Kayla Steele, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and postdoctoral research fellow at the University of New South Wales School of Psychology, based at the Black Dog Institute.

Her current research focuses on:

• Evaluating novel internet-delivered and blended care psychological interventions for anxiety and mood disorders
• The intersection of psychology and digital technology (including AI)
• Personality disorder and its impact on treatment outcomes. 

Prior to working at Black Dog Institute, Kayla worked for Project Air Strategy for Personality Disorders at University of Wollongong and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, where she completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology. Her research looked at the impact of personality disorder on parent-child relationships, and she helped develop a novel brief intervention for parents with personality disorder.

Kayla regularly appears in the media (e.g., Sydney Morning Herald, The Conversation, ABC Radio, Triple J Hack, Channel 7 News), has published in leading journals and presented her research at national and international conferences. She has lectured in the School of Psychology at University of Wollongong and the School of Clinical Medicine at UNSW and provided research supervision for students undertaking Master of Clinical Psychology and Summer research internships. 

Clinically, Kayla has worked across various settings including inpatient mental health, adult and child and adolescent community mental health, university psychology clinics, and private practice. She specialises in working with individuals with personality disorder and complex trauma.