Dancing to success

Award-winning VU masters graduate Natalie Kyan is passionate about helping young ballet dancers.

"I moved from Sydney to study my masters at VU because I liked the balance of theory and work placement offered as part of the course. VU was also one of only two universities in Australia that offered the sport psychology course.

My research explored the eating behaviours and body image issues of competitive ballroom dancers. I also identified factors in the elite dancesport industry that may increase the risk of competitors developing eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction.

In 2012, I was awarded the inaugural Australian Psychological Society College of Sport and Exercise Psychologists Student Award for achieving a high level of academic and practical work.

It was very humbling to be one of only two graduates in Australia to be recognised for my work.

Today I am a psychologist at The Australian Ballet School and I enjoy working with the students. Every day is different. It's a good challenge, but lots of fun at the same time."

Natalie studied

Master of Applied Psychology (Sport Psychology)

Find out more about psychology courses at VU.