Our people

Dr Oscar Modesto

Senior Lecturer
Psychology

Areas of expertise: Relationships; wellbeing; sexuality and LGBTQ+ mental health; cultural identity; diversity; qualitative methods.

Phone: 9701 4612

Email: Oscar.modesto@acu.edu.au

Location: ACU Strathfield Campus

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-9993-6364

HDR Supervisor status: Full

Dr Oscar Modesto is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the Australian Catholic University and a registered psychologist with over 20 years of clinical and academic experience. He is an AHPRA board-approved supervisor and holds a Master of Family Therapy, having completed his undergraduate studies in Mexico.

His research focuses on the intersection of relationships, identity, and mental health, with particular expertise in LGBTQ+ wellbeing, attachment processes, and family dynamics. Dr Modesto’s work is grounded in qualitative, clinically informed approaches that centre lived experience and aim to inform inclusive, culturally responsive mental health practice. His research program spans caregiver experiences in early psychosis, relationship functioning, and the impact of social and cultural contexts on wellbeing.

Dr Modesto is deeply committed to student success and academic excellence. He actively contributes to the development of innovative curricula that reflect contemporary research and practice in psychology, and promotes a supportive, inclusive learning environment that fosters critical thinking, self-reflection, and cultural awareness in future practitioners.

Through his research, teaching, and partnerships with health services, Dr Modesto is committed to translating evidence into practice to improve psychological outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.

View ResearchGate profile

Qualitative Research and Translation Lab | ACU

Projects

• Thriving without driving: A practical resource toolkit to support retirement from driving in the ACT - $49,658 ACT Road Safety Fund (2024)
• First Episode Psychosis in the inner city: A Qualitative study of caregiver's experiences in an early intervention program for young people. $25,000 St Vincent's Clinic Foundation (2023)
• Does a flexible mentoring arrangement between first - and third year psychology students promote psychological wellbeing, academic self-efficacy and student retention?  $8,000 ACU Learning and Teaching Grant (2020)

Awards

• ACU Faculty of Health Sciences Employees Values Award (2023)

Selected publications

• Modesto, O., Beaton, L., Nicholson, M., Brown, C., & Short, B. (2026). “My world is gone”: Understanding and addressing the needs of caregivers of first episode psychosis patients. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 26 (2), e70114. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.70114
• Karakas, G., & Modesto, O. (2025). ‘You’re straight until proven gay’ – a qualitative exploration of identity development among gay men who have ‘come-out’ as ‘late bloomers.’ Psychology & Sexuality, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2025.2474247
• Chiew, F., Windsor, N., & Modesto, O.(2025). Beautiful Even if it’s Very Sad: Psychologists’ Beliefs, Attitudes and Feelings about Death and Dying in Palliative Care. Death Studies, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2025.2537968
• Beaton, L., & Modesto, O. (2025). Fun With Friends? Participation in the Gay Community Predicts Alcohol and Drug Consumption for Gay and Bisexual Men. Journal of Homosexuality, 1-21. http://doi.org/1080/00918369.2025.2540370
• Norton, D. W., Modesto, O., Bennett, J. M., & Fraser, M. I. (2024). Sleep disturbance mediates the link between both self‐compassion and self‐criticism and psychological distress during prolonged periods of stress. Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12474
• Nicholson, M., Bennett, J.M., Modesto, O., & Gould, R. (2023). Understanding university students during COVID-19: A longitudinal mixed-methods analysis of their experiences of online learning, mental health, academic engagement and academic self-efficacy. Psychopathology, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1159/000528441
• Wotton, M. E., Bennett, J. M., Modesto, O., Challinor, K. L., & Prabhakharan, P. (2022). Attention all 'drivers': You could be to blame, no matter your behaviour or the level of vehicle automation. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 87, 219-235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2022.03.021

Editorial roles

• Associate Editor: Australian journal of Psychology

International journal review panels

• Family Process
• Frontiers in Psychology
• Applied Psychology Health and Wellbeing
• GLBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal

Appointments and Affiliations

• Registered Psychologist, Psychology Board of Australia
• Australian Psychological Society
• American Psychological Society
• Society Scientific Study of Sexuality