Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of the Parenting and Family Support Centre at the University of Queensland

(Queensland)

Matt Sanders (BA, MA Auck., DipEDPsych Auck., PhD Qld) is Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of the Parenting and Family Support Centre at the University of Queensland. He is founder of the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program. This internationally recognized program has twice won the National Violence Prevention Award from the Commonwealth Heads of Governments in Australia.

He conducts research in the area of parenting, family psychology and the treatment and prevention of childhood psychopathology. The Parenting and Family Support Centre is involved in conducting a number of randomised controlled trials evaluating the effects of family based interventions for children and adolescents. Current research projects focus on evaluating family interventions for children at risk for the development of severe conduct problems, children with challenging behaviour and developmental disabilities, parental maltreatment, parental depression and marital conflict.

He is author of the popular book Every Parent: A positive guide to children’s behaviour, and has published extensively on the nature, causes, prevention and treatment of behavioural disturbance in children. In 1996 he was awarded a Distinguished Career Award from the Australian Association of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. He has served as a consultant for several government departments and agencies both within Australia and internationally interested in the adoption of population-level, evidence-based parenting and family support strategies. He is also a member of the National Suicide Prevention Council.