I am an Occupational Therapist with more than 20 years of experience supporting children, young people and adults across a wide range of settings, including primary health care, not-for-profit organisations and private practice. My experience has spanned the fields of behaviour, disability, paediatrics. adult and youth mental health, occupational rehabilitation, clinical education, community development and child wellbeing. I have had opportunities to work in various clinical settings, multidisciplinary teams, remote Aboriginal communities, multicultural hubs, online and academic spaces, as well as in educational and correctional facilities.

Over the years, I have worked with people from all walks of life and experiencing all kinds of circumstances. I have supported individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, acute and chronic mental illness, autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, intellectual disability, behavioural challenges, forensic histories, co-occurring conditions and complex psychosocial situations. That breadth of experience has shaped the way I work, but more than anything, it has deepened the way I see people.

At the heart of my work is a very simple belief: there is always a person underneath the behaviour, the diagnosis, the distress or the messiness of life. That is who I try to meet. I care deeply about seeing people beyond what is presenting on the surface and helping them reconnect with their strengths, confidence and capacity.

What I love about Occupational Therapy is that it gives me the freedom to support people in ways that are practical, personal and genuinely relevant to everyday life. No two sessions need to look the same. Sometimes the work is around emotional regulation, routines, school participation or independence at home. Other times it might involve helping someone learn how to shop, manage money, navigate public spaces, build confidence in the community, or simply feel more capable in the day-to-day parts of life that others may take for granted.

I am especially passionate about keeping things simple and human. While there is always strong clinical reasoning behind the work, I never want support to feel overly complicated or removed from real life. I like to make things clear, relatable and practical, so the person and the people around them can actually use what we are working on. For me, connection comes first. When people feel safe, understood and not judged, that is often when meaningful change begins.

Much of my current work through FABIC is with children, though I also support young people and adults, often with daily living skills, assessment, reporting, and more complex functional needs. I enjoy working with clients I can build a genuine relationship with, whether that is a young child, a teenager, an adult, or the family and team around them. I also love supporting parents, carers, teachers and support workers to feel more confident and equipped, because real progress often happens when the whole support network grows together.

Mental health has always felt like a very natural space for me. Earlier in my career, I worked extensively in adult mental health and youth mental health, including with people experiencing bullying, relationship/study/work or family stressors, psychosis, severe and persistent mental illness, suicidality, self-harm, drug and alcohol challenges, housing issues, child protection and forensic interventions. These experiences gave me a strong sense of steadiness and a deep respect for the complexity of people’s lives. It also strengthened my ability to stay present, practical and non-judgemental, even when things feel intense.

What matters most to me is not just helping someone function, but helping them move toward a better quality of life. I care about confidence, dignity, connection and creating support that feels meaningful to the person, not just measurable on paper. I want people to feel that they are more than their struggles, and that there is still potential, strength and value in who they are.