Our Team
Melbourne
The Allied Health Studio Collective provides support for children, adolescents and adults.
We are a multidisciplinary allied health practice offering Psychologists, Mental Health Social Workers, Speech Pathologists, Mental Health Occupational Therapists and Therapy Assistants.
Meet Sophie Burke
Senior Psychologist
(She/Her)
Sophie is a senior Clinical Leader at our Brunswick practice, an Educational and Developmental Psychology registrar and an AHPRA Board-approved supervisor. Sophie brings experience working with children, adolescents and their families, as well as schools and other key stakeholders. She is committed to bringing warmth and empathy into her practice, ensuring that clients feel supported with both care and also expertise. Sophie supports neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals with a wide range of concerns, including: anxiety, low mood, sleep difficulties, friendship issues and trauma treatment.
In her clinical work and supervision space Sophie utilises multiple evidence-based modalities, including but not limited to: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative therapy and she is also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Sophie works from a systems approach and often works in collaboration with families, schools, allied health and other supports, as well as using an attachment-lens to work with children and parents. In addition, Sophie recognises the importance of neuro-affirming practice.
Sophie highly regards the supervision process and is passionate about supporting psychologists to achieve their professional goals. Sophie creates a safe and reflective supervision environment, where clinicians can feel comfortable to bring clinical queries, tricky client presentations and professional goal planning to explore together. Sophie currently supervises psychologists in addition to her client work via telehealth or face to face.
To enquire about Sophie's availability, please email adminbrunswick@sociallearningstudio.com
Meet Rose Harper
Senior Mental Health Social Worker
(She/Her)
Rose has over 12 years experience working in the mental health field. She has a Bachelor in Social Work and a Master of Public Health and has worked in a variety of settings providing counselling to children, adolescents, adults and their families of a variety of ages and backgrounds. Rose’s work always encompasses a systems approach, working collaboratively with the individual, their family as well as schools and relevant support services. Rose utilises a range of therapy interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy, somatic approaches, narrative and strengths based therapy and is flexible in finding the approach that best suits the client. Building rapport and trust is always central to Rose’s work as she views the therapeutic connection as pivotal in providing useful interventions. Hence Rose loves to get creative with her clients and has a range of tools to provide support for depression, anxiety, loss and grief, emotional regulation, social skills support and has a special interest in trauma. Rose is passionate about equality and strives to reflect this in her work, welcoming and encouraging diversity. Rose has extensive experience running groups and has enjoyed expanding this skill at Social Learning Studio.
Accredited Mental Health Social Workers (AMHSWs) are experienced and highly trained professionals that have worked extensively in mental health and have obtained registration as a provider with Medicare Australia and other programs. They are trained in a variety of psychological interventions and utilize a range of evidence-based strategies to provide counselling in different mental health settings. They have a good understanding of formal assessments but do not conduct them which differs from psychologists. However, they can work in conjunction to support assessments for neurodiversity.
Meet Lisa Scott
Senior Occupational Therapist
(She/Her)
Lisa is one of our senior clinicians, providing occupational therapy to help young people to develop independent living skills and participate to the best of their ability in everyday activities.
Lisa's clinical approach is informed by formal and informal assessments, establishing targeted, defined, measurable goals in the area of sensory processing, perception, organisational skills, emotion and motor coordination skills.
Lisa's primary goal is to empower parents and their children with the skills and strategies to reach their child's goals.
Meet Patricia Cham
(She/Her)
Patricia has been working as a paediatric occupational therapist for 2 years and is passionate about working with children of various cultural backgrounds and abilities.
She is passionate about maintaining good rapport with her clients and their families, understanding their interests and utilising a strength-based approach in therapy to ensure that her clients are developing their skills in the best way they can.
She has special interests in areas such as sensory processing, interception, executive functioning and emotional regulation.
Meet Rozalia Hecht
Psychologist
(She/Her)
Rozalia is a warm and compassionate psychologist and AHPRA board-approved supervisor, with specialist endorsement in Educational and Developmental Psychology. Rozalia specialises in working with adults and young people aged 12 years and over, who are experiencing a range of concerns, including emotional, social and behavioural difficulties. Rozalia also works with parents individually for parenting support.
Rozalia’s counselling approach is influenced by emotion-focussed perspectives, and the desire to support clients to achieve self-awareness, and self-care. Rozalia includes the interests and passions of her clients in sessions to connect and build rapport, and to foster insights and support positive change. Rozalia uses a flexible person-centred therapeutic approach aligned with the client’s developmental needs, age, and interests.
Rozalia also provides supervision to new graduate psychologists, provisional psychologists and psychologists seeking educational and developmental endorsement.
Meet Michelle Guneratne
Psychologist
(She/Her)
Michelle brings warmth and compassion to her work with clients, providing a supportive and non-judgmental counselling environment. Michelle uses evidence-based approaches combined with creativity to work with clients and their families, identifying their strengths and inspiring them to reach their potential. Michelle works with clients across the lifespan, particularly in the areas of anxiety and depression, social skills and emotional regulation. Michelle recently completed a Masters of Educational and Developmental Psychologist at Melbourne University.
Meet Cate Rushan
Psychologist
(She/Her)
Cate is a registered Psychologist who recently completed a Master of Educational Psychology at the University of Melbourne. Cate is curious and open-minded, bringing a warm and approachable atmosphere to her practice. She is committed to creating a space where clients feel understood, accepted, and comfortable.
In her practice, Cate combines evidence-based approaches with a developmental perspective and creativity to effectively work with clients across the lifespan. Her approach is strengths-based and system-oriented, tailored to recognise the unique strengths, challenges, supports, and influences of each individual.
Cate has experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and their families. She has a particular interest in supporting adolescents and young adults as they navigate complexities such as anxiety, depression, identity development, friendship dynamics, educational needs, and periods of transition. Cate also conducts educational assessments for the purpose of identifying learning needs and/or ADHD.
Meet Beth Binyam
Speech Pathologist
(She/Her)
Beth is a speech pathologist who will be supporting clients at our Brunswick West and Coburg clinics. She has over three years' experience working with children, adolescents, and young adults in private practice in regional Victoria.
She is passionate about neurodiversity-affirming practice, person-centred care, and fostering confidence in her clients. Beth considers her client's strengths, preferences, and lived experiences to tailor therapy sessions to their needs in her therapeutic approach.
She can provide support in the areas of social communication, literacy, speech sound development, language, fluency (stuttering), and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) or complex communication needs (CCN).
Meet Carol Ismail
Speech Pathologist
(She/Her)
Carol is a Speech Pathologist with over 15 years experience in the health, disability and education sector and has worked in various roles in Australia and overseas including policy, research and project management.
More recently she has worked in telehealth providing speech pathology services to people all around Australia who have found it a challenge to access services.
Although her experiences are diverse, Carol is passionate working with neurodiverse individuals and their families. She believes in providing strength based, holistic and functional support to ensure clients and their families achieve their goals and excel within their home and community.
Her areas of interest include social communication, expressive and receptive communication and exploring alternative forms of communication. Carol is also able to provide speech, language and fluency assessment and therapy across all ages.
Outside of her day job, Carol is an aspiring actor and writer who enjoys long distance running, playing guitar badly and raising succulents.
Meet Zilla Bartels - Currently on maternity leave
Senior Speech Pathologist
(She/Her)
Zilla provides individualised support to children, adolescents, young adults and their families, focusing on areas of communication including, but not limited to the following: Development of Speech Sounds; Expressive and Receptive language; Literacy skills and Social Communication skills.
Zilla has experience working with children, adolescents and young adults in online, in-person and group settings, and no matter how the therapy takes place, ensures to engage each client in a way that is best suited to them.
Zilla is also a qualified DRUMBEAT facilitator and runs programs throughout the year at the Social Learning Studio. DRUMBEAT is a group program that uses music, rhythm and teamwork to build social-emotional skills.
Meet Melia Miltiadou
Reception & Accounts Manager
(She/Her)
A former teacher, and bank manager, Melia's skill set keeps us all in line. If you call us, it's likely you'll be speaking to Melia. Melia has supported our team for many years, very familiar with each clinician's unique style. Melia can help to identify whether someone from our team will be a right fit for your needs.
Meet Maria Tsataliou
Therapy Assistant
(She/Her)
Maria works under the direction of our clinicians, to work with young people to practice the skills and strategies that they are learning with their counsellor, speech pathologist or occupational therapist.
Therapy Assistant sessions with Maria can take place in the AHSC clinic, school, as well as in the community.
Maria has completed her undergraduate degree at RMIT University, with a double major in Psychology and Criminology. Maria is especially interested in language and communication, and her goal is to become a Speech Pathologist. Maria is patient, positive, and finds ways to make even the boring feel a little more fun. Maria’s primary commitment is to foster an atmosphere of warmth and empathy, ensuring that clients and their families feel supported.
Meet Tara Scorgie
Therapy Assistant
(She/Her)
As a Therapy Assistant, Tara works collaboratively with the clinicians at The Social Learning Studio to support clients reaching their goals. Tara has completed her Graduate Diploma in Psychology and will commence a Honours in Psychology in 2023. Her goal is to become a Clinical Psychologist.
Tara enjoys working with young people, she works to create a safe and compassionate environment for individuals to thrive in. Tara has a caring and encouraging nature, and aims to support learning and development in a fun and connected way.
Therapy Assistant sessions with Tara can take place in a variety of settings, such as The Social Learning Studio clinic, at school, or in the community (cafes, shops, museums, playgrounds).
Meet Malamati Tsiukardanis
Therapy Assistant
(They/Them)
Malamati is a Therapy Assistant (TA), that works under the guidance and in collaboration with the clinicians here at The Social Learning Studio. Malamati has completed her undergraduate at the University of Melbourne, with a major in Psychology. Malamati plans to complete their Master's in Clinical Psychology.
At The Social Learning Studio, Malamati has the role of helping to transfer work and skills learnt in therapy with clinicians, to the outside world with the young person in real-time. This could include skills such as sensory regulation, community integration, practicing social skills and much more. Therapy Assistant sessions with Malamati can take place in the SLS clinic, school, as well as in the community which could include cafes, museums and in the Melbourne CBD.
Malamati is a warm and creative person that loves to work with young people to ensure they feel supported, cared for and are given social and life skills to navigate life.
Meet Neil Miranda
Therapy Assistant
(He/Him)
Neil will collaborate with the many clinicians at the Social Learning Studio to aid anyone reach their full capabilities in whatever they would want to achieve. With experience working with neurodiverse children, Neil’s approach is a safe and compassionate one, focusing on the person’s needs while still encouraging growth and self-development.
Even though psychology is his main passion, Neil’s interest varies from listening to a wide mix of different music, to watching far too many movies, to skateboarding and playing the piano. He finished a degree in Psychology at RMIT and is fluent in Filipino.
Meet Kara Stefanos
Therapy Assistant
(She/Her)
As a Therapy Assistant, Kara works collaboratively with the clinicians at The Studio Collective to support clients in reaching their goals. Kara has completed her Honours in Psychology and an Arts and Law double degree at Monash University. Kara will be studying the Masters of Educational and Developmental Psychology this year at Melbourne University.
Kara is a warm, positive and welcoming person with quality interpersonal skills. She has eight years of experience working with young people in a school and outdoor camp setting. Kara is genuine in her approach to helping people feel well-supported and accepted. She loves forming relationships of trust, and enjoys working with diverse individuals to encourage and ensure they reach their full potential by increasing social skills, independence, sensory regulation, and community participation. Kara is also passionate about nature-based therapies and building confidence outdoors.
Kara's work can take place in various settings such as at the clinic, school, home, or in the community (parks, cafes, shops, museums, playgrounds). In her spare time she loves hiking, ocean swims, and boardgames.
