Ali completed an Associate Diploma in Liberal Studies prior to completing a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Psychology and then a Masters in Clinical Psychology through Flinders University. She spent several years working in the United Kingdom where she qualified as a Chartered Clinical Psychologist. Ali has been involved in the provision of clinical psychology services in Australia and formerly the United Kingdom since 1993. She has undertaken a client centered approach which focuses on the individual's ability to effect outcomes with their current repertoire, in addition to assisting them to expand their coping skills within a cognitive behavioural framework.
Ali has provided services within both the public and private sector, working with individuals through EAP programs, workers compensation claims and individuals involved in motor vehicle accidents and also to organisations in the provision of clinical psychology services. Ali's specific interests include the evaluation and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, managing chronic pain, psychological assessment and dealing with personal and work related issues.
Ali is a member of the Australian Psychological Society, through which she attained membership of the College of Clinical Psychologists. She is also a member of the British Psychological Society and the Division of Clinical Psychology and in 2014 became an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. Ali is a Fellow of the College of Clinical Psychologists.