Bachelor of Science in Psychology, First Class Honours
Master of Science in Clinical Psychology, with Distinction
Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology
Member of the Australian Psychological Society and the APS College of Clinical Psychologists
Member of the Society for Research on Adolescence and the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development
Biography – Dr Alex Gardner
Alex works primarily with children, adolescents and adults experiencing emotional difficulties (e.g., mood, anxiety, low self-esteem, grief and loss, adjustment challenges) and interpersonal problems (e.g., parent-child conflict, difficulties with peers, dealing with rejection and romantic relationship difficulties). He is passionate about working with young people and helping all clients feel sufficiently motivated to engage in change within an atmosphere of warmth, understanding and compassion. He regularly performs research in the areas of how social relationships can help protect against emotional difficulties and how young people cope with rejection and aims to translate these findings in his clinical practice.
He practices primarily from an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and emotion-focused Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approach. He has also undergone training in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT). Outside of a professional capacity, he enjoys reading, spending time with friends, and visiting new places, restaurants and cultures.
Selected Publications:
Gardner, A. A., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Modecki, K. L. (2020). A longitudinal model of rejection sensitivity and internalizing symptoms: Testing emotion regulation deficits as a mechanism and outcome of symptoms. Journal of Personality. doi:10.1111/jopy.12549.
Gardner, A. A., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Campbell, S. M. (2020). Attachment and emotion regulation: A person-centered examination and relations with coping with rejection, friendship closeness, and emotional adjustment. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 38, 125-143. doi:10.1111/bjdp.12310.
Duffy, A. L., Gardner, A. A., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2020). Peer rejection and dislike. In M. J. Zimmer-Gembeck & A. M. Waters (Volume Editors), S. Hupp & J. D. Jewel (Series Eds.). The Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Development: Emotion in Childhood (pp. 1-13). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. doi:10.1002/9781119171492.wecad191.
Gardner, A. A., & Webb, H. J. (2019). A contextual examination of the associations between social support, self-esteem, and psychological well-being among Jamaican adolescents. Youth and Society, 51, 707-730. doi:10.1177/0044118X17707450.
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Kerin, J. L., Webb, H. J., Gardner, A. A., Campbell, S. M., Swan, K., & Timmer, S. G. (2019). Improved perceptions of emotion regulation and reflective functioning in parents: Two additional positive outcomes of parent-child interaction therapy. Behavior Therapy, 50, 340-352. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2018.07.002.
Gardner, A. A., & Lambert, C. A. (2019). Examining the interplay of self-esteem, trait-emotional intelligence, and age with depression across adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 71, 162-166. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.01.008.
Gardner, A. A., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2018). Rejection sensitivity and responses to rejection: Serial mediators linking parenting to adolescents’ and young adults’ depression and trait anxiety. Journal of Relationships Research, 9, 1-14.