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 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 Melissa Di Pietro
Senior Psychologist
(She/Her)
Melissa is a senior Clinical Leader at our Brunswick practice and an Educational and Developmental Psychologist who brings many years of experience working in schools. Melissa loves being a psychologist and is passionate about understanding children’s strengths and challenges to foster better outcomes in the early years. Melissa takes a client-centered approach and seeks to establish a strong rapport with children and their families as the basis for therapeutic outcomes.
Melissa is a life-long learner, who is neuro-affirming in her practice, recognising and valuing the diverse ways brains learn. She utilises a range of evidence-based approaches to support her work with children based on their individual characteristics and presenting issues. She is guided by trauma informed practices, attachment theory, child developmental theory and supports families and educators to see behaviour through a neuroscience/Polyvagal theory lens. She also has a passion for early intervention and enjoys working in early childhood, bringing play into the therapy room and working collaboratively with parents and educators.
Melissa also provides comprehensive cognitive, educational and behavioural assessments to determine children’s strengths and challenges. This allows Melissa to provide tailored recommended adjustments and strategies that will support children both in the home environment and in the classroom.
Melissa is also an AHPRA Board Approved Supervisor who also enjoys supporting early career psychologists and provisional psychologists on their placements to guide their education and development.
Meet Sophie Burke
Senior Psychologist (currently on leave)
(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.
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 Zilla Bartels
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 Kate Augello
Speech Pathologist
(She/Her)
With a Master of Speech Pathology (2014), Kate brings in depth clinical experience working with school aged children, teens and young adults. Her primary areas of practice include assessment, advocacy, case management and intervention in literacy, language, social communication and executive function.
Her passion lies in particular working with adolescent clients, in literacy and complex language (including written expression) and the intersection of speech pathology and numeracy. Kate is a knowledge seeker and continuous learner. At the core of her support is neurodiverse affirming approaches, kindness and collaboration with her clients’ care team.
Outside of work, you’ll find Kate at the footy, enjoying musicals or out in nature.
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 Lucy Paul
Reception & Accounts Manager
(She/Her)
When visiting the Allied Health Studio Collective in Brunswick, you will be greeted by our newest admin expert, Lucy! Lucy graduated from Monash University last year with a double degree in psychology and criminology, and she is eager to utilise her skills and passion for working with children. With a background in psychology, Lucy brings exceptional time management and organisational skills, as well as a keen interest in developmental and organisational psychology.
In her free time, Lucy enjoys tending to her indoor plants, watching BBC Crime shows, creating art, and spending time with loved ones and her cat Alfie.
Meet Maria Tsataliou
Therapy Assistant
Maria brings warmth, creativity, and a sense of fun to every session- she can make even the most mundane tasks engaging! With a focus on building strong rapport, Maria creates a safe and inclusive space where clients and their families feel valued and supported.
Maria works under the supervision of our clinicians and enjoys collaborating with clients, their families, and lead clinicians to develop personalised plans that celebrate their strengths and align with their goals. She holds a Bachelor of Criminology and Psychology from RMIT and a Graduate Certificate in Mental Health from La Trobe University.
Whether at the Brunswick clinic or in the comfort of your home, Maria brings a neuro-affirming, strengths-based approach to her work, blending evidence-based practices with a touch of creativity. She’s passionate about helping clients feel empowered and confident as they navigate their personal journeys.
Maria is available for therapy sessions every second Saturday.
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.
Meet Dannielle
Provisional Psychologist on Placement
(She/Her)
Dannielle is a provisional psychologist who is completing a Master of Educational Psychology at the University of Melbourne. Dannielle brings curiosity, warmth and compassion to her work with clients. Dannielle has experience working with children within a school setting, providing counselling sessions and conducting cognitive, educational and behavioural assessments.
Dannielle has an interest in working with neurodivergent individuals, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. Dannielle enjoys working with clients to provide support in a range of areas, such as: anxiety, emotional regulation, and learning difficulties. Dannielle is passionate about supporting and empowering clients to reach their potential.
