Organisational psychology, endless possibilities

Sherrica first came to Deakin University in 2015 as an undergraduate psychology international student. Nearly a decade later, she’s returning as a full-time academic.

Sherrica Senewiratne has never been afraid of a challenge. Hailing from Sri Lanka, she came to Australia – a country she’d never been to before – in 2015 to study a Bachelor of Psychological Science at Deakin. She followed that degree with an honours year and a Master of Psychology (Organisational) at Deakin.

After spending five years working in the consulting industry – initially as a general psychologist then later as an organisational psychologist – and teaching part-time as a sessional academic at Deakin, she's now diving into full-time academia after completing her PhD.

Sherrica spent 2024 in her new role as an associate lecturer, working in undergraduate psychology. She was recently appointed as a lecturer, education-focused academic, to work in the Master of Psychology (Organisational) team at Deakin, while continuing to work with the undergraduate cohort.

'I'll help students with career education and career development activities to set themselves up for success when they’re applying for work. It’s completely within the scope of being an organisational psychologist, which is very exciting,' she says. Deakin is the only university in Victoria that offers a masters in organisational psychology to date, so this is a valuable opportunity to work closely with the team that helped develop her own passion for organisational psychology.

Organisational psychology wasn’t Sherrica’s original plan – like many students, she initially wanted to become a counsellor or clinical psychologist.

'Halfway through my bachelor degree I realised counselling and clinical psychology weren’t really for me. I wanted to do something different.'

'During my honours I did an internship at Psych Press, which is an internship many Deakin students do if they’re interested in organisational psychology. It gives you that initial exposure to org psych and what it’s like to work in this field. That was the eyeopener for me – I realised there's this whole other world out there where I can use my psych lens in the business world,' she says.

Now, at Deakin, she brings her skills and experiences to the table to help students find the right pathway for them and to inspire the next generation of psychology students.

'There's an endless world of opportunities out there. Part of the work I do in the undergraduate placement unit is helping students see what's out there. Some students pick their own placements, but some will go through the placements that we advertise.'

'There's a whole variety of different roles or placements available – from recruitment services to child protection to disability support. They only get to pick one, but it helps them see that if they don’t go on to become a clinical psychologist or a registered psychologist, there's other pathways they can take.'

Sherrica understands the importance placements play in shaping a psychologist’s early career. Not only did her Psych Press internship influence her choice of speciality, but one of her masters placements led to a significant career chapter.

'One of my placements was at a small consulting firm called Opposite. I started there just a couple of months before the COVID-19 pandemic then we got really busy so they kept me on as a casual,' she says. 'I went from a casual to a consultant, then I got promoted to senior consultant. And that’s where I’ve been for the last five years!'