I was originally born in Harare –  Zimbabwe, I grew up loving sport, and anything creative or adventurous. I decided to pursue a passion of mine which was tennis, and look for greater opportunities in Adelaide, with my mom. It was tough leaving friends and family at first. However, I was fortunate enough to be coached

As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, Queensland e-health company Virtual Psychologist is leading an innovative approach to tackle the global psychological toll of Covid-19. Founded by clinical psychologist, Dervla Loughnane in 2015, Virtual Psychologist is Australia’s first text-based counselling service and is connecting mental health professionals with users via a text-based e-therapy platform. The application allows users

Virtual Psychologist is proud to be working with Globe in the Philippines to support their employees in promoting mental well-being. Please see the terms and conditions of the service which is currently only open to employees of Globe. TERMS AND CONDITIONS Hopechat, powered by Virtual Psychologist, is an on the hour mental health consultation platform

Read iTWire’s media release here!

Read Pickr’s media release here!

We are looking for qualified Tagalog speaking psychologists, social workers or counsellors to take part in a 3-month pilot program to deliver Text based counselling services to the Philippines corporate clients impacted by Covid-19. We need people that understand cultural sensitivities, are willing to learn and adjust to a new client relationship management system along

A story by gchub on how Virtual Psychologist is helping those in need during the Covid-19 pandemic. You can read the story here.

Virtual Psychologist has teamed up with the Queensland University of Technology to support 5 students of the Master of Information Technology degree complete their research for their industry project. The students all have diverse educational backgrounds, are all user experience (UX) majors, and will be prototyping a mobile application to be developed in conjunction with

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Dana Dal Bo’ Aliabeva who will be joining us as Chief Office Manager as of Monday 6 April 2020. Dana speaks 5 languages, is a qualified Project Manager, and has certification in Human Resources, Booking and Accountancy. She will be assisting us during this high period

Virtualpsychologist is delighted and excited to welcome Dr. Mary Asic-Kobe as our clinical Director for Digital Services starting on Monday 6th April 2020. Mary is a Clinical Psychologist and has a vast array of experience in assessment and diagnosis, psychological therapy, cross-cultural counselling, clinical supervision, and organisational consulting. Mary has worked in both clinical and

The Refactor team are helping Virtual Psychologist with our development in the world of artificial intelligence and assisted technologies with the use of Amazon Web Services (AWS). We are really excited to explore how these technologies, in conjunction with AWS, can propel Virtual Psychologist into the future providing first class mental health support globally.

Our SuccessCX team in Melbourne, Australia. Another kind of Mental Health Warrior ensuring our platform is functioning and the User Experience is second to none for our psychologists and staff!

Virtual Psychologist Mental Health Warriors come together for a day of training, professional development, and bonding. Helping the community to protect their mental health during the world-wide Covid-19 outbreak.

Read about Western Magazine’s story on Virtual Psychologist and how we are providing free text counselling services to the remote and rural community! Click Here to read now!

Next stop on the roadshow is Dubbo. Read about their latest roadshow destination below. Click here to read the story by the Daily Liberal.

Dervla battles rain, storms, and flooding to make it to her first stop in Coonabarabran, NSW. Follow the link below to read more about her journey with the Optus roadshow. Click Here to read the article by Mirage News.

Several years ago, Dervla Loughnane, a psychologist with more than 20 years’ experience, was called to a school because a student had committed suicide. Going through the student’s phone, Loughnane realised that he had not contacted anyone before ending his life. That was why she set up Virtualpsychologist — a 24/7 counselling service provided over

After a concerted effort over a number of months, and in the face of increasing desperation by landholders facing relentless drought, the federal government has announced it will provide $1m for the Aussie Helpers Virtual Psychologist counselling service. The announcement was the only one made by Malcolm Turnbull during his drought listening tour to parts

Country psychologists are in no doubt there is an unequivocal link ­between the drought and increases in suicide, suicidal thoughts, depression and anxiety. It usually happens on Sundays or late at night, according to psychologist Dervla Loughnane, who helped Mr Germon mend himself emotionally. She said those times are when farmers have the most time

Farmers are suffering through what some say is the worst drought they’ve experienced, with rainfall records showing it could be the most severe in 100 years. An Australian-first service offering free psychological help over text message for those struggling mentally has seen an uptake in those reaching out for assistance. Dervla Locknane from Virtual Psychologist,

Australia-based Virtual Psychologist is a startup that provides 24-hour counselling services to its patients. Founded by a Gold Coast psychologist turned entrepreneur Dervla Loughnane, Virtual Psychologist is the application that connects mental health professionals with users, allowing them to receive on-demand counselling via text message in a service Loughnane refers to as “the Uber of

Listen to “Stuart MacIntyre on mental health text service for rural people” on Spreaker. An innovative use of older technology could help rural Kiwis struggling with mental health issues, says Stuart MacIntyre. MacIntyre, who has worked in the tech industry for 18 years, told The Country’s Jamie Mackay a service where users text a counsellor

Powertec Telecommunications Announces CSR Partnership with VirtualPsychologist Communications and connectivity experts, Powertec Telecommunications announced today that it has partnered with mental health service provider, VirtualPsychologist as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility program. The partnership with VirtualPsychologist aims to improve awareness of the mental health services available to rural Australians.   Click here to read

Dervla started with her own mobile phone, but in the past three years her idea has grown into a fully-fledged program that is changing lives of rural Australians and farmers across the country. Known as virtual psychologist.   Click here to read more

Gold Coast psychologist turned entrepreneur Dervla Loughnane hassecured $72,000 for her startup Virtual Psychologist, in a bid to makeit easier for people to seek mental health help in a comfortable andprivate way. Founded in 2015, the Virtual Psychologist application connects mentalhealth professionals with users, allowing them to receive on-demandcounselling via text message in a service

Aussie Helpers is launching a mental health texting service on Thursday morning that it expects will be a lifesaver in rural Australia. The brainchild of Zimbabwean expat, Dervla Loughnane, the Virtual Psychologist business is already connecting rural people with mental health professionals in a way that offers anonymity, convenience and an instant response.   Click here to read more

Psychologists are texting with patients in the bush to try and take better mental health care to isolated parts of Australia. The program, which is a joint initiative between Virtual Psychologist and Aussie Helpers, is designed to offer people free, personalised assistance on a device most have in their pocket all day — their mobile