Behaviour support practitioner
Denise is a Registered Behaviour Support Practitioner and mental health social worker based in Ipswich. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work with Honours from Griffith University and is completing a Master of Perinatal and Infant Mental Health at Federation University. Before social work, Denise spent more than a decade in early childhood education, so she brings a deep understanding of how people develop and how behaviour grows out of relationships and environment.
As a mental health social worker, Denise has supported adults, young people, children and families living with psychosocial disability and mental health concerns, at home, at school and in the community. Her assessment work includes biopsychosocial and functional capacity assessments using tools such as the Vineland-3 and ABAS. Her therapeutic work draws on CBT, ACT, DBT, and solution-focused and play-based approaches. She also has a special interest in perinatal and infant mental health, supporting parents through pregnancy and the early years, and her practice is shaped by attachment theory and Circle of Security. Earlier in her career she worked as a disability support worker, which helps her write strategies that make sense to the people using them every day.
In behaviour support, Denise completes functional behaviour assessments and behaviour support plans. She works alongside the person, their family, support workers, schools and other professionals so that everyone understands the plan and uses it consistently. Her approach is trauma informed, neuroaffirming and grounded in human rights, with a focus on reducing and eliminating restrictive practices. Denise practises under weekly clinical supervision within our psychologist-led team, in line with the NDIS Commission's Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework.