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The Connecting Health Team provides therapy and consultations, working in teams to coordinate best practice outcomes. We work directly with Ability Options participants in accommodation, on community and lifestyles programs and with transition to work students.

We also offer skills development, training and psycho-educational sessions. With programs designed based on your organisation’s needs, we can conduct training at your location or at our offices, in group or individual sessions.

We are allied health practitioners made up of the following professions. Allied health professionals can work in schools, homes, kindergartens, community, private practice, rehabilitation services, mental health community settings, hospitals, defence forces, prisons, government and many other places.

The end point of seeing any Connecting Health Team member should be about a happier, healthier you.

Psychologists

Work directly with people who can be seeking to address areas in their life such as life coaching, goal setting, mental health challenges, behavioural concerns, learning difficulties, substance abuse, chronic illness and change management in life. Seeing a psychologist is less about diagnosing something that is happening, than working through in a way that works for you what is happening, where you want or need to be and how to get there. Psychologists can deliver varied direct therapies including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Brief Solution Focussed Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

Speech Pathologists/Therapists

Assess and treat people who have a communication concerns. This might be about communicating to others, or understanding other people. We work with people who might need advice from birth, through to providing very specialist services for those with complex communication needs stemming from conditions present from birth. The way we work with people depends on what they need from us, however we do have practical exercises, short and long term therapy options and activities you can do at home.

Physiotherapists

Work to prevent and manage physical concerns people have from birth through to aging. These can be issues people have been born with or issues that have arisen through illness, accident, or general life. We assess what your needs are, work with you on goals and help using techniques such as joint and muscle manipulation, strengthening, massage, acupuncture, prescription of aids such as crutches, and educating people about how their bodies can work even better.

Occupational Therapists

Seek to enable people to actively participate in their activities of daily life – at home, in the community, and at work. This can be done through modification of spaces or equipment, or working directly with the person and or organisations to reach goals.  Occupational Therapists have many skills that can be used to enhance people’s lives either after something has happened to impact your life such as an injury, or for everyday living needs.

 

Who else do the Connecting Health Team work with?

We often work with Doctors, Psychiatrists and Specialists to assist people in reaching their goals. Sometimes people who see us want to work with someone closer, already have someone they have been seeing or need to see other people for different reasons in their life. We have a great network of people to refer to in different locations, plus a strong track record of working with other allied health professionals and in the community.

Transdisciplinary or multidisciplinary?

You may have seen some discussion about these 2 approaches. Ability Options work in the Transdisciplinary methodology. Read more about what that means and how it works in practice.

Meet our Team

  • Lily Smolinski

    Behavioural Specialist

    As a consultant for Transition to Work, Lily joined the clinical team last year and has a background in counselling. Lily’s interests include research about mental health and its relation to crime. She enjoys working and helping young people with disabilities to develop their skills, and supports them in achieving their work-related goals.

  • Winnie Chong

    Registered Psychologist

    Winnie is a registered psychologist with over 9 years of experience in clinical environments, disability employment, rehabilitation, mental health and disability services in both outreach and residential settings. She has worked in a variety of settings including telephone and face to face counselling, practical support and case management, group facilitating and training, as well as in consultancy roles. Winnie specialises in areas including chronic mental health issues, behaviour intervention support, perinatal counselling, vocational counselling, and relationship issues, to name a few. Winnie is a certified trainer as well as a registered Circle of Security Parenting educator.

  • Natasha Drozdoff

    Psychologist

    Natasha is a registered psychologist with over 7 years of experience working in; vocational rehabilitation, disability employment services, transition to work, mental health, supported accommodation, intelligence assessments and delivery of Medicare services, in both corporate and not for profit organisations. Natasha has worked in a variety of settings including face to face counselling, private consultation, practical support and case management, group facilitating and training. Natasha specialises in areas including; pain management, behaviour intervention support, vocational counselling and anxiety/depression counselling. Natasha is a certified trainer as well as a WorkCover accredited practitioner.

  • Fernanda Murialdo

    Group Psychologist

    Fernanda Murialdo is the Community Lifestyles psychologist working across the lifespan. Fernanda is a registered psychologist with extensive experience working with adults, youth and children. Fernanda specialises with developmental difficulties and disabilities within the 0-8 age range. Further, Fernanda is trained in parenting (predominantly in youth populations), pregnancy support and Autism. Being a certified trainer, Fernanda provides workshops on development, positive programming and sensory integration, parenting groups, attachment theory and practices as well as run client based groups such as Walk the Talk - sensory groups to help emotional regulation in “Aged” populations, parenting and play groups.

  • Kimberly Mulder

    Therapy Team Leader & Speech Pathologist

    Kimberly has experience working with children who have developmental delay, and adults diagnosed with an intellectual disability. She has experience working with people with complex communication needs including people diagnosed with Autism, Cerebral Palsy and Down Syndrome. Experienced in working with iPads, PODDs, PECS, visuals, speech, language and swallowing; Kimberly is a Key Word Sign Presenter and Hanen certified Speech Pathologist.

  • Maria Hamidi

    Child Psychologist

    Maria is a registered psychologist who has diverse experience working with children, adolescents and adults presenting with a range of emotional and behavioural problems. She is passionate about providing informed therapy and interventions that build psychological skills and facilitate resilience in children, adolescents, and their families. Maria is also skilled in administering and reporting on a range of cognitive, academic and diagnostic assessments. She updates her knowledge and skills regularly through relevant professional development training to ensure up to date evidence-based care.

  • Theodore Simos

    Vocational Counsellor

    Theo is our Vocational Counsellor working mainly across our employment division, as well as sharing some of his time with the accommodation sector. Theo is a provisionally registered psychologist who has industry specific experience in vocational counselling stemming from his previous role as a rehabilitation case manager/counsellor working in occupational rehabilitation. Theo provides vocational counselling to clients in order to assist in heightening intrinsic motivation and return to work outcomes for those with injuries, disabilities and miscellaneous other barriers which may impact upon achieving sustainability and vitality in employment.

  • Marina Zhu

    Vocational Counsellor

    Marina is a vocational counsellor working across the employment division in the Ryde area. She is a provisionally registered psychologist with vocational experience from previous roles as a rehabilitation counsellor in an occupational rehabilitation setting. Marina has also worked with families and children with disabilities and has a special interest in researching the link between mental health and functional symptoms.

  • Annie McKenzie

    Speech Pathologist

    Anne McKenzie is a Speech Pathologist with experience in early intervention and educational settings. She enjoys working with children and adults with speech, language and swallowing difficulties. Specific areas of interest include Augmentative and Alternative Communication, disability services, adult dysphagia and the development of social skills. Anne is passionate about providing functional, motivating therapy to help her clients fulfill their potential and achieve their goals. Anne is a Hanen certified Speech Pathologist and is committed to continuing professional development and evidence based practice.

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