Provider Spotlight: Skills for Life with Dr. Lillian Nejad

Welcome to Med CPD’s Provider Spotlight series, introducing our country’s best and brightest minds in medical education to you – helping to understand the expertise and deep industry understanding that our education providers carry into the world of CPD. 

In this article, dive into the world of Dr. Lillian Nejad, a seasoned clinical psychologist and founder of Skills For Life. With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Nejad is revolutionising mental health care through innovative digital resources. Discover how her cutting-edge approach is empowering thousands to overcome anxiety, stress, and insomnia. Join us for an insightful journey into the future of mental well-being.

Who is Dr Lillian Nejad, and where did Skills for Life begin?

Dr. Lillian Nejad is clinical psychologist, author and founder with over 25 years of experience in the assessment and treatment of individuals with mild to severe psychological issues and disorders. Lillian has worked in multiple settings including public mental health services, universities, community and corporate organisations, and now in her private practice, Omnipsych. 

A significant proportion of her work has been in Senior Psychology positions within public mental health services, in inpatient and community settings. She has also held Lecturer and Clinical Supervisor positions in the Doctor of Clinical Psychology program and the Masters of Health Psychology program at Monash University. 

Lillian’s broad range of experience in mental health and university settings led to a number of areas of focus including: Cognitive Behavioural Treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders, Dialectical Behaviour Treatment for borderline personality disorder, and Relaxation and Mindfulness techniques to manage stress, build resilience and enhance well-being.

Her publications include, “Treating Stress and Anxiety: A Practitioner’s Guide to Evidence-Based Approaches” (2008) and recorded “Relaxation: Techniques to Reduce Anxiety and Stress, and Enhance Well-Being” (2008), “Lifeblockers, the Sleep Edition” (2018), and “Mental Health in Hospitality: The need for Industry-Specific Solutions.

In addition to authoring books for clinicians and the general public on stress, anxiety and sleep, she has recorded multiple albums of mindfulness and relaxation exercises, hosting a limited series podcast, and provides subject matter expert commentary for publications, podcasts and media outlets such as Mindfood magazine, The Age and ABC Radio Life Matters. 

Lillian is a member of the Australian Psychological Society’s College of Clinical Psychologists and an international affiliate of the American Psychological Association.  She has also served on the reference committee for the Creating Safety project with the Chief Psychiatrist’s office in Victoria and was a Board Member and Secretary for the Victorian Psychologists’ Association.

How do you translate this experience into the education you provide? 

Lillian is dedicated and prolific in her mission to address gaps in mental health care. In her work in the public mental health sector, she led three major initiatives to improve the mental health and well-being of consumers: designing a well-being group program for psychiatric inpatients, developing a protocol for mental health nurses to deliver psychological first aid to inpatients to help reduce seclusion rates, and heading a team to deliver Dialectical Behaviour Therapy to people with Borderline Personality Disorder.

In the private sector, her mission is the same. The global pandemic underscored the limitations of traditional support systems in terms of access to mental health resources and support. To address this gap, Lillian ventured beyond traditional therapy sessions, creating a suite of digital resources designed to empower individuals with evidence-based psychological skills and strategies.  

In her flagship initiative, Skills for Life, Lillian set out to design and deliver skills training programs targeting high-prevalence issues such as anxiety, stress, and insomnia. These resources, like all her work, are grounded in the latest evidence-based theories and therapies, including Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Positive Psychology. Over 15000 people have participated in her programs. 

Building on this foundation, she co-founded “Contain Your Brain,” an innovative app crafted to mitigate worry—a pervasive challenge that not only underpins various psychiatric disorders but also affects a significant portion of the general population. Contain Your Brain is another step towards democratising mental health care, providing users with a simple and secure way to manage worry, rumination and repetitive negative thinking.

What do you see in the future of Skills for Life and CPD education for psychologists? 

Lillian is dedicated to ensuring that her work as a clinical psychologist is cutting edge, high quality, and evidence-based through continuous education with leaders in the field of psychology, neuropsychology and medicine. As a founder of two businesses that offer digital health technology to improve access to high quality mental health information, resources and strategies, Lillian is committed to professional development that ensures responsible and ethical practices in this new and expanding area of psychological care.