PBSS was established in 2020 by two forensic psychologists who believed that together they could have a genuine impact on the sector and the community. Jess and Luke have extensive experience working in a range of community and custodial forensic settings and share the vision that people can be respectfully supported to modify problematic patterns of behaviour, while increasing their prosocial engagement in a collaborative and safe way.
Senior Forensic Psychologist
About Luke
Luke is a forensic psychologist with over 10 years of experience, known for his genuine curiosity and humanistic approach. Throughout his career, he has worked across a variety of public and private forensic settings; tendering court reports, delivering individual and group therapy in prisons and private practice, and providing organisation-wide clinical guidance to not-for-profits.
Luke has an honest, warm approach to working with others, including his clients, supervisees, and colleagues. A member of the APS Forensic College and stepping up to fill the role of Acting Treasurer just two years after his appointment to Gellibrand’s Board of Directors in 2019, Luke’s enthusiasm is contagious and his passion for sharing his knowledge is evident in every conversation he has. He has delivered training for many services, including prisons across Victoria, Forensic Intervention Services, Deakin University, the Institute for Social Neuroscience, the Royal Children’s Hospital, and the Australian Psychological Society.
A charismatic leader often described as a salt-of-the-earth type of guy, Luke co-founded PBSS in 2020, where he currently balances his love for therapy with his passion for influencing the sector to adopt sensible and evidence-based practices. He has particular expertise in providing individual and group therapy to people with complex personality problems who pose a high risk of harm toward others.
Specialisations & Interests: Court Reports, Group Therapy & Group Dynamics, Training Facilitation, Understanding Personality Problems
Senior Forensic Psychologist
About Jess
Jess is a forensic psychologist, known for her engaging and down-to-earth approach. A member of the APS Forensic College, she has 10 years of experience tendering reports to court and working in correctional and disability settings, having worked across Australia in prisons, community not-for-profits, and forensic private practices.
Jess is passionate about human rights, throughout her career assisting many organisations and care teams to reduce unnecessary restrictions on the rights of people with disabilities. An expert in the forensic disability field, Jess loves adapting traditional therapy techniques to make them accessible for people with cognitive impairment, often drawing on principles of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Forensic Schema Therapy.
Jess has particular expertise in assessing and managing complex problem behaviours, such as fire-lighting and sexual offending. Jess co-authored a book chapter on forensic risk assessment and is continuing her research at Bond University through her PhD on risk assessment in sexual offending.
A practitioner at heart, Jess strongly believes that all people should be treated with respect and dignity regardless of their background. In 2020, Jess co-founded PBSS where she currently balances her passion to improve knowledge of problem behaviour management and intervention in the sector with her love for supporting clinicians to reach their potential.
Specialisations & Interests: Court Reports, Forensic Schema Therapy, Risk Assessment & Management, Fire-lighting & Sexual Offending Behaviour
Principal Practitioner &
Senior Clinical Psychologist
About Andy
Andy is a clinical psychologist with over twenty-five years of experience in delivering assessment and treatment services to complex and high-risk clients with mental illness. Andy’s clinical experience has included adolescents and adults diagnosed with anxiety, mood, psychotic, and personality disorders or who have committed crimes against others. Prior to joining the team at PBSS, Andy was an integral member of Forensic Intervention Services, delivering treatment and consultancy primarily through his role as a Senior Clinician in the High Risk and Complex Needs team. He is registered with the Psychology Board of Australia, a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and its Clinical College and is trained in Gestalt Therapy.
A perfect fit for PBSS, Andy has a particular interest in making therapeutic experiences accessible. In his role as Principal Practitioner, he oversees our dedicated Clinical and Forensic Services Team, supporting the practice and development of PBSS Clinicians. Andy looks forward to bringing the varieties of research evidence, psychotherapy knowledge and behavioural science for the benefit of everybody.
Specialisations & Interests: Psychosis, Atypical Offending Behaviour, Systems & Psychodynamic Approaches
Psychologist &
Behaviour Support Practitioner
About Brigette
Brigette is a provisional psychologist who is a few weeks short of completing her Master of Clinical Psychology. Brigette has previous experience working as a clinician in a primary school, where she worked collaboratively with students and their families to assist with a variety of mental health concerns. She also has experience in private work, working across age groups and a variety of presentations.
Brigette works in a collaborative manner to help in understanding people’s unique stories and develop a shared understanding of their difficulties and goals. Brigette enjoys working with a variety of presentations, with her special interests including trauma, autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and borderline personality disorder.
Special Interests: Dual Diagnosis & Assessment of Atypical Presentations
Provisional Psychologist &
Behaviour Support Practitioner
About Bianka
Bianka is a diligent and warm provisional psychologist currently completing her Master of Professional Psychology. Her natural curiosity about the underlying functions of problem behaviours influences her systematic style of undertaking assessments and delivering effective psychological interventions.
Bianka’s holistic view of clients and their care teams developed through her experiences working in private practice, community mental health, and hospital settings. She is passionate about working with complex presentations; drawing from trauma-informed and person-centred frameworks to develop an understanding of a client’s needs and goals.
Bianka is highly motivated, and her enthusiasm for psychological intervention is evident in her tireless efforts to help people overcome their difficulties and create meaning in their lives.
Special Interests: Schema Therapy for Psychosis & Trauma
Provisional Psychologist &
Behaviour Support Practitioner
About Liam
Liam is a provisional psychologist who has almost completed his Master of Clinical Psychology. He has provided psychological support and treatment across various presentations and in numerous settings including private practice, primary schools, and forensic and disability services. He also has experience working with people who commit sexual offences and young people with mental health problems.
Liam is a compassionate and supportive psychologist who has a keen interest in addiction studies and treatment, having completed two research theses on the cognitive and behavioural underpinnings of substance dependence. Liam is excited to bring his knowledge and training to his colleagues and other professionals, and passionately supports his clients to achieve their goals.
Special Interests: Assessment & Evaluation Reports for Courts
Provisional Psychologist & Behaviour Support Practitioner
About Natalie
Natalie Wilson is an engaging and compassionate provisional psychologist, who is dedicated to advocating for her client’s voice to be heard. Natalie takes a person-centred approach, tailoring therapy and intervention to individual needs and circumstances and enjoys working collaboratively as part of a care team to empower each client to build their capacity and work towards their best outcome. She is an experienced positive behaviour support practitioner, with a background in psychological assessment and intervention in forensic settings with clients demonstrating complex and challenging behaviours.
Natalie is passionate about promoting client choice, utilising evidence-based approaches and incorporating elements of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Schema Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing into her practice.
Special Interests: Assessment & Evaluation Reports for Courts
Behaviour Support Practitioner
About Marta
Marta is a passionate practitioner, with a PhD in psychology and over 5 years of working as a psychologist in Europe. She has extensive experience treating people with a range of disabilities who engage in complex behaviours of concern, using a holistic approach to support her clients. Marta has collaborated with representatives from foreign governments to conduct research on the impact of sport on resilience in people with disabilities.
A lead resilience trainer, she has supported more than 700 stakeholders after an adverse event. Marta is a member of the Perinatal Mental Health Network, promoted by the Reference Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health of the National Institute of Health in Italy.
Special Interests: Trauma, Realistic Approaches to Intervention, Integration of Research & Practice
Provisional Psychologist & Behaviour Support Practitioner
About Patricia
Patricia is a provisional psychologist currently completing her Master of Clinical Psychology. She has had experience providing psychological interventions across various clinical and forensic settings, including community clinics, primary schools, and correctional settings.
Within these contexts, Patricia has co-facilitated group intervention programs, provided individual treatment for people of all ages, worked alongside a range of stakeholders to reduce the incidence of problem behaviour, and developed her proficiency in the use of psychometric measurement tools to assess and understand people’s cognitive capacity.
Patricia thoroughly enjoys finding novel and effective ways to build rapport with her clients and is particularly passionate about relaying content using creative mediums to ensure they are accessible for her clients.
Special Interests: Deficits in Memory, the Development of False Memories
Provisional Psychologist & Behaviour Support Practitioner
About Alisha
Alisha is a provisional psychologist with a Master of Counselling and is currently completing her Master of Clinical Psychology. Before joining PBSS, she worked at a high school providing counselling and implementing strategies and behaviour management plans to support students with mental health concerns. She also has experience as a support worker and facilitating group programs.
Alisha has a range of experience working collaboratively as part of a care team to get the best outcome for clients. Alisha has a particular interest in helping people improve their emotional self-regulation by increasing their understanding of thoughts, feelings, and behaviour, and enjoys assisting others to build their capacity through learning and applying new skills.
Special Interests: Working with Children & Young People
Provisional Psychologist & Behaviour Support Practitioner
About Wesam
Wesam is an approachable and adaptable provisional psychologist who prioritises building rapport with clients and their care teams. Wesam has six years of diverse experience in people-centric roles and is curious about the complexities of human behaviour.
Wesam has garnered an extensive skillset in providing clinical services to individuals across the lifespan, especially young individuals presenting with symptoms of anxiety and anger. Wesam considers all facets of the human experience and aims to help the client gain perspective into their unique situation and presenting problems. He adopts a holistic approach when supporting clients, taking into account their physical, emotional, social and spiritual well-being.
Wesam has a strong desire to empower and provide professional clinical support to minority populations using elements of evidence based and person-centred interventions, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Family Systems Therapy.
Special Interests: Systems & Psychodynamic Approaches, Trauma, Working with Children and Young people
Provisional Psychologist & Behaviour Support Practitioner
About Iswa
Iswa Chaudhry is a provisional psychologist, currently completing her Doctorate of Clinical and Forensic Psychology. She possesses experience in a range of clinical and forensic settings, including community clinics, tertiary mental health and correctional facilities. Within the forensic setting, Iswa has experience in delivering forensic treatment and evaluation to clients who demonstrate entrenched complex and challenging behaviours. She also has an extensive experience working with complex youth with disability in an educational setting.
As a provisional psychologist, Iswa’s practice is grounded in a person-centred and strength-based approach to mental health. She is focused on integrating various evidence-based therapeutic approaches to offer a holistic intervention that is suited to the client’s needs. Iswa also holds a particular interest in providing culturally sensitive interventions and treatment, due to her experience in working with culturally and linguistically diverse youth.
Special Interests: Iswa is proficient in prominent South-Asian languages including Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi
Office Administrator
About Faye
Faye has always had an interest in all aspects of medicine, working as a practice manager for many years. She trained with AGPAL and performed accreditations for many and varied practices. Faye obtained a Nursing degree as a mature age student and was thrilled to find herself working in various day procedure units. Faye has worked for nearly 10 years performing workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing and Education Sessions. In May 2022, Faye was offered a full time position with PBSS and is thrilled to be part of the PBSS family.
Acccounts Manager
About Jackie
Prior to taking on the Accounts Manager position with PBSS, Jackie was employed as Head Teller and Loans Officer for the Commonwealth Bank. Jackie loves working with numbers and financial data. Jackie has had multiple businesses within the building trade and has worked in telemarketing. The mother of two boys, Jackie is thrilled to be a part of the PBSS family, finds her job extremely rewarding and is always available for anyone on the team who needs her.
Special interests: Golf, helping other people
Senior Occupational Therapist
About Nejla
A registered occupational therapist and behaviour support practitioner, Nejla is a senior clinician with over a decade of diverse experience across disability, mental health, education, and forensic settings, and also holds postgraduate qualifications in counselling. She is passionate about positive behaviour support and is skilled in working with clients who live with complex needs, including those who are in touch with the criminal justice system.
Prior to her role with PBSS, Nejla developed a successful pilot program for women in custody living with cognitive impairment, who also presented with complex and high-risk behaviours. She has a special interest in cognitive impairment, mental health, and dual disability, and often utilises creative mediums to facilitate engagement with her clients.
Nejla oversees the development of our Bendigo expansion, committed to ensuring that people living across the Loddon Mallee have access to high-quality clinical intervention and specialised support. Nejla is described by others as warm, supportive, and non-judgmental in her approach.
Psychologist &
Behaviour Support Practitioner
About Vanessa
Vanessa is a psychologist with extensive experience in disability, complex trauma, family services, out of home care and forensic settings. Most recently Vanessa presented both nationally and internationally regarding behavioural and therapeutic approaches for people who have experienced family violence and the systems that support them. Vanessa is passionate about inclusivity and ensuring every person can get access to quality therapeutic services that meet their needs.
