Find a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner in Rockingham, WA: Meet Lani McMahon
Looking for a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner in Rockingham or Mandurah? We can help! Ability Consultants is a Registered NDIS Provider in Perth, Western Australia. We support NDIS participants with Positive Behaviour Support in WA, including the Perth metro area from Joondalup through to Vic Park, Fremantle, Bibra Lake, Rockingham and Mandurah.
To get started with Positive Behaviour Support in Perth, Rockingham or Mandurah, please make an online referral anytime.
Today, we’re pleased to introduce Proficient Behaviour Support Practitioner, Lani McMahon, who is based in Rockingham, Western Australia.
Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner in Rockingham, WA
Hi Lani, welcome to our team of behaviour support practitioners in Western Australia! Tell us about you!
Thank you for having me on board — it is great to be part of the team in Western Australia! I have recently relocated from the Mid North Coast of NSW to the Perth region and I am excited to explore all the beautiful scenery that WA has to offer. I spend my spare time with my border collie leading an active lifestyle, playing soccer, going to the beach and wakeboarding on my jet ski.
What drew you to the field of Positive Behaviour Support?
My experience in the Out of Home Care (OOHC) sector as a Caseworker, Team Coordinator and Behavioural Therapist ignited my passion for Behavioural Therapy.
I feel intrinsically rewarded through advocating for societal change and advocating for those who I work with and ensuring that their voices are heard. For so long, individuals with a disability were marginalised, segregated and discriminated against unfairly. My job is so important to ensure these things do not occur anymore and that the rights of participants are always upheld with only the least restrictive mechanisms being utilised to support the participant.
My educational background includes a Bachelor in Community Services, Graduate Certificate in Developmental Trauma, Certificate in Neurodiversity, accreditation as a Level 2 Dialectical Behavioural Therapist (DBT) and Diploma in Business. I am always eager to continue to learn and expand my knowledge through ongoing training and professional development.
You’re currently a proficient behaviour support practitioner — what does “proficient” mean in Positive Behaviour Support?
When you become a behaviour support practitioner, there are four different levels of capacity: core, proficient, advanced and specialist. Practitioners begin at core level and progress through the levels when it is determined through supervision and experience that they are capable of evaluating and analysing information and producing quality behaviour support plans.
I started off as a core (entry-level) practitioner and through working in the industry over a period of four years, developed my skillset to attain proficiency. I will always endeavour to keep doing more research to gain further knowledge and to progress to the next capability level.
How does your experience or training in Developmental Trauma influence your work as a behaviour support practitioner?
Undertaking the Graduate Certificate in Developmental Trauma has provided me with the knowledge to support individuals in a trauma-informed and responsive way.
My primary focus has been working with vulnerable indigenous youth in the NSW region and a knowledge of trauma principles and responses are so important in this space. My job is to support people to understand the function of a participant's behaviour in having their needs met and often with individuals with trauma, their brain sends them into “fight” or “flight” mode as a survival and protective mechanism.
For individuals who have experienced developmental trauma (repeated trauma in early life), commonly, the cause of their trauma is the lack of attachment and connection to a primary caregiver in their early years. So how do we support them to move forward? Support them to build positive connections and trust in other relationships around them. I learnt so much in Developmental Trauma that I will continue to apply in my practice.
What NDIS participants can expect from you as their Behaviour Support Practitioner?
What can NDIS participants and their support teams expect from you as their behaviour support practitioner?
I thrive in supporting individuals to be the best version of themselves and I promote neuro-affirming practices through a strengths-based approach. A neuro-affirming approach looks at embracing and valuing neurological diversity — the principle that everyone is unique and that their strengths should be harnessed to allow them to have the best quality of life possible!
I work closely with participants and their support network to develop tailored strategies that respect their preferences and enhance their independence. I ensure that the participant is at the centre of all the work that I do and that a person-centred approach is always maintained. This includes ensuring they are involved in all decision-making processes and that they always have an opportunity to self-advocate and raise their concerns. I am there to empower them to be the best version of themselves through supporting them to build their capacity, maximise their independence and achieve an optimal quality of life.
About Positive Behaviour Support and its impact
Can you share an example of how you’ve seen Positive Behaviour Support improve a person’s quality of life?
Absolutely — the best part of my work is seeing the difference that it makes for the participant who I am working with! I have worked intensively with a team in NSW to support a participant who experiences extreme and intense emotional dysregulation. This participant has a diagnosis of Autism.
After doing some digging (observations and assessments) and working closely with the participant and the team, I found out that staff were doing things very differently and that this was causing the participant to be very upset as expectations were very different between staff members on shifts and there was no predictability or structure.
A daily visual routine was implemented after consulting with the participant and the team. This visual routine was printed out and placed on the participants door so that it was easily accessible and visible. Staff training was facilitated to support staff in adhering to the routine chart and to ensure that staff all respond consistently. Implementing this routine chart has allowed the participant to feel less anxious and more settled as they know what their day looks like each day. They have expressed that they feel happier and staff have reported that there have been less incidents of verbal aggression.
What if a person is diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), can you tell us what Positive Behaviour Support might look like for this person?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, also known as ADHD, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood and can continue through to adulthood. It is characterised by a pattern of behaviour that is observable in multiple settings and it can result in performance issues in work settings, educational settings or social settings.
I have worked with a lot of children who experience difficulty maintaining focus and attention in the classroom which is a key component of ADHD — inattentiveness and hyperactivity. In order to support a child with a diagnosis of ADHD in the classroom, the expectations of the child need to be altered to suit their needs in collaboration with the school and the child themselves. If the expectations are not altered and the child feels that they are unrealistic or unachievable, this is often when the child will exhibit behaviours to communicate to others that they are having difficulties meeting the expectations.
Collaboration is always key, so having a meeting with the child and their educator is important to work out what is going to work for the child and what is not going to work so that strategies can be implemented.
Positive Behaviour Support in Rockingham, WA
Which suburbs do you provide Positive Behaviour Support in Rockingham?
I provide Positive Behaviour Support anywhere within a 45 minute radius of Rockingham and I am open to providing telehealth behaviour support (telePBS) to any individual outside of this radius who requires behavioural support intervention.
Do you support clients with specific diagnoses or in specific age groups?
I have supported clients with differing diagnoses and aged 7 to 65 years. I have supported clients with neurodevelopmental disorders including Autism, ADHD, Cerebral Palsy and Intellectual Disabilities. I have further supported clients with mental health illnesses including Anxiety, Depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Bi-polar and other disorders. I have developed thorough knowledge around supporting individuals with trauma through post-graduate studies also.
How to access Positive Behaviour Support in Rockingham, WA
How can NDIS participants in and around Rockingham get started with Positive Behaviour Support?
If you live in Perth near Rockingham, Kwinana or Mandurah, the first step is to make a referral for Positive Behaviour Support on our website. You can do this anytime and you can make your own referral, or a member of your support team can make a referral on your behalf.
If you have any questions about Positive Behaviour Support, please feel welcome to call our team on 1300 694 625 or send a message using our contact form.
About Positive Behaviour Support
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