Behaviour Support is about improving quality of life and giving you positive, practical strategies to express your needs.
Our practitioners work with you to understand:
- What you want to achieve
- What your behaviours may be communicating
Together with you, your family, and your support team, we design strategies that build independence, confidence, and long‑term wellbeing. These strategies are built into our Behaviour Support Plans.
All strategies are rights‑based, transparent, and developed in genuine collaboration.
Our Behaviour Support team
Joshua
Bachelor of Psychology (honours) | Provisional Psychologist
Joshua is a Behaviour Support Practitioner with more than eight years’ experience in the disability sector. While studying at university, he began working as a Support Worker to gain on‑the‑ground experience with the people he hoped to support as a psychologist. During his time in that role, Joshua identified opportunities for change that could significantly improve the lives of the individuals he supported. Five years ago, he moved into Behaviour Support after realising it would give him the platform to drive those changes.
Joshua’s work is holistic in nature, focusing on supporting individuals across their entire lifespan rather than solely addressing behaviours of concern. His approach involves spending meaningful time with individuals and their support networks to gain a comprehensive understanding of how best to assist them in achieving their goals. Joshua finds comfort and a strong sense of accomplishment in seeing the people he supports reach new milestones and continue building their personal skills.
Margarita
Registered Nurse Grade 1
Margarita began her journey in the disability sector six years ago as a way to earn money while completing her university studies to become a Registered Nurse in the cosmetic surgery field. She quickly discovered that working as a Support Worker was far more rewarding, as she was making a meaningful difference in the lives of people with disability. After seeing that Behaviour Support Practitioners had an even greater opportunity to create positive change, she made the switch and finally discovered what it felt like to work in her dream job.
Margarita’s approach to behaviour support centres on building strong rapport with each individual, enabling her to develop a deep and meaningful understanding of them as people. This insight allows her to create tailored support plans and share that understanding with support workers, families, employers, and educators so they can collaborate effectively to meet the individual’s needs.
Angela
Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)
Angela is a Behaviour Support Practitioner with more than four years’ experience in the NDIS sector, including two years in roles such as Support Worker, administration assistant at a psychology clinic, and team member at an inclusive sensory play centre for people with disabilities. When she joined the Behaviour Support team at Sylvanvale two years ago, it was with a desire to continue making a meaningful difference in peoples’ lives. Drawing on her experience working with young children, she now leads the Mikarie Playgroup as the Clinical Services representative, providing tools, resources, and advice to parents of children aged 0–5 who are behind on their key developmental milestones.
Angela values seeing the positive impact her work has not only on the individuals she supports but also on their families and broader support networks. She believes that when an individual feels confident and supported, their families also experience relief, both knowing their loved one is receiving the right support and gaining the knowledge and tools to better support them themselves.
Ariana
Bachelor of Psychological and Social Sciences (current) | Bachelor of Arts (Criminology)
Ariana’s journey to becoming a Behaviour Support Practitioner began while she was working as a youth officer in juvenile detention. During this time, she developed a passion for supporting vulnerable young people and wanted to find a way to offer that support in a more preventative capacity. This led her to the disability sector two years ago, where she recognised Behaviour Support as a meaningful way to provide individuals with the tools and guidance they need.
Ariana places strong emphasis on enhancing the day‑to‑day lives and routines of the people she supports, helping them build confidence and independence both at home and within their communities. Her work spans small but significant milestones, such as supporting someone to use public transport independently for the first time, as well as larger aspirations, like helping make a dream trip to Disneyland a reality.
Amber
Bachelor of Psychology | Bachelor of Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Amber joined the disability sector five years ago while studying a Bachelor of Business at university. She quickly realised she enjoyed disability work far more than the prospect of a desk job, prompting her to change degrees so she could continue support work while engaging more deeply in meaningful, people‑focused work.
A year ago, she transitioned into her current role as a Behaviour Support Practitioner, focusing on supporting individuals across a range of environments to ensure their needs are met in all areas of life.
Amber is committed to a multidisciplinary approach by collaborating closely with each person’s therapists and key support networks. She believes the most effective Behaviour Support comes from being on the ground with the individual because it’s difficult to fully understand someone’s behaviour without seeing the environment in which they live.
Rosie
Bachelor of Psychology
Rosie’s journey into the disability sector was inspired by a desire to follow in her brother’s footsteps. She began by joining her school’s volunteer programs with students from Bates Drive School before joining Sylvanvale as a Behaviour Support Practitioner a year ago. Rosie recognised Behaviour Support as an opportunity to continue supporting people while applying the skills she developed through her Bachelor of Psychology.
Her approach to Behaviour Support focuses on helping people with disabilities live their best lives, recognising that when individuals are engaged and happy, they often rely less on behaviours to express their needs. Rosie finds it especially rewarding to witness the visible relief of the people she supports, particularly those who cannot verbally communicate, when the guidance she provides to Support Workers results in care that better aligns with each individual’s needs.