Everybody’s journey to a life of meaning and purpose is unique which is why our Allied Health services take a collaborative approach with the people accessing our services.
We create a tailored plan built around individual recovery goals and provide flexible support options to people in their homes, in the community and via telehealth.
Occupational therapists
Travis Chan
Occupational Therapist
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Travis is an AHPRA registered Occupational Therapist who joined the Allied Health team at Mind Australia in 2022.
Travis studied a Bachelor of Science with Honours and a Master of Occupational Therapy.
Travis has experience working with youth and adults with mental health diagnoses and has a special interest and experience working with sleep disorders including Sleep Apnea, Restless Leg Syndrome, Insomnia and associated comorbidities. Travis's areas of interest include Anxiety, Depression, Sleep Disorders and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder. Travis employs a personalized approach, tailoring interventions to meet individuals where they are on their journey.
Drawing from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and other evidence-based modalities, he assists clients towards improved mental health and well-being.
Merryn Chappel
Clinical Relationship Manager/Occupational Therapist
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Merryn is an AHPRA registered Occupational Therapist who has been working with the Allied Health team since 2019. Merryn’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Occupational Therapy Practice.
Merryn is passionate about building the capacity, independence and quality of life for her clients and promotes the shared understanding of the importance of routine and engagement in meaningful activities. Merryn is a strong believer in walking alongside the individual and their families during the journey and provides individualised support, wherever they are at.
Merryn is one of the Clinical Relationship Managers of the Allied Health team overseeing the NDIS services in addition to providing support to participants.
Brylee Hemming
Clinical Relationship Manager/Occupational Therapist
Location: Bendigo, Victoria
Brylee is an AHPRA registered Occupational Therapist who began working with Mind Australia in 2015. Currently, Brylee is a Clinical Relationship Manager and oversees the implementation of services and provides clinical support to the team.
Brylee is passionate about supporting clients to build their intrinsic capacity to achieve therapy goals. Brylee is invested in reducing the stigma associated with accessing mental health services. Furthermore, Brylee is passionate about fostering an inclusive, passionate team of clinicians who are experts in their fields
Brylee currently provides support to individuals within the NDIS and BUPA space under the following areas; Occupational Therapy and Positive Behaviour Support.
Samual Kleis
Senior Allied Health Clinician/Occupational Therapist
Location: Bendigo, Victoria
‘Sam’ is an AHPRA registered Occupational Therapist located in Bendigo, Victoria, who joined Mind’s Roving Allied Health Team in August 2020. Sam’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Occupational Therapy Practice.
Currently, Sam is a provider of Occupational Therapy within the NDIS field and Private Health Sector. Sam is passionate about advocating for people who are living with mental health conditions as well as empowering them to live purposeful and meaningful lives.
Sam is particularly interested in working with the Youth and Adolescent population with the aim of setting people up for positive outcomes during adulthood. He is interested in utilising Occupational Therapy interventions such as sensory modulation, routine building and activity retraining with the aim of assisting clients with engaging in what is truly meaningful to them.
Sam values positive client relationships and client centred care and views this as a vital foundation to our care.
Colleen Mann
Occupational Therapist
Colleen is an AHPRA registered Occupational Therapist, who has a passion for working in mental health.
Colleen has worked within the NDIS space for the past 5 years across the mental health and pediatric settings. Colleen enjoys working with people on developing and meeting their individual goals, whatever that might look like to the individual.
Colleen has experience working with people living with a wide range disabilities including mental health (personality disorders, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, DID), Intellectual Disability, chronic pain as well as with the neurodiverse community.
As a therapist Colleen strongly values taking a neuro affirming approach, as well a recovery centered practice when working with her clients. Colleen often utilises aspects of ACT and polyvagal theory the in her work to support herself and the individuals she works with in understanding their nervous system and identifying what's important to them.
Colleen is extremely passionate about occupational therapy and what it can offer 'healing through doing and connection' is a statement that has always rung true to her.
Lidia Oppedisano
Senior Allied Health Clinician/Occupational Therapist
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Lidia is an AHPRA registered Occupational Therapist who joined Mind’s Allied Health Team in January 2020.
Lidia’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Applied Science (Psychology)and Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Occupational Therapy Practice.
Lidia is passionate about enabling the people she supports to live safely in the community in a way that is meaningful and dignified.
Lidia is a strong believer in working with empathy and understanding, acknowledging the journey and celebrating every win alongside the people she supports, and does so at every opportunity.
Lidia is one of the Senior Allied Health Clinicians within the Allied Health Team supporting the oversight of NDIS and Quality and Practice within the service.
Additionally, Lidia provides occupational therapy, counselling and positive behaviour support to individuals across NDIS and Private Health Insurance services.
Maddison Quilliam
Senior Allied Health Clinician/Occupational Therapist
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Maddison is a registered Occupational Therapist who began working with Mind Australia’s Roving Allied Health Team in January 2020. Maddison’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Occupational Therapy (2019).
Currently, Maddison is one of the Senior Allied Health Clinicians within the Allied Health Team and is overseeing the implementation of the Allied Health Assistant program to assist clients with accessing more frequent tailored support.
Maddison has taken particular interest in working with children, youth and young adults, engaging clients in sensory modulation, supporting clients who have experienced trauma, and assisting clients to engage in meaningful activities.
Maddison is currently working within the NDIS and Private Health space which includes providing Occupational Therapy, Positive Behaviour Support and Counselling.
Erin Sanchez
Clinical Relationship Manager/Occupational Therapist
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Erin is an Occupational Therapist who commenced working with Mind Australia in 2017. Erin studied a Bachelor of Health Science with Honours in Public Health and a Master of Occupational Therapy Practice through La Trobe University.
Erin has experience working in a range of community-based services and has worked with youth and adult clients with complex needs including neurological, physical and psychosocial disabilities.
She has a strong interest in the area of supporting her client's sensory, cognitive and emotional needs to improve quality of life, minimise risks, and support their ability to engage in activities of daily living.
Erin is one of our Clinical Relationship Managers and currently oversees the Bupa Wellbeing4You program whilst delivering Occupational Therapy services and Positive Behaviour Support.
Esther Sidney
Senior Allied Health Clinician/Occupational Therapist
Location: Logan, Queensland
Esther is an AHPRA registered Occupational Therapist and Senior Allied Health Clinician who joined the Queensland Allied Health Team in January 2020 because she is passionate about mental health. Esther became an Occupational Therapist because she wants to enable others to participate and engage in a meaningful and purpose-filled life regardless of injury, illness, or other challenging circumstances.
Esther works with participants through the NDIS and Private Health programs offered at Mind Australia. Esther values building a collaborative, warm, and strengths-focussed relationship with her clients, so that they can be well-supported in achieving their daily living goals, whether those are self-care goals, getting a job, building friendships, or engaging in their local community, just to name a few examples. Esther aims to practice mental health occupational therapy with empathy, understanding, and acceptance at all times.
Esther’s areas of interest include maternal/perinatal mental health, ADHD, ASD, sensory interventions, routine-based interventions, and eating disorders.
Monica Stella
Occupational Therapist
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Monica is an AHPRA registered Occupational Therapist who joined the Allied Health team at Mind Australia in 2022. Monica’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Health Science and a Master of Occupational Therapy Practice. Monica has worked as an Occupational Therapist in a range of settings in both Australia and overseas, including inpatient mental health, geriatric rehabilitation and youth homelessness. During her previous roles, Monica specialised working with clients with treatment resistant Schizophrenia and collaborated on various capacity building group programs which include wellness planning and preparation for study and employment.
Monica has developed a deep understanding of several speciality areas, including ADHD, sensory modulation, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and functional cognition. She is particularly skilled in working with individuals who experience challenges related to attention, sensory processing, executive functioning, and emotional regulation.
Monica utilizes a range of therapeutic approaches, including CBT, mindfulness-based interventions, and sensory modulation techniques, to help her clients improve their mental health and well-being.
Aaron Thomas
Occupational Therapist
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland
Aaron embarked on his journey in the field of Occupational Therapy four years ago and graduated in 2022 with a strong desire to work in a community-based role. Approaching each client with genuine empathy, Aaron believes in the inherent dignity of every individual. He recognises that each person's experience with mental health is unique and tailors his therapeutic approach accordingly, drawing from evidence-based practices.
Throughout his career, Aaron has had the privilege of working with diverse populations, including children, adolescents, adults, and seniors, facing various mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, trauma, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia. He has gained valuable experience in providing individual therapy sessions, conducting assessments, and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to ensure comprehensive care.
As a Occupational Therapist with a special interest in mental health, Aaron considers it an honour to be entrusted with the well-being of his clients and is dedicated to facilitating their journey towards healing and resilience.
Rhomy Widmer
Occupational Therapist
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Rhomy is a AHPRA registered Occupational Therapist who has been with working in Mind’s Roving Allied Health Team since November 2020. Rhomy’s qualifications include Bachelor of Science, majoring in Nutrition and a Master of Occupational Therapy. Rhomy has previous experience working in Youth Residential Services and Adult Prevention and Recovery Care.
Rhomy values working collaboratively with a diverse range of clients, focusing on their personal goals and strengths. Rhomy believes in building strong rapport and good therapeutic relationships in order to best support clients to improve their capacity to manage their mental health and live fulfilling lives. Rhomy has a special interest in working with young adults, sensory modulation, developing healthy routines and working with Personality Disorders.
Dominique Wootton
Occupational Therapist
Location: Logan, Queensland
Dominique is an AHPRA registered Occupational Therapist, who has a passion for working in mental health. Dominique has gained valuable experience in NDIS practice and supporting individuals across the lifespan with a range of physical and psychosocial disabilities. Dominique has extensive experience in housing and support needs assessments, which involved conducting comprehensive assessments of participants with complex needs to allow them to access the supports and resources they needed to be safe and achieve their full potential.
Dominique has experience practicing across a number of practice areas involving one on one therapeutic intervention across the lifespan and a range of disabilities including mental health (personality disorders, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety etc.), Intellectual Disability, chronic pain, ADHD, and ASD, and complex housing and functional assessments. Dominique strongly values relationship and goes above and beyond to create a warm and supportive environment for her clients, ensuring that they feel trusted, understood and valued.
Psychologists
Ben Atkinson
Allied Health Assistant
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Ben joined the Mind Australia team as an Allied Health Assistant in August 2023 after completing his Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at Monash University.
Located in Melbourne’s inner north, Ben’s role is to work with Mind’s team of Occupational Therapists and Psychologists to help Mind clients achieve their therapy goals.
Ben brings a relaxed and empathetic approach to the role, supporting clients to identify and utilise their personal strengths, while providing a safe and respectful therapeutic environment. Ben is a strong advocate for the empowerment of people living with mental health conditions.
Beyond his professional role, Ben is engaged with the local community as coach of junior sports teams and is passionate about maintaining a healthy life balance, continuing to train both body and mind.
Blanka Dubravszky
Provisional Psychologist
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Blanka is a Provisional Psychologist, who joined the Mind Allied Health Team in November 2022, after finishing her Master of Professional Psychology degree at Monash University. Before moving to Australia, Blanka had also completed Bachelor and Master of Psychology degrees in her home country, Hungary. She is a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc. (AAPi). Before joining the Mind Allied Health Team, Blanka had worked in a residential psychosocial rehabilitation service, supporting people with complex mental health challenges.
Blanka is passionate about creating a strong therapeutic relationship and aims to provide a warm, empathetic and collaborative space for her clients. She aims to utilise a holistic approach to therapy and draws upon a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing and Person-Centred Therapy to best suit the individual needs of her clients.
Blanka has experience supporting people with a wide range of mental health concerns, including Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar disorders, psychotic disorders, trauma-related disorders and Borderline Personality Disorder, and is committed to providing trauma-informed care to her clients. She works with people across the lifespan, and has supported people from diverse cultural backgrounds, from the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as neurodivergent clients.
Hayley Farnan
Registered Psychologist
Location: Melbourne
Hayley is a registered Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS). With a postgraduate degree from Monash University, she joined Mind Australia’s Allied Health Team in March 2022.
Hayley has prior experience working with individuals with disabilities, with a particular focus on complex presentations. Her volunteering background includes promoting wellbeing and reducing social isolation among individuals aged 12 to late 70s facing mental health concerns as well as working in psychiatric hospitals, detention centres, and schools in Sri Lanka.
Applying a gentle, empathetic, and collaborative approach, Hayley strives to foster a respectful and safe therapeutic environment. By drawing from various frameworks including Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-Based and Person-Centred approaches, she tailors her interventions to meet the unique needs of diverse client presentations.
Hayley's areas of interest encompass Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Trauma, and working with the LGBTIQA+ and Neurodivergent community.
Joanne Hions
Senior Allied Health Clinician/Registered Psychologist
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Jo is a Registered Psychologist who joined the Allied Health team in 2020. She completed her degree & Masters in Forensic Psychology in the UK before migrating to Australia and has worked for Mind Australia since 2017 in several roles. AHPRA registered and a member of the Australian Psychological Society.
Jo is warm, approachable, and empathic. Her treatment approach is person-centred and specifically tailored to meet the person's needs. She uses a combination of various evidence-based treatment interventions, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as well as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Psychotherapy, and Schema Therapy.
Jo works on the premise that greater self-awareness combined with increased self-compassion, understanding, and acceptance, results in greater quality of life and relationships.
Her interests and further development is in the area of specialising in trauma, attachment, and relationships.
Matt Johnston
Provisional Psychologist
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Matt is is a Provisional Psychologist registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), completing his final year of training. Matt joined the Mind Allied Health Team in December 2023. Before joining Mind Australia, Matt worked across the education, health, and community services sectors. He is a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS), the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc. (AAPi), and holds full registration with the Australian Society of Rehabilitation Counsellors (ASORC).
Matt’s qualifications include a Master of Professional Psychology, Latrobe University, a Bachelor of Applied Science (Psychology) (Honours), RMIT University, a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) RMIT University and a Postgraduate Diploma Rehabilition Counselling, Latrobe University.
Matt has a gentle, curious, and empathetic nature. He enjoys utilising a collaborative approach to support clients to feel safe, respected, and valued. Matt works with clients across the lifespan and utilises a variety of psychological approaches. These include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Mindfulness based approaches.
His areas of interest include Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Personality, and Men’s Health.
Eleanor Lam
Registered Psychologist
Location: Melbourne
Eleanor is a Registered Psychologist. She completed her Masters in Professional Psychology and joined the Allied Health Team at Mind Australia in January 2021. Before joining Mind Australia, Eleanor worked as a counsellor in the Help Centre of SANE Australia. She was also a volunteer phone counsellor at Griefline, supporting those who have experienced grief, loss, and trauma.
With extensive life experience, Eleanor brings maturity, openness, curiosity, warmth and empathy to her practice. She adopts a gentle, and collaborative approach to understand their experiences and support them to explore, discover, change and grow.
Eleanor has experience working with persons with anxiety disorders, mood disorders (including depression and bipolar disorder), personality disorders, physical health problems (including chronic pain and health anxiety), neurodiversity together with other significant psychological disorders (including PTSD and schizophrenia).
Eleanor uses a combination of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based approaches in her practice.
Isabelle McGovern
Registered Psychologist
Location: Brisbane, Queensland
Isabelle is generally registered with AHPRA as a Psychologist who has been working in the mental health field over the past 9 years. Isabelle has previously worked in acute mental health settings and as a counsellor at Switchboard. Isabelle’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy), Dip. Psychotherapy, Graduate Dip. Advanced Psychology, and Master of Educational and Developmental Psychology.
Prior to joining the Allied Health team, Isabelle was with Mind Australia in the area of suicide prevention and has worked extensively with people experiencing thoughts of self-harm and suicide, depression and anxiety. Isabelle is honoured to walk alongside with people who have diagnoses of Schizophrenia, Bipolar, BPD, CPTSD, ADHD, autism, and learning difficulties, and takes a neurodiversity affirming approach to support. Isabelle also works with people with chronic pain, carer fatigue, trauma, grief and loss, life transitions, relationships and issues with drugs and alcohol.
Isabelle is experienced in providing a variety of assessments and supports and draws upon ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), Schema Therapy, motivational interviewing, Mindfulness-based CBT, Buddhist psychotherapy, somatic practices, and person-centred techniques to adapt to what is most needed by her clients.
Isabelle believes cultural competency is important and has worked with people across intersectional identities, including different religions, cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, languages, rural/regional communities, sexual and gender identities, bodies, ages, and family types. Isabelle is proud to be part of the LGBTIQA+ community.
Isabelle strongly values respect, human rights, deep listening, and equal relationships.
Isabelle is available for telehealth only.
Kylie Phillips
Registered Psychologist
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Kylie is Registered Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and a member of the Australian Psychological Society (MAPS).
Kylie joined Mind’s Allied Health Team in 2021. She is experienced in working in a range of mental health services, including non-for-profit and private practice. Kylie spent several years working in crisis support and suicide prevention where she supported clients in a range of crisis situations by creating a safe space for those who require suicide prevention services, mental health support, and emotional assistance. She also looked after the mental health and wellbeing of those working within this space by providing supervision (individual, group), training, and personal development opportunities. Kylie has worked in private practice for 3 years, where she supports adolescent and adult clients with a range of clinical presentations and needs. She is experienced in providing therapeutic support in both face-to-face and telehealth settings.
Kylie is passionate about building trust and rapport with her clients and providing them with a warm, safe, and non-judgemental space in which they can explore their concerns. In her therapeutic work, Kylie takes a respectful and compassionate approach. She believes in using evidence-based treatment models to assist her clients to better understand their concerns, identify and utilise their strengths, and establish and achieve their goals.
Kylie has experience in multiple therapeutic modalities such as: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness, Person-Centred Therapy and Solution-Focused Therapy.
Kylie’s clinical interests include: Adjustment conditions (job loss, life stage, school/university, parenting), Anxiety disorders, Bipolar, Depression, Grief and loss, LGBTIQA+, Loneliness, Low self-esteem, Neurodiversity, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Personality Disorders, Relationship conflict/breakdown and Trauma and Stress-Related Disorders.