Imogen C Rehm

• BPsych (Hons), PhD (Clin Psy)
• Senior Lecturer at Victoria University

Emotion regulation difficulties in trichotillomania (TTM) have been documented in past studies. However, the potential conflation of relationships due to comorbid affective symptoms means that the relationship between TTM symptoms and emotion regulation constructs requires further investigation. In addition, the relationship between different hair...

Trichotillomania (TTM) is characterised by the removal of one's hair, causing hair loss. Phenomenological research on TTM has investigated its associated behavioural and affective factors. Few studies have investigated the possible role of cognitions and beliefs, despite emerging support for cognitive therapies in treating this disorder. This study...

This paper aims to provide an overview of evidence-based psychological treatments for trichotillomania. Advances in the understanding of the phenomenology of trichotillomania has led to the augmentation of behavioural treatments with dialectical behaviour therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. Further studies of treatment component efficacy...

People living with severe and enduring mental illnesses experience stigma and discrimination from multiple sources in society. Internalization of negative cultural messages about one’s experience of mental illness can lead to negative outcomes such as reduced self-esteem and help-seeking behaviors. Understanding whether these experiences differ acr...

Numerous intervention programs exist for youth misuse of fire, yet integrative reviews evaluating their effectiveness remain limited. This systematic review, conducted following PRISMA guidelines, included 21 studies (14 primary prevention and 7 secondary interventions) with a total of 4,735 youth. For primary prevention, N = 2,385 youth aged 3–11...

This scoping review mapped the extant research literature examining stigma towards people living with co-occurring schizophrenia spectrum and substance use disorders (SZSUD). Five online databases were searched for research published before September 2023. Eighteen relevant studies were identified, including six from the perspective of people livin...

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is characterized by an intense preoccupation with one or more perceived “defects” in physical appearance. Despite the distress and impairment associated with BDD, the disorder remains understudied and poorly understood. In particular, there are limited studies available which give voice to those with firsthand experie...

Introduction Trainee psychologists receive limited sleep and insomnia education during postgraduate study. This study examined the delivery of a sleep psychology training workshop for postgraduate psychology students and examined changes in sleep knowledge from pre- to post-workshop. Methods A 6-hour Sleep Psychology Workshop was delivered to post...

Trichotillomania (hair pulling disorder; HPD) is associated with high rates of comorbidity, functional impairment, shame, and isolation. Many people with HPD rarely discuss their condition with others, and in turn, can avoid seeking face-to-face treatment. Internet-delivered cognitive-behavioural therapy (iCBT) has significant potential to provide...

Objective Poor sleep can significantly impact mental health. Despite this, sleep education is absent from the curriculum of many psychology training programs. The current study examined the amount of sleep education delivered within postgraduate psychology programs in Australia. It also developed a new survey tool to capture postgraduate psychology...

The Recovery Assessment Scale - Domains and Stages (RAS-DS) is a 38-item self-report instrument measuring recovery from serious mental illness. We explored the suitability of the RAS-DS for individuals with anxiety disorders. A parsimonious short-form of the scale was developed. Participants with anxiety disorder symptoms (N = 295) completed the RA...

Introduction As social media platforms become commonplace in daily life, online peer support groups have become an increasingly popular resource for people living with physical and mental health issues. Although the benefits of using online peer support groups have been well documented, there can be also be significant risks associated with groups...

The National Stigma Report Card presents the findings from the Our Turn to Speak survey, the most comprehensive research of its kind in Australia. The survey ran between October 2019 and March 2020, during which time 1,912 people aged between 18 and 86 (79% females) from across Australia took part online, over the phone or in person. Participants c...

Introduction Trainee psychologists receive minimal sleep education during graduate psychology training programs, despite the frequent co-occurrence of sleep disturbances in mental health conditions. This study aimed to explore graduate psychology students’ experience working with sleep disturbances and their perceived skills and confidence to asses...

Deficient sleep has been recognized as a current health crisis in Australia and New Zealand, contributing to the increased prevalence and severity of chronic diseases and mental health issues. However, all healthcare disciplines currently receive limited training in addressing deficient sleep, which is contributing to the current health crisis. Thi...

Evidence‐based psychological treatments for trichotillomania (TTM) can be effective; however, relapse is common and consumers have indicated poor satisfaction with treatment outcomes. The aim of this study was to identify participants' perspectives of critical factors associated with short‐ and long‐term recovery following their brief, intensive pe...

Therapy for public speaking phobia using virtual reality exposure (VRE) has focused on distress arousal rather than distress habituation. Understanding habituation will help optimise session duration, making treatment more affordable and accessible. This pilot study utilised within-speech repeated measures to examine distress habituation during thr...

Objectives The role of cognitions and beliefs in trichotillomania (TTM; hair pulling disorder) has been the subject of only limited investigation. This study aimed to develop and validate the Beliefs in TTM Scale (BiTS). Methods A pool of 50 items based upon themes identified in previous research was administered online to 841 participants with an...

Objectives This study examined the feasibility of delivering an online cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia intervention (Sleep‐e) within an Australian public hospital outpatient insomnia clinic. Method This study was conducted as an open trial pilot study. Fifty‐two patients waiting for clinic treatment were invited to participate, with ten...

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate participation in employment, education, or training among a national cohort of young people presenting to youth-specific mental health services across Australia, and identify the key demographic and clinical correlates of non-participation. Method: Clinician and self-reported demographic and clini...

Anxiety is a prevalent condition in older adults with neurocognitive disorders such as dementia. Interventions based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) appear to be an emerging area of treatment innovation for treating anxiety in older adults with cognitive impairment. Drawing on the empirical literature on CBT for late-life anxiety and recent t...

In the burgeoning field of e-mental health interventions, avatars are increasingly being utilized to facilitate online communication between clients and therapists, and among peers. Avatars are digital self-representations, which enable individuals to interact with each other in computer-based virtual environments. In this narrative review, we exam...

Background: Suicidal patients often visit healthcare professionals in their last month before suicide, but medical practitioners are unlikely to raise the issue of suicide with patients because of time constraints and uncertainty regarding an appropriate approach. Introduction: A brief tool called the e-PASS Suicidal Ideation Detector (eSID) was...

In anticipation of the growing need for adequate mental health care for older adults in residential aged care facilities, psychologists are challenged to overcome several barriers that impede the uptake and delivery of their services in such settings. Information and communication technologies (ICT) have strong potential to overcome some of these b...

The role of psychologists and other mental health professionals in long-term care settings is undefined in Australia. Graduate psychology students receive little training in clinical geropsychology, and residential aged care providers do not routinely employ psychologists within such settings. Further, despite high rates of depression, neurocogniti...

With its re-classification as an obsessive-compulsive related disorder in DSM-5, trichotillomania (TTM) is now conceptualised alongside several disorders (e.g., obsessive-compulsive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder) that are characterised by cognitions and beliefs such as perfectionism and negative self-beliefs. Anecdotally, similar beliefs have...

Trichotillomania (TTM) is characterised by the repeated removal of one’s hair, which causes noticeable hair loss predominantly from the scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes. The majority of phenomenological research conducted on this poorly understood disorder has investigated affective and behavioural factors associated with TTM. However, few empirical s...

Trichotillomania (TTM) is characterised by compulsive removal of one’s hair, causing noticeable hair loss typically of the scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes. The majority of phenomenological research conducted on TTM has focused upon affective correlates of hairpulling episodes, and considers emotion regulation to be a key maintaining factor and functi...

Trichotillomania (TTM) is characterised by the recurrent removal of one’s hair, causing noticeable hair loss predominantly of the scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes. The majority of phenomenological research conducted on this poorly understood disorder has focused on affective correlates and considers emotional regulation to be a key aspect of the disor...