Dr. Debbie Hocking

Dr. Debbie Hocking is a mental health researcher and adjunct research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, with over 15 years of specialised experience in forced migrant mental health research. Previously serving as a researcher at The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, she focuses on the prevalence and presentation of mental disorders among asylum seekers and refugees.

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Dr. Hocking co-developed the STAR-MH, a mental health screening tool designed for non mental health workers to identify likely post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in asylum-seeking populations to facilitate early detection and intervention through appropriate healthcare referrals. Her recent research has investigated psychiatric disorders in forced migrant youth and examined the physical and mental health impact of immigration detention on asylum seekers and refugees subject to a range of detention contexts.

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Her work has been published in international psychiatry journals, and she regularly presents at conferences to academic and clinical audiences. Dr. Hocking also delivers training on mental health screening throughout Australia and internationally. In addition to her research contributions, as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Hocking has worked in both paid and pro bono capacities, providing trauma-informed psychotherapy to asylum-seeking patients.

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Dr. Hocking's papers can be found at

https://www.monash.edu/medicine/scs/researchers/debbie-hocking