Carmel O'Brien, over more than twenty-five years, has worked predominantly with people who have lived with violence at home. Her special clinical interest is the recovery of women and children from family violence. She has worked in child protection and women’s correctional services, in relationship and general counselling services, in the community sector and in private practice.

From 2001 to 2015 Carmel was Director of Clinical Services for a large community agency, managing counselling and recovery programs, and developing a suite of services for women and children who have experienced abuse. Carmel initiated some unique models of service provision including utilizing trained mentors to aid recovery, commencing a domestic violence prevention program for girls in schools, and starting a successful choir for survivors. In this role, she also launched two iPhone Apps (LiveFree and iMatter).