Foundations in Suicide Prevention

Dr Louisa Walker, along with her husband Grant, is a Director of Walker Psychology and Consulting Ltd. Louisa received her Doctorate in psychology from the University of Idaho with a research emphasis on both cross-cultural and biological psychology. She has 25 years of clinical experience working extensively with GPs and specialists in efforts to build innovative treatment models integrating psychological services into general practice medicine. She developed a Department of Behavioural Health for a regional US medical clinic and has worked with primary mental health care projects in New Zealand since 2002.

Since moving to New Zealand Louisa has worked in private practice, was a consultant to the Hawkes Bay DHB acute mental health service, and has worked with several PHOs in ongoing efforts to further develop strategies to improve mental health treatment in primary care.
Louisa served as the Clinical Manager for a Ministry of Health funded suicide bereavement service delivered by Clinical Advisory Services Aotearoa (CASA). She has worked in the areas of suicide prevention and postvention both in the US and New Zealand. She has worked with the NZ Coroner’s office developing psychological autopsy services investigating deaths by suicide. Louisa currently consults with a wide variety of organisations regarding suicide prevention and has been instrumental in the development of both online and face to face suicide prevention training programmes.