Behaviour support practitioner
Nicole is one of our behaviour support practitioners on the Sunshine Coast. She is based in the Coolum and Peregian area and works across the northern end of the Coast, from Noosa down to Maroochydore. She is completing her Bachelor of Psychology with Honours at the University of the Sunshine Coast, and she came to behaviour support after more than eight years working directly with people with disability.
In those years Nicole supported people with psychosocial, neurological and cognitive support needs, at home and out in the community. She put behaviour support plans into practice herself and worked day to day alongside families, support coordinators, psychologists, occupational therapists and speech pathologists. That gives her a clear sense of what makes a strategy work in everyday life, and what tends to get in the way.
As a behaviour support practitioner, Nicole works with the person and the people around them to understand what their behaviour is telling us. She brings careful observation, thoughtful assessment and a strong focus on understanding context, and she writes plans that families and support workers can actually use. Her approach is person centred, strengths based and trauma informed, with a strong focus on participant voice, autonomy and meaningful choice, while building skills and reducing restrictive practices. Nicole practises under weekly clinical supervision within our psychologist-led team, in line with the NDIS Commission's Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework.
When she isn't working, you'll most likely find Nicole in the surf or spending time with her family.