SCPA NSW Annual Awards

Practitioner of the Year (Sponsored by NSW Education)

In addition to the general criteria, the Practitioner of the Year nomination must address how the nominee:

• Criterion One: Demonstrates admirable professional practice in their role as School Counsellor or School Psychologist.
• Criterion Two: Develops and maintains strong collaborative relationships within school communities, peer networks or multidisciplinary teams to promote positive student wellbeing and mental health outcomes.

2024 Finalists

Jessica Cook

Jess exemplifies admirable professional practice in her role as a school counsellor through her proactive and impactful approach to supporting neurodivergent students and enhancing classroom environments. Recognising the challenges faced by these students, Jess took the initiative to develop and deliver professional learning (PL) sessions focused on universal design principles, including sensory accommodations. Her PL sessions, delivered to whole school communities conducted across six schools (approx. 500 participants total), have been met with exceptional feedback, highlighting her ability to translate complex concepts into actionable strategies that educators can implement effectively. Jess’ approachability and benevolence are key to her professional practice. She engages with staff in a way that makes the content not only accessible but also relatable, fostering an environment where educators feel empowered to make meaningful changes in their classrooms. The real impact of her work is evident in the positive transformations within the classrooms she has influenced, where students benefit from a more inclusive and supportive learning environment. Beyond her work with staff, Jess’ professional practice is characterised by her deep commitment to advocacy and relationship-building. She collaborates extensively with external practitioners, parents, and ICAMHS to ensure that students receive the comprehensive support they need. Her ability to build strong, trusting relationships with these stakeholders is a testament to her dedication and professionalism. Moreover, Jess’ relationships with students are exemplary. She is deeply invested in their wellbeing and has earned their trust and respect through her consistent support and advocacy. Her work not only addresses the immediate needs of students but also contributes to their long-term wellbeing, making Jess a standout practitioner in her field.

Jess has shown exceptional ability in developing and maintaining strong collaborative relationships within her school communities, peer networks, and multidisciplinary teams, all aimed at supporting student wellbeing and mental health. Working across multiple schools, Jess has engaged deeply with colleagues, fostering a collaborative environment where teachers, staff, and external practitioners work together to identify and address the needs of neurodivergent students. Her collaboration with teachers has been particularly impactful, as she has facilitated discussions to uncover classroom challenges that contribute to adverse student behaviour. Through these discussions, Jess has not only identified the needs but also worked hand-in-hand with staff to create practical strategies and interventions. This has led to the delivery of highly effective professional learning (PL) sessions on universal design principles which were based on real needs identified through her collaborative efforts. The positive feedback from these sessions reflects the trust and respect she has garnered within these school communities. Jess’ relationships extend beyond the school walls. She has established strong partnerships with external practitioners, including those from ICAMHS, ensuring a holistic approach to student support. By working closely with these professionals, Jess ensures that students receive comprehensive care that addresses both their academic and emotional needs. Her collaboration with parents is equally significant. By building strong, trusting relationships with families, Jess creates a unified support network that reinforces student wellbeing both at school and at home. This is significant especially when working with parents from diverse backgrounds, in low SES areas, to help to support their young people. This multi-layered approach, centred on collaboration and non-judgemental attitude, has been instrumental in promoting positive mental health outcomes across the school communities Jess serves.

Sandra Bowden

Sandra exemplifies exceptional professional practice daily, supporting students, schools, and communities with the highest levels of integrity and commitment. She is a vital member of her schools, earning great respect from both teaching staff and her school counselling colleagues. Sandra aligns her professional psychological goals with the needs of her schools, focusing on their wellbeing objectives. This year, Sandra concentrated on addressing school refusal by developing and presenting professional learning for teaching staff, which complements the NSW Department of Education’s focus on attendance. Furthermore, Sandra participates in the attendance team at her school to develop whole school wellbeing objectives. Additionally, last year, she created Trauma-Informed professional development for her schools, incorporating strategies for self-care into the training. Sandra’s expertise in ACT Therapy is highly valued by her colleagues, and she has actively contributed to professional learning through SPE Group Supervision and offering opportunities for her peers to observe her practice. She applies her therapeutic knowledge effectively in her work with young students and maintains the highest standards in psychological assessment and reporting. Sandra has also offered invaluable guidance and support to her peers, especially in working with young people with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 3, attending Specialist Support Programs (SSPs). Her understanding of severe disabilities has been evident in serious incidents. On three notable occasions, Sandra provided empathetic and sensitive support to staff, families, and students during times of tragedy, grief, and loss. Sandra’s advice during major stakeholder meetings due to the serious incidents in the SSP has been both sound and impactful, prioritising the needs and wellbeing of students in every discussion and decision. Finally, Sandra’s commitment to her students, school community and staff was recognized this year by her primary school.  Sandra received a Public Education Award.

Sandra's contributions to school counselling and student wellbeing are truly exceptional and reflect her commitment to school counselling. Sandra’s expertise in ACT Therapy is recognised by LPP teams. LPP teams have actively sought Sandra’s expertise to deliver ACT Therapy professional learning. In 2023, Sandra (and her husband Tim Bowden) delivered ACT Therapy training for the Tamworth LPP.  In previous years, Sandra has generously presented ACT Therapy to the Central Coast Network of School Counselling. Her passion and commitment to sharing her knowledge and advancing therapeutic techniques is demonstrated by her generosity in providing professional learning opportunities for all, with the final goal towards improving student wellbeing outcomes. Also, to ensure all teaching staff are more knowledgeable in their understanding of mental health, Sandra dedicated her time to becoming a trainer to deliver Mental Health modules for the NSW Department of Education in 2023. Sandra's presence and visibility at Bateau Bay Public School is a cornerstone of her community involvement. Her daily interactions with students and parents, coupled with her targeted support for those with separation anxiety, underscore her invaluable role in fostering a supportive school environment. Her efforts not only help students remain in school but also contribute significantly to their overall wellbeing. Every year, Sandra commits to boosting mental health awareness during Mental Health Week, and depending on the theme, will ensure her colleagues are shown how valued they are, and provides strategies related to supporting self and others' mental health. However, Sandra not only ensures mental health week is a focus, but takes the time to provide collaborative, fun activities for her teaching colleagues to improve morale, and create a sense of connection and belonging for staff throughout the year.

Alex Watts

Through Alex’s time in the school counselling service she has been an invaluable resource to all those that she works with. She upholds exemplary professional practice. All processes are followed to the highest standards. Her integrity and down to earth approach with staff, students and families means that she is trusted by everyone around her. She skillfully utilises a huge range of assessment tools to identify student needs and is generous with beginning counsellors, sharing her knowledge with whoever has a desire to learn. She spent some time on the Western Sydney school counselling professional learning committee making sure that the needs of the service were met when it came to professional development. Alex has a wealth of experience as a psychologist across the public sector and is able to bring that into tailoring strategies and intervention to the unique needs of each student, family and school. Alex currently works in a variety of schools including an SSP for those with moderate to severe intellectual disability and an Education Training Unit (ETU) which is a school within a Youth Justice Centre. In these schools, collaborating with external agencies is key and Alex has built strong networks with agencies to support the needs of students in these unique educational settings. Alex has taken an active role in mentoring provisional psychologists as both a primary and secondary board-approved supervisor for those on Werrington school counselling team. Alex is continuously looking for ways to keep up to date with the advancements in the field of psychology so that she can stay relevant and evidence-based. She exemplifies the best of the school counselling service and is an outstanding professional in the field of school psychology.

Alex has cultivated an environment of open communication and mutual respect among staff, students, and parents across all her schools. She has organised regular meetings with teachers and administrators to address student needs, ensuring that all parties are united in their efforts to promote student wellbeing. Her collaborative approach has helped establish a school counselling culture where students feel supported and understood. Alex has played a key role in developing and maintaining partnerships with external mental health professionals. By coordinating with local psychologists, social workers, and healthcare providers, she has created a robust support network for students, enabling timely interventions and consistent follow-up care. Her ability to link school resources with external services has resulted in more comprehensive care plans that address both academic and emotional needs. Alex frequently collaborates with school psychologists, special education staff, and fellow counsellors to develop and implement individualised support plans. Her ability to listen, exchange insights, and incorporate feedback from various professionals has led to more effective interventions and improved student outcomes. Additionally, Alex actively engages in peer networks, attending workshops and conferences to share best practices with her counselling team and learn from others in the field. Her dedication to collaboration extends beyond the school environment, as she continuously seeks opportunities to connect with and learn from the broader professional community.

Montana Wood

As a Senior Psychologist Education, Montana consistently demonstrates admirable professional practice in her role by providing exceptional support and leadership to her team of school counsellors and psychologists. Recognising the critical need for better understanding and support for young children transitioning into school, Montana took the initiative to advance her skills in assessment methods. This proactive effort ensures that families and their children receive the appropriate guidance and resources for a successful start to their education. Her dedication has led to lasting, positive changes for numerous children and families, setting a benchmark for excellence in school-based psychological practices. Montana is also adept at managing team dynamics, fostering a collaborative and respectful environment while leveraging the expertise of previous Senior Psychologists. Her approach encourages continuous improvement, skill development, and the effective functioning of the team. Montana’s unwavering commitment to enhancing community support systems and promoting best practices exemplifies her outstanding contribution to student wellbeing and mental health.

Montana consistently develops and maintains strong collaborative relationships within her school communities and multidisciplinary teams to promote positive student wellbeing and mental health outcomes. She leverages her advanced technological skills to enhance the efficiency of her team, integrating tools such as DCS processes, iPads for streamlined note-taking, and Excel spreadsheets for generating data-driven reports. Montana demonstrates exceptional capability in navigating and managing complex relationship dynamics within schools, adopting a hands-on approach when supporting team members with challenging cases to ensure both effective service delivery and the wellbeing of her colleagues. Her collaborative practice ensures that other counsellors can maintain best practices across the school environment. Montana is readily available for consultation on best practices, including the review of assessment data to inform interpretations of adaptive behaviour outcomes. She is eager to share her expertise and actively supports the professional growth of her peers, including participating in the Provisional Psychologist Support Group and organising personality assessment training sessions. She encourages team members to pursue advanced certifications such as Adv PPF and advocates for adopting up-to-date assessment practices, ensuring the team's approach remains current.

2024 nominees:

• Roula Poretsanos
• Melissa Nicholls
• Olivia Spohr

Early Career Practitioner of the Year

In addition to the general criteria, the Early Career Practitioner of the Year must have less than three years’ experience in school counselling or psychology. The nomination must address how the nominee:

• Criterion One: As an early career applicant, demonstrates strong professional practice in their role as School Counsellor or School Psychologist.
• Criterion Two: Develops collaborative relationships within school communities, peer networks or multidisciplinary teams to promote positive student wellbeing and mental health.

2024 Finalists

Calvin Yu

Calvin joined the school counselling service in May 2022 having completed his Master of Educational Psychology at the University of Melbourne. As an early career psychologist, fluent in Mandarin and Japanese, Calvin services Baulkham Hills Selective High School (including a large support unit for students with autism and intellectual disability) and both primary and high schools in the Hills District of Northwestern Sydney. Calvin consistently demonstrates professional proficiency with skill, compassion and humility in a way that is valued and acknowledged across all the schools he provides service. Calvin is valued by his schools for the way in which he applies his knowledge and skills to support all students, within both the support unit and mainstream, their parents and carers, and the school community, along their educational journey. Calvin demonstrates an ability to support students, families and schools to navigate complex and sensitive matters in a way that fosters connection and understanding. His unique capacity to conceptualise cases, identify students’ needs and meet families ‘where they are at’ has enabled him to be innovative, collaborative and consistent in the support he provides. Calvin demonstrates an unwavering and flexible approach in his daily practice and has become integral to the school wellbeing team's ability to target support and intervention at individual, whole school and community levels, cognisant of the unique needs of Baulkham Hills High School.

Most recently Calvin has provided targeted support for a young person enrolled in the support class with complex behavioural and learning support needs. Calvin has demonstrated the power of ‘little moments, lasting change’ to work with the student, their family, external clinicians, NDIS providers, learning and wellbeing teams, teaching and school executive. Through his determination to make a difference, Calvin has identified unique and practical interventions, for both implementation at school and at home supporting meaningful behaviour change whilst simultaneously addressing complex needs for a student with neurodiversity and emerging mental health concerns. This has involved consistent communication and consultation with the student, parent, expert clinicians and support services within the NSW Department of Education. Calvin has consulted with key staff members to develop behaviour support plans, risk assessments, and communications for casual staff (ensuring they are able to provide continuity of care and support). Additionally, Calvin has facilitated referral to specialist clinicians following liaison with the student’s clinical team and has sensitively navigated the complexity and demands experienced by the parent as carer for multiple children with additional needs. Throughout this journey, Calvin has sought supervision, developing capacity to reflect on his practice to continue, not only his professional development, but ensuring his actions are aligned with student needs and develop a school welfare ethos that places the students’ needs at the heart of decision making and support provision. Calvin’s work ethic epitomises the theme for this year's awards. He demonstrates a determination to make a difference in the lives of children, young people and families, and this permeates his approach to all aspects of psychological practice in schools.

Rhiannon Marsh

Since beginning in the Kickstart program with the Department of Education in 2022, Rhiannon has shown a drive to continually improve her psychological practice. She researches, consults with colleagues and supervisors and seeks feedback to hone her skills and understanding. She maintains a high standard of ethics and professional practice. Rhiannon’s impact in her schools has been significant, in both the psychological interventions and the assessment insights she has provided. She understands the importance of being embedded in the school community and has worked hard to ensure the visibility of the school counselling service in her schools. Taking a client-centred approach, Rhiannon has shown innovation and creativity in her work to better meet the needs of the students and families that she works with. An example of this was creating a Google Form feedback letter for parents to be distributed following each session of the Get Lost Mr Scary anxiety intervention program, which facilitated contact and was convenient for the parents. Another savvy use of online forms by Rhiannon has been the creation of mental health modules on a variety of topics, as an e-mental health adjunct between face-to-face sessions. These clever resources have helped Rhiannon to meet the needs of clients, while managing the demands of the busy school counselling role. The school Principal endorsed this nomination for Rhiannon, stating: Rhiannon is an outstanding practitioner. She is always solution-focused and uses her creativity to problem-solve any issue. She has excellent interpersonal skills, and is diligent, dedicated and compassionate.

Rhiannon’s collegiality and strong professional relationships are a hallmark of her practice. Both within her counselling team and within her schools, Rhiannon always aims to collaborate, share resources, form bonds with colleagues and boost morale. She values encouragement and is always ready with kind words and thoughtful reflections for her counselling and teaching colleagues. Her sense of humour and bright smile make it easy for others to feel comfortable with Rhiannon, and this is seen in both her client work and with her colleagues. Rhiannon has implemented several different initiatives to boost engagement and wellbeing in her schools, like "Fortune-Cookie Fridays" and "Wellbeing Scratchies", which she shares with students and staff alike. These little moments of connection and conversation can lead to lasting change when insights are gained and relationships are forged. Rhiannon has been keen to collaborate with the SSO in her high school to support student wellbeing. Recently, she has worked with the Butterfly Foundation to expand on a group intervention program for students with body image concerns and is co-facilitating the group with the SSO. The school Principal says that Rhiannon is a fantastic team player who is an asset to Erskine Park High School.

Alycia Ferguson and Emily Ballard

School counsellors Alycia Ferguson and Emily Ballard are provisional psychologists who have demonstrated exemplary professional practice and a holistic integrated approach in the service they provide to a school community located in a rural setting. Their school includes students from Kindergarten to Year 12 and is the public and secondary school provider for the area. When faced with the challenges of a high caseload and minimal external options for mental health referrals, Alycia and Emily worked collaboratively with their school community to find ways to improve the referral process and to develop a whole school approach to improving student mental health outcomes. They embraced staff strengths while supporting them with the implementation of evidence-based procedures such as stepped care and postvention. This involved consulting with the principal, learning and wellbeing staff, and teachers to determine the needs of the school and identifying staff capacity and skills to provide student mental health support that is appropriate for their role. To facilitate the stepped care approach, Alycia and Emily designed and delivered a staff presentation to explain the model and involved the student representative counsel to ensure that any visual resources used to support the implementation of the model were engaging and accessible. Copies of the stepped care poster are located at strategic places in the school. The poster includes the names of staff and their photograph so that students and all members of the school community know who to contact for support. For example, the poster shows that students can reach out to teachers and year advisors to address friendship issues, the student support officer or Aboriginal Engagement Officer for social and emotional support, the school counsellor for mental health concerns and the principal and deputies for serious incidents. The poster promotes help-seeking in the school, and it provides a concrete reminder that ‘mental health is everybody’s business’ not just the school counsellors.

Strong collaborative skills were evident in Alycia’s and Emily’s approach to the development and implementation of their postvention resource package. This resource package was developed in consultation with staff and is known as ‘The Red Folder’. Executive, administration, and teachers have a copy. The folder includes tabulated sections with a staff responsibility checklist and supporting resources such as scripts for meetings with staff, student cohorts, and letters for parents. Having the folder and a place to start was a game-changer. As each section of the folder targeted a specific role, the postvention response team were well-equipped to provide support to their school community. I was witness to Alycia’s and Emily’s sensitive delivery of their modified script to a class of young primary school children who had been impacted. Children had the opportunity to ask questions, express their feelings and share their experiences of grief and loss. Thanks to the whole staff postvention training and the accessible ‘Red Folder’, the executive, school counsellors and the staff were able to work together as an effective response team. It was a privilege to witness their work. Their understanding of the unique challenges of the rural setting and the strong relationships that they have built with staff and external practitioners made the pathway to a stepped-care approach possible. The whole school integrated approach to stepped care and postvention support have gone a long way to bridging the gaps between students and mental health services, an approach that can facilitate lasting change. This nomination celebrates the outstanding contributions of these two early career practitioners.

Charlotte Daczko

Principals, members of learning support teams and school counsellor colleagues have given strong positive feedback in relation to Charlotte's capacity to rapidly establish effective communication with key stakeholders and respond to complex referrals. In a semi-rural area with small schools and changing service delivery needs, Charlotte demonstrates flexibility, adaptability and professionalism. Her strong presence in schools is established early, and principals have remarked upon her proactive involvement and collaboration with teaching staff, engagement with students in class and in the playground, and responsiveness to referrals. Her insightfulness, positive disposition, excellent communication skills and capacity to relate to all stakeholders has resulted in her being rapidly embraced by school communities. Charlotte demonstrates advanced skills in assessment and intervention and has improved service delivery due to her exceptional skills in streamlining systems and processes with administration. She has developed and refined templates for reporting across a range of assessments and is currently working with the SPE to streamline the online resource hub for the Windsor Team. Charlotte has implemented several evidence-based programs across her schools in response to the referrals and wellbeing data being presented in schools. As a member of the Windsor team, Charlotte is recognised and highly valued for her strong communication skills, tremendous contribution to the team, excellent organisational systems, dynamic implementation of wellbeing initiatives across her schools, and outstanding progress in her early years as a psychologist. Charlotte is dynamic and responsive to the needs of the school communities in which she works. Her capacity to plan, design and implement programs in response to student wellbeing needs is notable.

To date, Charlotte has:

• Designed resources and presented a parent "Resilience in Children" workshop following the Hawkesbury Floods
• Developed lesson accommodations for the students in a support class during the delivery of The Resilience Project in high school. Resources were modified by Charlotte, she utilized the therapy school dog to support students during the lessons and attended the sessions with the students. Lesson modification and supported learning led to the students having deeper understanding of the content of The Resilience Project
• Following professional learning on DBT, Charlotte is currently co-delivering a small group program with the NSF to Year 10 high school students focusing on distress tolerance skill development and mindfulness. She is co-presenting to the team on DBT and will extend the training to other counselling teams with a colleague
• Implemented a primary-aged anxiety group program
• Successfully applied for a $7000 grant for a high school. The grant is for the school to develop a sensory room as well as an outdoor mindfulness walk.

Charlotte has established positive connections within the Hawkesbury wellbeing network, and refers families, as required, to external services for support. She works closely with the student support officers, wellbeing teams and agencies to develop support plans for students in the high school. Due to Charlotte's high level of positive engagement within the school community, she is cognisant of the needs and responds accordingly with programs to address the referrals and concerns. The provision of programs to develop skills for managing anxiety, distress tolerance, mindfulness, improving resilience, as well as modification of programs for students with disabilities has had a marked impact on student wellbeing and her capacity to respond to a high level of referrals.

2024 nominees:

• Hayley Hall
• Rachael Hawksford
• Paul McBride

Innovator of the Year

In addition to the general criteria, the Innovator of the Year nomination must address how the nominee:

• Criterion One: Uses evidence-based innovation (practice, technology, resources, programs, processes and/or systems) to enhance student wellbeing and mental health.
• Criterion Two: Develops and/or leads initiatives to share innovative practice with colleagues, networks and/or multidisciplinary teams to promote positive student wellbeing and mental health outcomes.

2024 Finalist

Dianne Head

As a practitioner with only relatively recent clinical endorsement, Dianne continues to engage in learning and in improving her practice. This leads her to be innovative in all areas of her work. Dianne works with her team on specified group goals, that have included self-care, microskills and brief therapeutic interventions. The work Dianne did around self-care resulted in staff implementing regular self-care practices into their work day which meant they were better able to move from one client to the next and reduced risk of burnout. This in turn meant better school counselling/school psychology services to students. The focus on brief intervention is in response to some of the challenges of working in the school system where we need to consider how to have maximum impact with minimum time. Dianne has kept up to date with the evidence around brief interventions and shared this with her team. As a result, her team have become more skilled and confident in the use of brief interventions to support student wellbeing and mental health. Dianne also takes on a direct face-to-face counselling load where she uses her skills in brief interventions with students herself. Both of these examples embody this year's theme of ‘little moments, lasting change’ perfectly. The self-care had a focus on micro-skills that could be done simply, quickly and be part of a person's day without difficulty while also having a large impact on their wellbeing and ability to continue in this work. The brief intervention work Dianne has focussed on is how as therapists we make lasting change in the brief time that we have with someone.

Dianne was a key contributor to the development of professional learning entitled ‘Supporting Our Students Mental Health’. This NESA accredited PL upskills all staff across the school to develop confidence in supporting their students' wellbeing and mental health. The PL has been evaluated and can proudly claim to be evidence-based learning that increases a staff members’ skills and confidence in supporting students' mental health. This work embodies this year's theme of Little Moments, Lasting Change. The PL itself is only two short modules. The PL encourages schools to develop school-wide systems and ways of responding to students' wellbeing and mental health needs. So, while the PL doesn’t take a lot of time, the implementation of new processes has long-lasting change. The PL itself consists of a simple message-See, Say, Do. It teaches simple steps under each of these headings. The PL shows staff that little moments of noticing, responding and taking action can have a significant and long-lasting impact on a young person. Dianne, co-lead the development of this program, its implementation and its evaluation. She has contributed to the upskilling of whole school staff across many schools in NSW. Dianne continues to support the implementation of this program through community of practice meetings, refresher training for facilitators and delivering training on how to be an effective presenter.