Dr Marlies Alvarenga

Position: Senior Lecturer
Discipline: Psychology
Location: Berwick Campus, Building 901
Phone: +61 3 4313 7912
Email: m.alvarenga@federation.edu.au

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Clinical Psychology
  • Master of Public Health
  • Graduate Diploma in Educational Psychology
  • Bachelor of Educational Studies
  • Bachelor of Science

Teaching

Courses

  • HY5 Bachelor of Psychological Science
  • HY8 Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours)
  • YM9 Master of Professional Psychology
  • YL9 Master of Psychology (Clinical)

Units

  • Counselling Theory and Practice (PSYCB2105)
  • Psychological Practice (PSYCP6011)
  • Psychological Assessment (PSYCP6013)
  • Clinical Health Psychology (PSYCM7126)

Biography

Marlies Alvarenga is an academic and clinical psychologist with over 16 years of experience working with young people, adults and their families across community, hospital and research settings using evidence-based psychological interventions. She is an AHPRA-endorsed clinical supervisor experienced in the supervision of university students and clinicians and has provided clinical supervision for over a decade. Marlies is experienced in the development of counselling and health psychology courses, with an emphasis on catering for underserved communities. Her teaching expertise is in the areas of Counselling Psychology, Health Psychology, Professional Practice, Adult Psychopathology, Indigenous Mental Health, Psychopathology, Behaviour Change, Psychological Assessment and Public Health. Marlies’ main area of research interest is psychosomatic medicine, specifically cardiac neurosciences. Where she has explored the link between stress, mental illness and increased risk or incidence of cardiovascular disease. She has also focused on aspects of health prevention and published Special Journal issues in these areas. Marlies’ research work contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Building Good Health and well-being.

Research interests

My areas of interest are in clinical and health psychology, I am focused on examining psychological aspects of chronic illnesses. In particular, I am interested in examining aspects of disease prevention from a psychological perspective. Research areas can be summarised as follows: adult, behavioural medicine, women’s health, wellbeing, mental health, cardiac neurosciences, clinical psychology

Supervision

Present students:

Aliz Ovlachi – “Clinical profile of cardiac patients seeking support after a cardiac event”

Emily Scammell (Masters) – “Social disconnection as a moderator of psychological distress associated with cardiovascular events”

Zahra Haidari (Honours)– “Acculturation Stress and Social Support Challenges for Migrant Women with Postnatal Depression: A Systematic Review”

Publications

Books

Kai, K.G., Alvarenga, M.E., & Byrne, D. (2022). Psychocardiology: Exploring the Brain-Heart Interface (Vol 1). Frontiers in Psychiatry

Kai, K.G., Alvarenga, M.E., & Byrne, D. (2022). Psychocardiology: Exploring the Brain-Heart Interface (Vol 2). Frontiers in Psychiatry

Book chapters

Wilhelm K & Alvarenga ME (2020). Depression and Mood Disorders. In Mental Health and Community Practice, 4th Edition. Oxford.

Alvarenga, M.E. & Byrne, D. (Eds). The Handbook of Psychocardiology (2016). Springer: Singapore.

Alvarenga, M.E & Esler, M.D. (2017). Mental Health in The BakerIDI Wellness Plan: Scientific Secrets for a long and healthy life. BakerIDI: Melbourne, Australia

Alvarenga, M.E. & Byrne, D. (2016). Anxiety and Heart Disease. In Alvarenga, M & Byrne, D. (Eds). The Handbook of Psychocardiology. Springer: Singapore.

Byrne, D. & Alvarenga, M.E. (2016). Psychogenesis and Cardiovascular Disease Now: The Thinking Heart in Action. In Alvarenga, M & Byrne, D. (Eds). The Handbook of Psychocardiology. Springer: Singapore.

Vaddadi, G. & Alvarenga, M.E. (2016). The Psychosocial Impact of Syncope. In Alvarenga, M & Byrne, D. (Eds). The Handbook of Psychocardiology. Springer: Singapore.

Sood, A.*, Alvarenga, M.E., & Blumenthal, J. (2016). Treatment of Anxiety within the Practice of Cardiology. In Alvarenga, M & Byrne, D. (Eds). The Handbook of Psychocardiology. Springer: Singapore.

Alvarenga, M.E. & Byrne, D. (2016). Psychocardiology Now and Where the Evidence Promises to take us in the Future. In Alvarenga, M & Byrne, D. (Eds). The Handbook of Psychocardiology. Springer: Singapore
Esler, M., Alvarenga, M., Kaye, D., Lambert, G., Thompson, J., Hastings, J., Schwartz, R., Morris, M., & Richards, J. (2012). Panic Disorder. In Robertson, D., Low, P., Burnstock, G., Biaggioni I. (Eds.), Primer on the Autonomic Nervous System. (Chapter 127) California USA. Elsevier Academic Press.

Barton, D., Joubert, L., Alvarenga, M.E, Norrie, P., Brenchley, C. Grigg, M. (2012). Anxiety disorders. In Meadows, G, Singh, B. & Grigg, M. In Mental Health in Australia. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Refereed journal articles (2020-23)

Stapel, B. Alvarenga, M.E. Kahl, K. (in print) Pharmacological and Psychological Approaches to Insomnia Treatment in Cardiac Patients: A Narrative Literature Review. EJPC.

Casey, M. Dabkowski, E., De Gracia,R., Moore, K., Kennedy, G., Porter, J., Nasstassia, Y., Alvarenga, M.E. (in print). Exploring the factors influencing physical activity engagement for women across the menopausal phases: A systematic review. Menopause.

Le Grande, M., Salvacion, M.*, Shwaita, L., Murphy, B., Jackson, A., Alvarenga. M.E. (in print). Does coping style mediate the relationship between knowledge and psychosocial outcomes in women with atrial fibrillation? Frontiers Psychiatry.

Le Grande, M.R., Murphy, B.M., Rogerson, M.C. Ski, C.F., Amerena, J., Smith, J.A., Hoover, V, Alvarenga, M.E., Higgins, R.O., Thompson, D.R., Jackson, A.C. Development of a short form of the Cardiac Distress Inventory. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 23, 408 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-023-03439-w

Jackson, A.C., Grande, M.R.L., Rogerson, M.C., Ski, C.F., Amerena, J., Smith, J.A., Hoover, V, Alvarenga, M.E., Higgins, R.O., Thompson, D.R., Murphy, B (2022). The cardiac distress inventory: A new measure of psychosocial distress associated with an acute cardiac event. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 22, 460. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-022-02897-y

Byrne D, Kahl KG, Alvarenga ME. Editorial: Psychocardiology then and now - the genesis of a discipline. Front Psychiatry. 2022 Aug 16;13:988393. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.988393. PMID: 36051553; PMCID: PMC9427029.

Stapel, B., Scharn, N., Halling, T., Heitland, I., Ackermann, S., Alvarenga, M., Westhoff-Bleck, M., & Kai, K.G. (2023). Impact of Relationship Status and Problems on Psychological Parameters in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease. Frontiers Psychiatry.

Esler, M, Alvarenga, M E, Barton, D, Jennings, G, Kaye, D, Guo, L, Schwarz, R, Lambert, G (2022). Measurement of Noradrenaline and Serotonin Metabolites With Internal Jugular Vein Sampling: An Indicator of Brain Monoaime Turnover in Depressive Illness and Panic Disorder. Frontiers in Psychiatry. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.818012

Jackson, A C, Rogerson M C, Amerena, J., Smith, J, Hoover, V, Alvarenga ME, Higgins, RO, Le Grande, M R, Ski, C, Thompson, D R, Murphy, B M (2022). Unravelling the complexity of cardiac distress: a study of prevalence and severity. Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Humphrey, A., March, E., Lavender, A.P., Miller, K.J., Alvarenga, M.E., Mesagno, C. (2022). Buffering the Fear of COVID-19: Social Connectedness Mediates the Relationship Between Fear of COVID-19 and Psychological Wellbeing. Behavioural Sciences.

Alvarenga M, Murphy BM, Jackson AC. Emerging approaches to the treatment of depression in patients with cardiovascular disease. British Journal of Cardiac Nursing. (2021). https://doi. org/10.12968/bjca.2021.0111

Esler MD, Jennings G, Schlaich M, Lambert G, Thompson J, Lambert E, Guo L, Alvarenga M, Esler D, Eikelis N, Kaye D. The adrenal medulla in cardiovascular medicine: an untold story. J Hypertens. 2021 May 1;39(5):819-829.

Jackson, A Rogerson, M LeGrande M Thompson, D Ski, C Alvarenga, M Amerena, J Higgins, R Raciti, M Murphy, B. (2020). Protocol for the development and validation of a measure of persistent psychological and emotional distress in cardiac patient: The Cardiac Distress Inventory. BMJ Open.

Murphy BM, Tucker K, Alvarenga, M, Morrison-Jack J, Zaman, S, Higgins, R, Le Grande, M, Nasis, A, Jackson, A. (2020). Enhancing women’s cardiac rehabilitation attendance: a women-only yoga program. Journal of Women’s Health

Murphy, BM, LeGrande M, Alvarenga M E, Worcester M, Jackson, AC (2020). Anxiety and Depression after a cardiac event: Prevalence and Predictors. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1-12

(*Student project)

Associations

  • Psychologists Registration Board/AHPRA
  • Australian Psychological Society
  • Australian College of Clinical Psychologists
  • Australian New Zealand Cardiac Society
  • Hypertension Australia Society