Ellen Berah was a psychologist with a particular interest in clinical and forensic practice, a conference organiser, a traveller and a stalwart of ANZAPPL (Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law) from its earliest days. She died unexpectedly, and too soon, after being taken ill suddenly in Corfu. On 15 November 2023 she sent a text to me: ‘Wish the news could be better, but am pain free and in peace’. It is very difficult, though, to come to terms with her having passed away. As her friend and fellow ANZAPPL committee member, Ann Knowles, put it, ‘She had such a life force!’
Ellen did not seek the limelight; in fact, she actively shunned it, but she was respected for her sharp intellect and appreciated by all who interacted with her.
Ellen had eclectic interests. Her studies started in architecture; she then obtained her PhD in psychology at the University of Cincinnati. Her thesis was titled “The Influence of Differential Scheduling of Sessions on the Effectiveness of an Assertion Training Program”. Her employment at Monash University started in 1980, working with students under the supervision of Professors Wallace Ironside and Graeme Smith. She rose to Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Medicine at Monash University. With Professor Don Thomson, she established its forensic psychology training programme in the mid-1990s, and in 1999 Ellen set up Monash University’s first training programme in clinical psychology (with Jenny Ponsford, Wendy Crouch and James Ogloff) as a research degree—the D Psych programme. She departed Monash in 2007.
Ellen was well regarded as a scholar and valued as a colleague and mentor, although she could be frustrated by the bureaucracy of academia. She had wide research interests, including stress, trauma, the use of the MMPI, as well as professional wellbeing among therapists. Her 1995 article with Penny Brabin, ‘Dredging up Past Traumas: Harmful or Helpful?’ has been much cited. Ellen (with Deidre Greig) co-edited the proceedings of the 6th, 7th and 8th ANZAPPL congresses between 1985 and 1987.
Ellen was involved with ANZAPPL since the days of its first conferences at the University of Melbourne in the 1980s, organised by her partner, Dr Bob Myers, the founder and first President of ANZAPPL. She was Treasurer and Membership Secretary from early times, until very recently. Ellen was always prepared for annual meetings and assiduously safeguarded the Association’s assets, ensuring that they were not dissipated or directed in ways that could erode ANZAPPL’s stable financial position. She was formidable in ensuring that ANZAPPL was not taken advantage of by the mischievous or unscrupulous.
Ellen was elected ANZAPPL’s third life member, and in Darwin in 2002 she was presented with a plaque for the services that she had rendered for two decades. She continued to provide such services for another two decades.
In 2002 Ellen bought into Margaret Ettridge’s ‘The Conference Organiser’ and commenced a second career in organising and facilitating scholarly gatherings. Typically, she did little to promote the company but relied on word-of-mouth. She was inundated with repeat business and, among other gatherings, organised multiple conferences of ANZAPPL. She was fastidious with arrangements and negotiated robustly with hotels to ensure that the best rate for both the venue and suitable high-quality food and beverages was obtained.
Ellen was devoted to her talented son, Jake, and had a soft spot for dogs, including her two Schnauzers. She was a prolific reader and convenor, and an active participant in a long-running book group. She enjoyed good food and a glass of wine (of suitable quality). She had a mischievous sense of humour and interests that could take you by surprise, including when she organised her own birthday party at a truck gathering on the Mornington Peninsula.
Ellen was extremely hospitable and a very good chef over many years at residences in Fitzroy, South Yarra, Armidale, Carlton, Blairgowrie and McCrae. She always enjoyed travelling, including to exotic destinations, and was an excellent photographer. In recent years it was a challenge to make arrangements to see her because of her adventures in diverse parts of Australia in the camper van she bought in 2021, and, of course, overseas to locations as diverse as Ethiopia and Antarctica (which she visited multiple times). A text message to me in 2018 paints the picture: ‘All is well … leaving for Silk Road on Thursday for 6 weeks. Will then be home for 3 weeks and off again to France and the Arctic.’ Listening to Ellen’s travel experiences over dinner and viewing her photographs was a great experience.
Ellen was a private, self-effacing, but strong-minded woman with robust views. She trod her own path that could be iconoclastic and quietly subversive, but she was fiercely loyal and supportive of her friends. She enriched the lives of those of us who were fortunate enough to be her professional colleagues and friends. Her opinions always deserved respect. She will be much missed, including by ANZAPPL.
Correction Statement
This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.