Challenging Behaviour is communication

We listen to you. We help you build more skills, more freedom and more social connections so you can live without restrictive practices.

Challenging Behaviour is communication

We listen to you. We help you build more skills, more freedom and more social connections so you can live without restrictive practices.

Our Why

More freedom and more social connection for people with disability and their support people.

Our How

We take the stress out of the NDIS and make quality behaviour support easy to access. No long waiting lists.

We build powerful systems that free us to focus on people.

We invest heavily in training and clinical supervision.

We share our learning and support the growth of new behaviour support organisations.

Our What

We are a team of psychologists, behaviour analysists and allied health professionals who practice person-centred positive behaviour support.

We provide NDIS participants with psychological services, functional behaviour assessments, behaviour support plans, training, coaching, and consulting.

Key factors in our service include:

  • Person-Centred practice: we listen, and we build supports, based on your values, goals, strengths and needs
  • Function-based services: we use ABA to build services that are functional, and effective in meeting your goals
  • Challenging behaviour: we measurably reduce challenging behaviour by building new skills and supports that match your needs
  • Restrictive practices: we manage, reduce and eliminate restrictive practices and empower people to lead freer and more socially connected lives.

    Our values

    Respect, Excellence, Collaboration, Innovation

    Our Team

    Claire Connolly

    Senior Behaviour Support Specialist
    Team Leader North-West Sydney

    • Bachelor of Arts (Psychology Studies) (2007)
    • Master of Science (Applied Behaviour Analysis) (2009)
    • Level 1 PECS training (2018)

    Claire has over a decade of experience working with people with disabilities.

    Claire joined Ability Consultants in May 2018 and has provided function-based behaviour support with dozens of NDIS participants to build new skills and overcome complex challenges.

    Daniel Salvatorie

    Senior Behaviour Support Specialist
    Team Leader Western Sydney

    • Bachelor of Psychological Sciences, Swinbourne University of Technology (2019)
    • Member: Association of Positive Behaviour Support;  Association for Behaviour Analysis Australia

    Daniel has extensive experience providing specialist behaviour support with people experiencing a variety of complex needs, including intellectual disability, offending history, AOD and mental health. During Daniel's employment with FACS (2007-2017) he managed clinical teams, Restrictive Practices panels, developed policies, and trained organisations in Positive Behaviour Support.

    David Ackling-Jones

    Behaviour Support Specialist, CEO

    • BHSc. University of Technology Sydney, 2003
    • Professional member, Australian Association for Behaviour Analysis.
    • Associate with the Centre for Disability Studies, Sydney University
    • Member, Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT).

    Denisa Valera Hanik

    Manager Customer Experience

    • BA (Hons) European Business Studies, University of Lincoln (2003)
    • Proficient in seven languages (Swedish, English, Spanish, French, Czech, Danish, Norwegian)
    • Manager Learning and Development, European Union, Brussels (2002-2007)
    • Specialist in Leadership Development, Kinetic Concepts, Inc., Netherlands (2008-2012)
    • Director, Management Consultantcy, Koudos Ltd, Windsor, UK (2013-2017)

    Denisa is the powerhouse of Ability Consultants. Thanks to the initiative and empathy demonstrated by Denisa and her team, clinicians focus on behaviour support rather than administration, and customers have a smooth and streamlined service.

    Emma Hession

    Senior Behaviour Support Specialist

    • BSc.(Hons) in Psychology, 2007, University of Sheffield
    • Member of: AABA, AHPRA, APS, ASID, PsychDD

    Emma is a Registered Provisional Psychologist with 15 years of experience providing specialist assessments, advice and treatment. Her aim is to help her clients experience improved learning, thinking, emotional balance and behaviour. Emma is committed to working in partnership with her clients, their families and carers to achieve person-centred goals.

    Felicity Heydon

    Behaviour Support Specialist

    • Master of Teaching, University of NSW
    • Bachelor of Arts (Psychology & Music), University of Sydney
    • Music Therapy, University of Western Sydney (Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Golden Stave Centre)
    • Professional Member, Australian Association for Behaviour Analysis

    Lidia Toledo

    Senior Behaviour Support Specialist

    • Registered Psychologist with General Registration.
    • Bachelor of Psychology (2012)
    • Registration, College of Professional Psychologists (2017)

    Lidia has been providing Positive Behaviour Support with people with Challenging Behaviour and complex needs since 2013. 

    Lidia is especially committed to providing specialist assessment, training and support with people affected by complex and traumatic life challenges.

    Lidia is passionate about providing psychoeducation and advocacy for people whose voice and rights might be at risk.

    Liliana Smolinski

    Senior Behaviour Support Specialist

    • Bachelor of Psychological Studies (2014)
    • Master of Forensic Mental Health (2019 - final semester)

    Lily has six years of experience providing function-based behaviour support with people with intellectual disability, mental health and behaviour challenges.

    Kire Gulevski

    Behaviour Support Specialist

    • Bachelor of Social Sciences (Psychology and Sociology)
    • Professional Member, Australian Association for Behaviour Analysis

    Kire comes to Ability Consultants with 17 years of experience improving the lives of people with intellectual disability and challenging behaviour. Kire has extensive experience in psychotherapy, forensic casework, and child protection. He is passionate about working with families and teams to provide empowering, person-centered supports.

    Kirsty Passmore

    Behaviour Support Specialist

    • Bachelor of Health Science (2006)
    • Master of Education in Applied Behavioural Analysis (2018)
    • Member: Australian Association for Behaviour Analysis; Association for Positive Behaviour Support.

    Kirsty started with Ability Consultants in January 2019. Kirsty has worked as a Senior ABA Therapist in Perth and Singapore, gaining extensive knowledge, experience and tools to support people of all ages with diverse needs to achieve their goals through the science of applied behaviour analysis.

    Ryan McGaughey

    Behaviour Support Specialist

    • BSc.(Highest Hons) in Psychology, 2015, University at Buffalo.
    • Professional Member, Australian Association for Applied Behaviour Analysis

    Ryan comes to Ability Consultants with four years of experience in the assessment of behaviours for children, teens and young adults, with Developmental Disabilities. Ryan uses his ABA skills and person-centred approach to build independence and greater quality of life for the people he supports.

    Trini Macrae

    Administration Officer

    • BA (Anthropology), University of Sydney (1995)
    • Grad Dip (Rehabilitation Counselling), University of Sydney (2016)

    Trini has a background in disability support, aged care, website management and rehab counselling.

    She is passionate about the quality of life for people with disabilities and brings her varied skills to provide administrative support to the team.

    Vicki Boler

    Senior Behaviour Support Specialist

    • Bachelor of Psychology, with Post-Graduate Diploma (Hons) in Psychological Practice (2014), Western Sydney University.
    • Certified Trauma Practitioner with the National Institute of Trauma and Loss in Children (TLC)
    • Memberr of AHPRA, AABA

    Vicki is a Registered Provisional Psychologist with 5 years of experience supporting people with complex mental health and behaviour support needs.

    Vicki has extensive experience working with people with Intellectual Disability in contact with the criminal justice system.

    Her passion is in advocating for people with special needs and ensuring they can lead their best life.

    Working with us

    We are a growing team in every sense of the word.

    You will love working with us, if you are motivated to foster learning and growth, in yourself and in others.

    We practice Hands-Off Leadership. We don't micromanage or impose KPI's. We provide a highly rewarding work environment, and partner with you to hit your goals. Each team member can build new systems and strategies. 

    We are an empowering workplace, driven to attract and develop brilliant clinicians, so NDIS Participants have easier access to life-changing behaviour support.

    Careers

    Founder’s statement

    Hello, 

    This is me abseiling off a perfectly good mountain. Starting Ability Consultants in 2016 was a similar leap into the unknown world of the NDIS. 

    David Ackling-Jones

    In 1999 I  began working with and caring for people with intellectual disability and challenging behaviours.  People who are ignored, over-medicated, restrained, secluded, cut off from their community or who are punished because they often do not have a high enough level of positive support.

    Our mission is to help NDIS participants lead a freer more socially connected life through easy-access to excellent Positive Behaviour Support.

    We serve 6 customer groups:

    1. NDIS Participants. We work with you on delivering measurable goals that matter to you.
    2. Our referrers. We focus on making the referral and support coordination process a relief and a joy. Short wait time, detailed progress reports, responsive communication, evidence-based recommendations.
    3. Carers. We make the process of sharing ideas, and information simple and time-efficient. We work in partnership with carers and NDIS Participants to build an assessment and plan that fits.
    4. Our clinicians. We provide an empowering workplace. We fund clinical supervision, professional courses, and conference attendance for our brilliant team of independent consultants.
    5. National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). We present evidence to ensure Participants are funded for all of their reasonable and necessary supports, at the right level.
    6. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. We ensure our team provides Participants with high-quality function-based Behaviour Support, to minimise Restrictive Practices, build liberating skills, and improve quality of life.

    Applied Behaviour Analysis is the backbone of Positive Behaviour Support. Each new member of our team is supported to gain BACB certification. We are an NDIS-registered Specialist Behaviour Support Provider and we are working to exceed the required standards.

    Person-Centred principles of empowerment and strengths-based practice underpin our approach. We apply these principles to everything we do.

    Finally, we are all about innovation. We use technology to be more human. We build and shape the powerful tools we need to serve our customers in new and unique ways.

    Thanks for joining us on the learning and growth journey.

    David Ackling-Jones

    CEO - Ability Consultants

    David is a Member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and provides MI Training on request.

    MI Training

    Have an enquiry?

    Want to learn more about our services or how we can help you?
    We’d love to hear from you.

    We serve Greater Sydney & beyond

    Ability Consultants is a team of Behaviour Support Specialists who work with clients on site throughout Greater Sydney all the way through to the Central Coast, Blue Mountains and Illawarra regions.

    Contact us

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