Dr Zalia Powell is a social work academic and researcher with a particular interest in health and wellbeing for children, youth and families with vulnerabilities. Zalia's social work framework is shaped by critical feminist perspectives, human rights and strengths-based practice, and child and family centred approaches that consider individual and family experiences within broader systems of oppression, privilege, societal values, and equity of resources.
Prior to her appointment with UniSC, Zalia was a clinical social worker with experience across acute and subacute health services and child protection, with an interest in women’s and family’s services. Zalia's teaching focus is on direct skills for social work practice, risk assessment, and working with children, youth and families.
As a qualitative researcher, Zalia is interested in exploring the lived experience of marginalised populations whose voices are often absent in research, policy and practice. Zalia completed her PhD as an APA scholarship candidate, with qualitative research focusing on the lived experiences of perinatal anxiety. Zalia’s research interests focus on children, youth and families with vulnerabilities across a range of complex lived experiences including domestic and family violence, mental health, child protection, transgender and gender diverse parenting, young motherhood, and perinatal bereavement.
Zalia has presented the findings of her research both nationally and internationally, has published widely in high quality peer-reviewed journals and was awarded the 2024 ANZSWWER Research Award.
Potential research projects for HDR & Honours students:
- Qualitative methods
- Motherhood
- Perinatal mental health
- Parenting
- Children, youth and families with vulnerabilities
Research areas
- mothering/parenting complexities
- young motherhood
- parenting gender diverse children
- parent bereavement
Zalia has taught across a range of UniSC courses including:
SCS101 Foundations of Human Behaviour
SWK277 Working With Children, Youth and Families
SWK202 Mental and Physical Health and Wellbeing
SWK777 Children, Youth and Families: Challenges, Critique and Change
SWK705 Advanced Direct Practice 2
Teaching areas
- social work
- social science
- direct skills for social work practice
- working with children, youth and families
Program coordinator
Zalia's research interests focuses on motherhood across a range of complex lived experiences including mothering through domestic violence, young motherhood, Aboriginal motherhood and mothering through perinatal bereavement.
In the news
Mind over matter: UniSC experts for Qld Mental Health Week
2 Oct 2024How are UniSC researchers working to alleviate the mental health issues affecting Australians in 2024? With Queensland Mental Health Week from 5-13 October, experts are available for interviews on a range of topics