A

I am passionate about working with people within the health sector and being able to provide support. I am very caring and empathetic, so naturally, I have always been drawn to working closely with others. I have a background in Psychology (Masters level qualifications) and my long-term goal is to become a registered psychologist. A flexible working schedule is preferable for me. From my university qualifications, I have gained knowledge and practical experience around different mental health conditions, behavioural conditions, rapport-building skills, and how to identify the needs of others for tailored support. I have experience working as an Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) Educator and Centre Manager, as well as working as a Teacher Assistant in a primary school. During my undergraduate degree, I also completed a placement with DHHS (Child Protection). I have also volunteered through Inclusee (formerly known as Aurous) as a Virtual Community Visitor where I had weekly scheduled interactions with two elderly people who were in isolated and vulnerable situations due to the impacts of COVID-19. I love meeting new people and getting to know them, their story, their passions, their struggles and their goals. I have found that throughout my different roles and experiences, being able to listen and encourage others to achieve their goals has brought me the most fulfilment. I also speak fluent Italian as it was my first language, this could be really helpful to clients who might be of Italian origin and remove that language/background barrier. I believe that the number one way to build rapport and mutual respect between people is through open communication. In my experience working closely with others, I have found that both individuals can gain the most out of any experience by ensuring boundaries, abilities and goals are established beforehand. Open communication should remain throughout the experience to enable both parties to voice any arising concerns. In sharing one of my skills or hobbies with someone in the community, I would first make sure that it is something that they are also interested in and then discuss how we both feel comfortable executing the activity. For example, I love cooking! My mum was a chef for many years and she has taught me how to create amazing food just by using my creativity and five senses. If a client was interested in learning this skill, I would ask them questions about their current cooking abilities and what end goal they have in mind. They might want to create better-presented food or just be able to put a dish together more simply, without the need for a recipe. I would then make suggestions of what small steps we can make to progressively build on that end goal and work through them.