Find a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner near you on the Sunshine Coast: Meet Joshua Raines
Looking for a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner on the Sunshine Coast? We can help!
We create freedom and social connection for people with disability through easy access to Positive Behaviour Support in Queensland. Our team of over 100 behaviour support practitioners are based throughout Australia, including Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay, Far North Queensland and Ipswich. To get started with Positive Behaviour Support on the Sunshine Coast, make an online referral anytime.
Today, it’s our pleasure to introduce you to our behaviour support practitioner on the Sunshine Coast, Joshua Raines.
Meet Joshua Raines, Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner on the Sunshine Coast, QLD
Hi Joshua, it’s great to have you on our team on the Sunshine Coast! Tell us about you!
I grew up in Mackay as part of a blended family with three siblings. After high school I relocated to Brisbane where I completed my Honours degree in Psychology while working as a mental health Support Worker, and then moved to the Sunshine Coast four years ago. A constant for me throughout my life has been a love of playing hockey, which I’ve played since I was five and continue to play now.
What do you love most about living on the Sunshine Coast?
There are many things to love but having the ocean nearby is probably the aspect I love the most. I also love to surf and I try to get out on the water whenever I can.
Tell us about your degrees in behavioural science and psychology. What was it about these fields that appealed to you?
My interest in studying psychology grew from having family members who struggled with mental health issues. I wanted to learn more and work in a profession where I could support people living with mental health diagnoses.
My studies led to working in the mental health industry as a Support Worker for four years. This was extremely fulfilling as I was able to support people directly in their daily lives. What I learned through this experience was that each person I supported had different needs and wants which required different methods of support from their carers and family. Following this, I decided to pursue a career as a Behaviour Support Practitioner, enabling me to do my best in ensuring that participants receive the personalised support that they needed from their support network.
About Positive Behaviour Support and its impact
What is a Positive Behaviour Support Plan?
Put simply, a Positive Behaviour Support Plan (PBSP) is a document developed by a Behaviour Support Practitioner in collaboration with a person with a disability, and their support network. The goal of a PBSP is to ensure the person with a disability is supported safely and in a person-centred manner that addresses their wants and needs to improve their quality of life.
Can you tell us how you’ve seen Positive Behaviour Support influence a person’s life?
I’ve seen many situations in which Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) has improved a person’s quality of life. A lot of the time the influence that PBS has comes from making simple changes in the ways that a person with a disability is being supported and simple changes to the environment that they are living in. I’ve also seen PBS influence a person’s quality of life through helping a person with a disability develop their communication skills and emotional regulations skills.
One person who comes to mind had an intellectual disability which impacted their ability to communicate verbally with her support team. Through the process of implementing PBS, the person was supported to develop their non-verbal communication skills through Functional Communication Training. The person learned to use personalised picture cards to communicate their wants and needs to their support team.
For example, when the noise in their immediate environment was causing them discomfort, they would point to their picture card on their lanyard which said “quiet” and had a cartoon image of a person making a shush gesture with their index finger over their lips. Staff then knew that the person was communicating that they needed to be supported to avoid the loud noise in the environment.
This skill development strategy reduced the frequency, intensity, and duration of the person’s behaviour of concern (yelling and screaming) as they developed a method of communicating their needs effectively instead of having to utilise yelling and screaming to have their needs met. Ultimately, the person experienced an improvement to their quality of life as a direct result of the implementation of a PBS strategy.
Can you share an example of a diagnosis or behaviour of concern and how Positive Behaviour Support can help?
I’ve supported many people with Autism and I’ve seen the positive impact that PBS can have on their lives. For example, a common characteristic of Autism is a preference for routine and predictability. I supported a person with Autism who, when presented with unexpected disruptions to their preferred routine, experienced significant emotional distress which resulted in the person engaging in behaviours of concern (self-injury in the form of biting) to maladaptively regulate their emotions.
One way in which PBS helped this participant was through the implementation of environmental and proactive strategies which ensured that the person’s Supported Independent Living (SIL) team made the person’s daily routine as predictable and as consistent as possible for the person. This reduced the frequency of avoidable disruptions to the person’s preferred routine, which resulted in less experiences of emotional distress for the person with Autism, and a reduction in the person’s engagement in self-injurious behaviour.
What does Positive Behaviour Support look like in a Supported Independent Living setting? How can NDIS participants and their support teams benefit?
NDIS participants and their SIL support teams can benefit from PBS in many ways. One area that I commonly see improvements in, through the implementation of PBS, is in the interpersonal relationships between the NDIS participant and their direct SIL support workers.
The PBS process allows the Behaviour Support Practitioner to get a really in depth understanding of what may be causing a participant distress and what their SIL support workers can do to reduce this distress in the SIL environment. In the SIL setting, this may look like the SIL support team receiving PBS training from the Behaviour Support Practitioner so that they have an understanding of how to effectively implement changes in the participant’s environment, changes in how they interact with the participant in challenging situations, and how to teach the participant skills they may need to further develop their independent living skills.
Positive Behaviour Support on the Sunshine Coast
As a behaviour support practitioner on the Sunshine Coast, what can NDIS participants and their support teams expect from you?
Participants and their support teams can expect regular weekly communication and support from myself. They can expect to be listened to, collaborated with, and supported with genuine care throughout the PBS process.
Support teams can expect to receive training from myself on PBS and how to implement the strategies contained within the Positive Behaviour Support Plan effectively. Support teams can also expect to be supported by myself with any questions they have or any challenges they may be experiencing within the scope of PBS. 
In which areas on the Sunshine Coast do you provide Positive Behaviour Support?
I’m able to provide support in the Gympie region and everywhere within the Sunshine Coast region, including Caloundra, Currimundi, Mooloolaba, Buderim, Bli Bli, Marcoola, Coolum Beach, Landsborough and Noosa.
Do you focus on supporting NDIS participants with specific diagnoses or age groups?
I support NDIS participants of all ages, diagnoses, and behavioural presentations.
How to get started with Positive Behaviour Support on the Sunshine Coast
How can NDIS participants on the Sunshine Coast get started with Positive Behaviour Support?
If you’re looking for support from a Positive Behaviour Support practitioner on the Sunshine Coast, the first step is to make a referral 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 in Queensland, please feel welcome to call our team on 1300 694 625 or send a message using our contact form.
About Ability Consultants
Ability Consultants is a Registered NDIS Provider on the Sunshine Coast. We support NDIS participants and private clients throughout NSW, QLD, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.
We primarily provide Positive Behaviour Support however we also deliver psychology support in parts of Australia, including psychology assessments and therapy.
About Positive Behaviour Support
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