Qualifications
PhD Macquarie University
BA (Hons. Psychology 2A) University of Sydney
BA (Hons. Classical Languages I) University of New England
BHSc (Western Herbal Medicine) Torrens University
Overview
Fiona received her PhD in Psychology with Vice Chancellor’s Commendation for PhD Thesis from Macquarie University in 2001. Fiona joined ACAP as Lecturer in Psychological Sciences after nine years at the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada, where she served in a variety of roles, including Assistant Professor of Psychology, Head of the Department of Psychology Research Ethics Committee, and Head of the Department of Psychology. Fiona has extensive experience in post-secondary teaching, receiving the Hessian Merit Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2006 and the ACAP Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2014. She has been presenting her research at local, national, and international conferences since 1999, and is also a published writer, receiving the Milton Acorn Award for Poetry in 2010.
Teaching areas
- Psychology of Sex and Intimate Relationships
- Research Methods and Statistics
- History and Philosophy of Psychology
- Gender and Sexuality
Research and supervision areas
- Embodiment and body image
- Gender and sexuality
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Qualitative and quantitative methods
- LGBTIQA+ populations
Professional roles and affiliations
- Chair, ACAP University College HREC
Awards or recognition
- ACAP Award for Excellence in Teaching (2014)
- Milton Acorn Poetry Award (Canada Council of the Arts, 2010)
- Hessian Merit Award for Excellence in Teaching (UPEI, 2006)
- Vice Chancellor’s Commendation for PhD Thesis (Macquarie University, 2001)
Media/public commentary
- Embodiment and body image
- LGBTIQA+ populations and palliative care
Google scholar links
Current projects
Current Honours and Masters supervision spans qualitative and quantitative projects examining embodiment, body image, and sexual wellbeing across diverse Australian communities, including LGBTQIA+ populations and women navigating reproductive and endocrine health concerns. Ongoing research also explores help-seeking, distress, and informal mental health support in rural and community contexts, alongside studies of clinical decision-making and inclusive practice (e.g., psychologists working with stigmatised client groups and palliative-care inclusion). Several current projects investigate the role of digital life and culture in wellbeing—such as Instagram use, digital pruning, and identity processes—linking sociocultural pressures to experiences of agency, resilience, and belonging.
Research
- Centeno Gallegos, E. R. & Papps, F. A. (2025). “I can be gay, but I shouldn’t be a slut”: A qualitative exploration of Latino and South-east Asian men’s decision to disclose their open relationship. Journal of Homosexuality.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2025.2563241 - Moelle, E. & Papps, F. A. (2025). Mental freedom and body acceptance by others as correlates of embodied well-being in women with polycystic ovary syndrome in Australia. Body Image.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2025.101894 - Boyd-bais, R., Papps, F. A., & Sipes, J. (2025). Healthcare, social support, and pregnancy-related anxiety in urban and rural and remote Australian women. The Journal of Rural Health, 41(2).
https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.70025 - Kirkby, E., & Papps, F. A. (2025). Correlates of mental health help-seeking attitudes among farming and nonfarming rural women. Journal of Rural Mental Health, 49(1), 10–20.
https://doi.org/10.1037/rmh0000277 - Puth, J. & Papps, F. A. (2023). “I am quite blessed to be feminine”: Investigating how lesbian
women of colour cope with experiences of heterosexism and racism in an Australian context. The Australian Community Psychologist, 32(1).
https://psychology.org.au/for-members/publications/journals/australian-community-psychologist - Shanley, I., & Papps, F. A. (2022). That line in the day: The perceived effect of required work
from home on male managers’ sense of self and wellbeing. The Journal of Men’s Studies, 31(2), 183–204.
https://doi.org/10.1177/10608265221130508 - Kelly, S. & Papps, F. A. (2021). ‘Really caring, really curious, and really there’: Investigating
therapist presence from a Hakomi therapy perspective. Body, Movement and Dance in
Psychotherapy.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17432979.2021.1939162 - Tribe, K. V., Papps, F. A., & Calvert, F. (2021). “It just gives people hope”: A qualitative inquiry
into the lived experience of the Harry Potter world in mental health recovery. The Arts in Psychotherapy.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2021.101802 - Ellison, T. & Papps, F. A. (2020). ‘Sexuality, without that mirror’: The role of embodied practice in the development of sexual potential. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 40, 101205.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101205 - Kassis, A. & Papps, F. A. (2020). Integrating Complementary and Alternative Therapies into professional psychological practice: An exploration of practitioners’ perceptions of benefits and barriers. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 41, 101238.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101238 - Page, A. & Papps, F.A. (2018). The effects of internalization, surveillance and self-silencing on
the eating attitudes of women living with vision impairment. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 42(4), 477-488.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684318792853 - Papps, F. A. (2018). ‘Your little frown didn’t even furrow’: Ideological codes of grief and gender in Lena Dunham’s Girls. Kwartalnik Neofilologiczny, 18(2), 277-287.
http://journals.pan.pl/dlibra/journal/123059 - Tracey, D., Johnston, C., Papps, F.A. & Mahmic, S. (2018). How do parents acquire information
to support their child with a disability and navigate individualised funding schemes? Journal of Research in Special Education Needs, 18(1), 25-35.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12390 - Buote, V.M., Wilson, A.E., Strahan, E.J., Gazzola, S.B. & Papps, F.A. (2011). Setting the bar: Sociocultural norms for women’s and men’s ideal appearance in real-world contexts. Body Image, 8(4), 322-334.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415019871206