About Tom
A scientist of the well-lived life
Clinical psychologist, speaker, researcher and author — one career, two chapters.
Chapter one — prevention
Stopping problems before they start
I'm a clinical psychologist with a simple conviction: the most powerful response to mental health problems is to prevent them from developing in the first place. My PhD at Flinders University — awarded the 2015 Vice-Chancellor's Prize for Doctoral Thesis Excellence — asked whether we could prevent depression, anxiety and eating disorders in young people by teaching the psychological skills of wellbeing early.
That research became the Healthy Minds program, which I now deliver through Healthy Minds Education & Training to schools and companies across Australasia. More than 50,000 people have attended my workshops, keynotes and programs, and the skills found their way into my first book, Apples for the Mind.
Chapter two — healing grief
Following the evidence into the hardest human experience
After the deaths of three of my grandparents, I experienced something many grieving people quietly report: a sense of the continued presence of the person I'd lost. Years later, as a researcher, I discovered a therapy that took those experiences seriously — Induced After-Death Communication (IADC) therapy, developed by Chicago psychologist Dr Allan Botkin.
As a Visiting Research Fellow in the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide, I led a controlled trial of IADC therapy — published in OMEGA — Journal of Death and Dying (2026). I've taken the findings to the United States — presenting at the IANDS 2025 conference in Chicago alongside the field's pioneers, and appearing on American radio from Coast to Coast AM to nationally syndicated talk shows. I'm a certified IADC therapist and IADC Trainer, Assistant Director of Research for the IADC International Institute, and Director of Healing Grief International — and the story of this work became my second book, Inspired Life, Beautiful Death.
At a glance
Credentials & roles
Clinical Psychologist
BPsych (Hons), MPsych (Clin), PhD — Flinders University.
Founder & Director
Healthy Minds Education & Training — the Healthy Minds program for schools and workplaces across Australasia.
Visiting Research Fellow
School of Psychology, University of Adelaide — researching innovative grief treatments.
IADC Therapist & Trainer
Certified IADC therapist and IADC Trainer. Assistant Director of Research, IADC International Institute. Director, Healing Grief International.
Award-winning researcher
2015 Flinders University Vice-Chancellor's Prize for Doctoral Thesis Excellence. 10+ peer-reviewed publications.
Author & speaker
Two books. 50,000+ people reached across Australia and overseas.
Off duty
“I'm also a failed racing car driver and a black belt in karate who loves taking on challenges. I live in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia with my family.”