Sarah is a qualified Social Worker who started with Open Minds in 2012 as a Support Worker.  She has held various roles within Open Minds, however quickly began to specialise in complex care support. Sarah has previous experience working in a legal profession and volunteer roles supporting parents with children who have disabilities.

Sarah is our Manager - Positive Behaviour Support and continues to work with clients who have complex care needs while also providing support to our other Behaviour Support Specialists in focusing on achieving positive outcomes for all our clients. By collaborating with clients, carers, and all other stakeholders involved in the client’s life, Sarah works to develop a positive behaviour support plan. The plans Sarah writes include the agreed way to best support a client to improve their quality of life, independence, and reduce any restrictive practices that may be in place.

Sarah said: “The best part of my job is when the strategies I’ve laid out in the plan work, and I can see the client now has more choice and independence in their life.  My goal is to always focus on improving the quality of life of the people I work with, while reducing or eliminating any restrictive practices placed on the individual.”

Alicia is a qualified Social Worker with 9 years’ experience in the community setting. She has previously held roles supporting refugees and asylum seekers. 

Alicia started with Open Minds in 2014 as a Case Manager working both internally and across external organisations supporting individuals experiencing complex situations. Alicia provides internal support across Open Minds teams assisting with complex client situations. Alicia also works with clients under the NDIS receiving Improving relationship funding. This includes completing functional behavioural assessments to develop positive behaviour support plans both with and without restrictive practices.

Where possible, Alicia will always seek to gain the involvement and views of the client. Including involving the individual’s support persons throughout the plan development. Alicia provides ongoing support and involvement throughout the duration of the plan.

Alicia said: "What I love about working at Open Minds is collaborating with clients and their existing supports to reduce or eliminate restrictive practices, which ultimately means they can live a happier and more independent life."

Rebecca began working as a Support Worker in 2009 and has undertaken a variety of roles within the industry since then. This includes working as a Team Leader, NDIS Consultant, and a Care Coordinator before eventually moving into the positive behaviour support space.  

Rebecca focuses on building strong rapport and trust with customers, their guardians and support teams, and all other stakeholders to ensure a holistic and connected service. Rebecca will complete direct and indirect assessments to construct a Positive Behaviour Support Plan, and will implement strategies and monitor these throughout the duration of the plan.  

Rebecca said: “I was attracted to positive behaviour support as it allows me to provide specialised support to our customers to improve their quality of life. I can now dedicate my time to understanding our customers better and what they need from their support, and it’s always rewarding to see the plan beginning to change people’s lives for the better.”  

Tony started with Open Minds in 2017 as a Case Worker with our PHaMs program after graduating from a Bachelor of Social Work (Minor in Mental Health). Tony then went into a Specialist Support Coordinator role in early 2018, where he worked alongside clients with complex care needs. Tony recently obtained a role within the Specialist Services Team as a Complex Supports Advisor where he works closely with Managers, Team Leaders and support teams within Open Minds to provide advice and strategies to best support our most complex clients to minimise risks and improve their quality of life.

Tony is also one of our Behaviour Support Practitioners, working with clients under the NDIS in developing a Positive Behaviour Support Plan (PBSP). Tony works closely with the client and their support network to complete functional behavioural assessments to develop these plans with and without restrictive practices. Tony will also complete training with the client’s support team with implementing the strategies outlined in their PBSP’s.

Tony said: “I love to take on challenges in my job and this role can certainly give me that. The best part of my job is when I can see my client’s improving their lives and can start seeing them achieve their goals.”

Linda is the newest member of the Open Minds’ Behaviour Support Team. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge and skills built from over twenty years’ experience working within the community services sectors in New Zealand and Australia. Linda has extensive experience and skills working alongside people with an intellectual disability or dual diagnosis and providing positive behaviour support and staff training within this area.
 
Linda is passionate about person-centred individualised support that is responsive to the person’s needs and addresses the underlying causes of behaviours of concern while upholding and safeguarding the dignity and quality of life of the person. She gains great personal satisfaction and enjoys working collaboratively to achieve goals and outcomes for the person.
 
Linda’s favourite quote is:
“when we look for the reason behind behaviour (or, what the behaviour is communicating), we place ourselves in a much better position to support the person rather than simply manage behaviour. When  we support the person, we enable positive communication and greater well-being for all.” Elissa Plumridge, 2020.

Grace is a 4th year Psychology Graduate with a strong knowledge of human behaviour and a commitment to community-based health and social issues. She commenced with Open Minds in 2021 as a Support Worker and has since taken on the role of a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner after completing her Graduate Diploma in Psychology. Grace has previous experience working with adults with complex physical and mental health issues. 

By collaborating with a multidisciplinary team, Grace endeavours to undertake efficient behaviour support assessments and develop structured behaviour support plans holistically. Grace strongly promotes the use of person-centred and evidence-based behaviour support plans, allowing for clients to improve their quality of life and reach their individual goals.

Grace states, “I am passionate and motivated towards creating and maintaining inclusive services for all, with an ultimate objective to improve overall biological, psychological, and social wellbeing.”

Alexis is a 4^th year Psychology graduate with a comprehensive understanding of human behaviour and mental health. He has three years of experience building rapport and supporting young people with additional needs and complex behaviours. Alexis started with Open Minds in 2022 as a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner and strongly believes in promoting the strengths of the client and utilising empirically supported practices to help clients foster positive change in their quality of life.    

In collaboration with the wide range of allied health professionals involved in clients’ lives, Alexis aims to gain a deeper understanding of the strengths and limitations of his role as a PBSP through reflective practice. Alexis will strive to use this understanding to create more holistic, bespoke, and effective behaviour support plans which promote the clients’ strengths and support positive change.   

Alexis says “My position at Open Minds has provided me with the opportunity to use my knowledge of psychology, my creativity, and my empathy to reduce the use of restrictive practices and improve the quality of life for the people I work with through connection and understanding.”

Bianca is a registered Mental Health Counsellor holding a Bachelor of Educational Psychology and a Graduate Diploma of Counselling (Mental Health specialization). She has over 10 years experience working across the lifespan within the Education, Aged Care and Allied Health sectors.

Bianca is passionate about advocacy, education and wellbeing promotion, believing services should be holistic, strengths-based and person-centred. She focuses on building strong connections and reducing restrictive practices through collaboration, clear communication and the use of evidence-based practices.

Bianca says “Positive Behaviour Support allows me to focus on understanding and supporting our participants to work towards their goals and improve their quality of life. I hope to help everyone in our participants support network to understand their role and to work in a way that safeguards the dignity and rights of the people we care for.”