: Synergy Conference, Wollongong 2008. Deconstructing codependency and alternative frames of reference;

Pre Conference workshop: Family therapy intervention with problems of substance misuse

Invited address: ANZAP conference, Sydney 2008: Postmodernism and supervision practice

Keynote address: The Anxiety in Maintaining the Couple Relationship, Psychotherapy in Australia conference, Melbourne.

Mentoring versus monitoring: Complexity in the supervision relationship
– Australian Clinical Supervision Conference Melbourne – 2018

“Ethics in Couple and Family Practice”
– Australian Psychological Society Counselling College Conference, Melbourne – 2015

“Shouldering all burdens: Managing the invitation to be ethical backstop”
– International Conference on Supervision, Institute of Psychiatry, Sydney – 2013

“Ethical Trainers and Training in Ethical Maturity”
– SCAPE Conference Sydney – 2012

“Ethics in teaching counselling and psychotherapy”
– SCAPE Conference Sydney – 2008

Deconstructing co-dependency and alternative frames of reference
– Synergy AOD Conference, Wollongong – 2001

The Anxiety in Maintaining the Couple Relationship
– Psychotherapy in Australia Conference, Melbourne – 2001

Australian Psychological Society Counselling College Conference (Feb. 2013) (1)

Working with ethical injuries and transgressions in couple and family practice; (2)

Maintaining ethical practice in a complex counselling environment.

Working with complex couples, Australian & NZ Family Therapy Conference, Sydney 2010.

Sexual Complacency in Long Term Relationships Australian & NZ Family Therapy Conference, Sydney 2008.

Sexual Complacency in Long Term Relationships” Australian Association of Relationship Counsellors Symposium, Sydney 2008.

Workshop: Sexual Liberation, lasciviousness & letdowns in the new millennium, Australian Association of Marriage & Family Counsellors national conference, Sydney.

Engaging and Retaining Men in Therapy: Issues for Female Therapists in Working with Men in Relationship Counselling; Men and Therapy Conference, Sydney;

LAFS Conference on Men’s Issues, Canberra.

High Desire, Sexual Addiction or Harassment? Utilising multiple discourses in working with men who present with heightened sexual needs. A&NZ Family

Therapy Conference, Adelaide (1997) and Psychotherapy in Australia conference (1999).

Riding the Rapids: Working with Extreme Couple Turbulence, Conference Paper, ANZ Family Therapy Conference, 2009 Sydney.

“Wild at Home”: Working with adolescents who are violent to their parents, cowritten and presented at the 1992 Australian and New Zealand Family Therapy
Conference, Melbourne, with Julie Beauchamp and Margaret Condonis.

Invited pre-conference workshop:

The philosophy and pragmatics of ethics in supervision, International Conference on Supervision, Institute of Psychiatry, Sydney 2003.

Betrayal and forgiveness Counselling Association of South Australia (2011)

Evidence based couple therapy (2010) Staff Training Event (1 day) Relationships Australia Vic.

Relational fairness, equity & other relationship myths; revisiting the contribution of contextual family therapy, Relationships Australia NSW Professional

Development Series 2008. The impact of Cancer on Couple & Family Relationships, Australian Cancer Society Conference, 2006.