Overview
Key publications
Research funding
Supervising & teaching
Career
Section: Overview
Overview
Key publications
Research funding
Supervising & teaching
Career

Key details

Areas of expertise

  • IPA and Qualitative research
  • Complex Trauma and Posttraumatic growth
  • Dementia and Aged Care
  • Ageing and Ageism
  • Infertility and Third-Party Assisted Reproduction

Available to supervise research students

Not available for media queries

About Bruce Walmsley

Bruce is a practising clinical psychologist and a Senior Lecturer. He is a qualitative researcher in the field of trauma and posttraumatic growth across the life span. Bruce teaches in clinical psychology and offers supervision to students and clinicians.

Bruce's research explores how individuals find posttraumatic growth after a struggle with adversity or trauma, especially traumatic health events or challenging life transitions. This includes the individual themselves, and also their family and healthcare providers who walk alongside. For example, life circumstances of:

  • infertility, and creating a family through friends and family
  • LGBTQIA+ families, creating an authentic life
  • cancer rehabilitation, and putting life back together
  • living with dementia, family trauma and growth
  • relinquishing home care to aged care
  • ageism and inclusivity for wellbeing.

Currently, Bruce is involved in emerging research on infertility and family formation through third-party assisted reproduction, such as in vitro fertilisation or IVF, donor conception, and surrogacy. He is especially interested in finding new ways to use Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis or IPA and other phenomenological approaches.

Qualifications

  • PhD (Psychology), University of Newcastle, Australia, 2017
  • MClinPsych, University of Canberra, Australia, 2012
  • Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education, Victoria University, Australia, expected graduation 2024

Key publications

Bruce has over 14 publications, with a selection listed here.


A more comprehensive list of Bruce's publications is available in the VU Research Repository.

Year Citation
2022 Reynolds, N. L., Cole, A. M., Walmsley, B. D., & Poulos, C. J. (220812). Australian inpatient cancer rehabilitation as seen by patients receiving care pre and post intervention: Insights into unmet needs in the cancer and rehabilitation journey. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, 31(6),

doi: 10.1111/ecc.13681
2022 Walmsley, B., Poulos, R. W., & Poulos, C. J. (220101). Arts on Prescription for Older People: The Professional Artist s Facilitation of Psychological Well-Being. The Journal of Aging and Social Change, 12(1), (103-118).

doi: 10.18848/2576-5310/cgp/v12i01/103-118
2020 Walmsley, B. D., & McCormack, L. (201117). Dementia families: Relinquishing home care to aged care services: Guilt, traumatic loss and growth. DEMENTIA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, 20(5), (1814-1831).

doi: 10.1177/1471301220970784
2019 Reynolds, N. L., Cole, A. M., Walmsley, B. D., & Poulos, C. J. (190930). Multidisciplinary healthcare providers' experience of working in an inpatient cancer rehabilitation unit in Sydney, Australia. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, 28(6),

doi: 10.1111/ecc.13162
2018 Walmsley, B., & McCormack, L. (181008). Dementia: Aloneness, Social and Relational Engagement, and Psychological Growth in Families. OBM Geriatrics, 2(4), (1-1).

doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1804013
2018 Walmsley, B., & McCormack, L. (180101). Moderate dementia: relational social engagement (RSE) during family visits. AGING & MENTAL HEALTH, 22(8), (954-963).

doi: 10.1080/13607863.2017.1326462
2017 Walmsley, B., & McCormack, L. (170101). Severe dementia: relational social engagement (RSE) during family visits. AGING & MENTAL HEALTH, 21(12), (1262-1271).

doi: 10.1080/13607863.2016.1220923
2016 Walmsley, B. D., & McCormack, L. (161101). Stigma, the medical model and dementia care: Psychological growth in senior health professionals through moral and professional integrity. DEMENTIA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, 15(6), (1685-1702).

doi: 10.1177/1471301215574112
2016 Walmsley, B., & McCormack, L. (161101). Shame, hope, intimacy and growth: Dementia distress and growth in families from the perspective of senior aged care professionals. DEMENTIA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, 15(6), (1666-1684).

doi: 10.1177/1471301215573676
2014 Walmsley, B. D., & McCormack, L. (140901). The dance of communication: Retaining family membership despite severe non-speech dementia. DEMENTIA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, 13(5), (626-641).

doi: 10.1177/1471301213480359

Research funding for the past 5 years

Funding details for this researcher are currently unavailable.

Supervision of research students at VU

Available to supervise research students

Not available for media queries

Teaching activities & experience

Bruce convenes and teaches in postgraduate psychology with a focus on clinical practice. For example:

Professional memberships

  • Registered Clinical Psychologist and Endorsed Supervisor, Psychology Board of Australia
  • Registered Clinical Psychologist, The Health and Care Professions Council UK
  • Member, Australian Psychological Society
  • Member, College of Clinical Psychologists
  • Provisional Member, Australian and New Zealand Infertility Counsellors Association