Ruth Wraith is one of Australia’s leading disaster mental health experts with over twenty five years experience in the National and International disaster, trauma, grief and loss field. Ruth is a senior child psychotherapist who has provided support, both nationally and internationally, to children and their families following critical incidents, disasters and traumatic evens, to Government and Non Government organisations through policy and practice and to Mental Health Professionals through education and supervision.

 

Her work has encompassed the provision of consultancy following disasters such as the Ash Wednesday Bushfires, Queen St Massacre, Hoddle St Shooting, Port Arthur Massacre, Manressa Kindergarten siege, Bali terrorist attacks, Aceh tsunami response and recovery, and the recent Black Saturday Bushfires in Victoria as well as providing direct support in the field following each of these events. 

 

Ruth Wraith is a past president of the Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the Victorian Child Psychotherapists Association and Consultant to the International Organisation of Migration and the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs in relation to child and family mental health issues and detention. Ruth is a member of the National Mental Health Disaster Taskforce and the National Mental Health Disaster Child and Adolescent Working Group. She is Consultant to Department of Human Services Victoria, Emergency Management Branch, Emergency Management Australia and provides consultancy, supervision and training to the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture Child and Family Program as well as being Honorary Clinical Teacher in the Child Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy masters degree course at Monash University.

 

Internationally, Ruth continues to provide consultant support to organisations such as Royal Children’s Hospital International – Mental Health Technical Advisor Hanoi; Vietnam Institute of Paediatrics; Aceh, Indonesia; Gadja Mada Project World Vision Australia.