Newlands Wellbeing Team

In 2023, Wellbeing support is going to look very different at Newlands.

Outlined below are introductions to the Newlands Wellbeing team and a summary of how the team will operate.

Team Leader: Sonya O'Brien

Behavioural Therapist: Raquel Holmes

Paediatric Psychologist: Thao Lam

Student Support Services Liason: Connie Pane

Sonya O'Brien is an experienced educator who will be coordinating the Wellbeing team. She will be liaising between staff, families and outside agencies (visiting teachers, OTs, speech therapists, physiotherapists, safe school team and any other agencies who support our students onsite). Sonya can be contacted through Sentral, before school when you see her on the school grounds or by a phone call to the office.

Raquel Holmes is a behavioural therapist who has been employed to work for 16 hours a week at Newlands. She will supporting children and their families. Raquel has been working in this space for over 5 years, specialising in disability and mental health. Over this time, she has worked with children alongside parents and supported them to improve their children’s social, emotional, and educational needs. Raquel is a registered dog handler in animal assisted therapy with her dogs Olly and Finn.

Raquel has been employed by the school to work for 16 hours a week.

Sonya will be responsible for co-ordinating Raquel's support. Classroom observations, referrals from teachers and family requests will be used to organise and plan the support she will give. Support will include individual and small group sessions with students. Parents will be notified if their child will be working with Raquel and will be given an opportunity to discuss the support she is giving. Teachers will also be provided with opportunities to speak to Raquel and discuss the needs of their classes and their students with her. Please contact Sonya through Sentral if you feel your child would benefit from support from Raquel.

Thao Lim is a registered psychologist. She is a Paediatric Psychologist who provides an adolescent psychology service in Melbourne’s inner north, offering psychological therapy for children and support strategies for Parents, Carers and Schools.

At Newlands Primary School she will be offering individual psychological therapy for children with anxiety, depression, autism spectrum, attention deficient, defiant challenges, emotional regulation, school issues and refusals and other psycho-social stresses. When suitable, she will facilitate group programs focusing on mood, anxiety, and emotional regulations. Thao will also be able available to provide psychological assessment of cognitive and learning testing. There will be a cost to families for her to undertake these assessments.

Sonya will be responsible for facilitating conversations and referrals with her.

Thao is not employed by the school. The school will be providing our community access to her services through referral and provide her with a place for her to undertake her sessions at school on a weekly basis, beginning in Term 2.

Please contact Sonya through Sentral if you would like a referral form to access services through Thao. Her services will be able to be accessed through a Mental Health Plan, which requires a referral from your GP.

Connie Pane our Student Support Services Officer will meet with Sonya on a fortnightly basis to discuss the needs of our students and then give advice on steps we can take to support them. These referrals to Connie are facilitated through regular wellbeing checkups between classroom and specialist teachers and from information from individual learning, wellbeing, health care and behaviour management plans.

Sonya will be responsible for organising and accessing assessments which are available through the department of Education, exploring funding options for students who meet the set criteria under PSDMS funding and then applying for funding if criteria are met. (https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/learningneeds/Pages/psdhandbook.aspx)

Introduction letter from Thao

Please click on the pdf to access the letter.

Movie Night