Meet Alex Bell, Forensic Psychologist in Sydney’s Northern Beaches
If you’re looking for a psychologist in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, please feel welcome to get in touch with our team at Ability Consultants. We assist NDIS participants in Sydney and throughout Australia by providing psychology support and Positive Behaviour Support.
Today we’re catching up with Alex Bell, who is a registered psychologist based in the Northern Beaches of NSW. Alex completed a Bachelor of Psychology through Macquarie University and a Master’s of Psychology through the University of New South Wales. Alex brings to our team a wealth of experience working with clients with complex mental health needs and experience with the Community and Justice System.
Meet Alex Bell, Forensic Psychologist in Northern Beaches, NSW
Alex, welcome to our team! Can you tell us about you?
Hello! I am a registered psychologist who has a passion for supporting and understanding individuals with their mental well being. Beyond my professional life I am an outgoing person who enjoys engaging in activities such as going to the beach and playing soccer. I believe in the importance of social connections and so I value spending time with my family and friends. I bring this holistic perspective into my practice through recognising the importance of the interconnectedness between mental health, lifestyle, and relationships.
Why did you choose to become a psychologist?
I have always had an interest in understanding human behaviour, and combined with having personally experienced the impact that suicide has had on my local community during my early adulthood, I wanted to help support people with mental health needs. I believe that everyone deserves to live a happy and fulfilling life and believe an important part of achieving this is supporting individuals through evidence-based practices.
Tell us about your areas of focus as a psychologist?
I am a forensic psychologist and have a special interest in working with clients with complex mental health needs such as personality disorders, psychotic disorders, substance use disorders, depressive and anxiety disorders, as well as experience in supporting those with problematic sexual and violent behaviours. I have experience supporting these clients in both community and correctional settings.
What does it mean to be a forensic psychologist?
A forensic psychologist is someone who is a registered psychologist and has also had specialist training to work within the criminal and civil justice systems. Forensic psychologists apply psychological knowledge and theory to help support people who have come into contact with the justice systems.
Providing NDIS psychology services in the Northern Beaches
As a registered psychologist, how do you support NDIS participants?
My role as a psychologist in supporting NDIS participants is to help them to achieve their NDIS goals. NDIS participants all have different goals and so my role is to help them achieve this in a manner that is best for them. I aim to help them become the best and most functional version of themselves they can be.
Can you tell us about some of the therapies you apply in your work as a registered psychologist?
I believe that it is important to individualise therapy to people’s specific goals and needs. I value the importance of building positive working relationships with my clients through creating a space where people feel safe and empowered to achieve their goals. I have utilised my training in various therapies including CBT, CBT for psychosis, DBT, and schema therapy, to help individuals achieve their goals.
What type of psychological assessments do you carry out, when relevant?
I have experience in conducting psychological assessments to help referrers answer a specific referral question. These assessments often aim to help better understand an individuals’ mental health, cognitive or intellectual functioning, and risk (e.g., suicide or of reoffending). These assessments can include a combination of methods such as observations, interviews, review of file information, and application of a variety of evidence-based assessment tools.
You support NDIS participants in the Northern Beaches — which other areas do you support?
Due to our ability to travel to see NDIS participants, I have the capacity to support participants located on the Northern Beaches and North Shore of Sydney, in addition to providing services via telehealth.
Do you support specific age groups or individuals with specific diagnoses?
I primarily work with adults with a variety of diagnoses. These include but are not limited to supporting individuals with psychotic disorders, personality disorders, substance use disorders, intellectual disability, depressive and anxiety disorders, and problematic sexual and violent behaviours.
If an NDIS participant is ready to get started with psychology support in the Northern Beaches or North Shore, what are the next steps?
The next step is to make a referral, which you can do anytime on our website. Anyone can make a referral, including NDIS participants, parents, support coordinators, mental health providers, doctors and more.
If you have questions about psychology support in the Northern Beaches and North Shore regions, please feel welcome to contact our team on 1300 694 625 or by using our contact form.
Positive Behaviour Support in the Northern Beaches
You also work as a behaviour support practitioner in the Northern Beaches. How would you describe Positive Behaviour Support to an NDIS participant who might not have heard of it before?
Naturally as humans we can develop ways of behaving in order to achieve a goal. However, sometimes we can use unhelpful methods to achieve these goals and so Positive Behaviour Support is the practice of learning how to achieve these goals in a more helpful way.
Positive Behaviour Support understands the importance of the individual and their surrounding support systems, and that creating meaningful change can involve collaboration between these systems.
Can you give us an example of how Positive Behaviour Support can help a person with disability?
An example might be that someone with Borderline Personality Disorder engages in self-harm, which would be a behaviour of concern. Through Positive Behaviour Support we may identify that the function of this self-harm behaviour is to reduce emotional distress. Alternatively, we can support the person to develop emotional regulation strategies so they do not have to resolve their emotional distress through self-harm.
Make a referral for NDIS psychology in the Northern Beaches
To get started with NDIS psychology support in the Northern Beaches and North Shore Sydney, make a referral on our website. You might also be interested in our article on our website.
About Ability Consultants
Ability Consultants is a team of over 130 behaviour support practitioners and psychologists. We create freedom and social connection through easy access to Positive Behaviour Support. We support NDIS participants Australia-wide, including psychology support in the Northern Beaches and North Shore areas of Sydney.
Our psychology team supports NDIS participants in a number of Northern Beaches and North Shore suburbs, including Manly Vale, Manly, Freshwater, Balgowlah, Brookvale, Frenchs Forest, Dee Why, Narrabeen, Belrose and more.
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