WORKING WITH YOU TO LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE

Michelle Chamberlin

AASW Accredited Social Worker
Key Worker - Early Intervention Specialist
Neuro-affirming Practitioner

Our purpose

Promote optimal development and enhance individuals’ quality of life and empower families, with neuro-affirming ways to support understanding of children’s needs and enhance positive outcomes. Early Intervention plays a crucial role in improving long-term outcomes for both children with developmental delays and additional needs, and can support those who are seeking a more positive tomorrow.

Breaking Barriers Early Intervention is a dynamic mobile service designed to bring support directly to you/ your child in the environments where you spend time - be it at home, school, or within the community. Our Practitioner has a rich background of over a decade in the disability services sector, Breaking Barriers Early Intervention stands as a trusted provider, within the community. We adhere to best practices endorsed by the NDIS, emphasising the delivery of therapy and support in the natural environment. This approach not only aligns with industry standards but also empowers our Keyworker model to meticulously assess the unique barriers and needs of each individual, ensuring a tailored and effective intervention experience.

Our Services

Evidence Based Therapeutic Intervention

Early Childhood
Intervention

Parental and Caregiver
Support and Education

Clinical Assessments

- Relationship Support and family conflict resolutions
- Neuro-affirming approach and Support
- Emotional regulation support and strategies
- Sensory Processing Support
- Sleep Problems strategies
- Support to develop attentional skills and focus and concentration.
- Support with behaviors of concern
- Confidence and Self Esteem Support
- Executive Functioning Support to increase cognitive capacity.
- Trauma Informed Therapeutic Intervention
- Social skills and friendship support development
- Anxiety and Depression Support
- Support to develop ways to manage planning, organisation, routines, and task completion.
- Domestic and Family Violence Support and counselling
- Support you to utilize and maximize your NDIS plan.
- Family Centered practice to ensure both the client and parent / care giver are being supported.
- Implementation of neuro-affirming social stencil program.
- Collaboration with both family, school and other stakeholders.
- Implementation of evidence-based strategies, group programs, tools, and support to asocial and emotional development, build confidence, and self-esteem.
- Linkage to other mainstream services to support your family’s individual needs.
- One to one parent training - Neuro-affirming programs such as, Nurtured Heart Approach and Bringing Up Great Kids
- BBEI has developed a program to support a neuro-affirming approach, “Creating Harmony at Home, a coregulation program for the whole family.
- Support to increase positive attachment.
- Emotional support for parents and carers to build resilience and reduce carer burnout.
- Progress reports
- Functional Capacity Assessment
- Psychosocial Assessment
- Sensory Profiles 2
- Vinelands Adaptive Behavioural 3 Assessment.
- Developmental Profile 4 WPS Assessment.
- Breaking Barriers Early Intervention (BBEI) is a mobile service that operates in and around the Hervey Bay and Maryborough region. There are also telehealth services available!
- BBEI supports both plan and self-managed participants.
- At the initial appointment a psychosocial holistic assessment is completed to assess the individual’s needs, where needed there are other assessment tools used such as Vinelands, sensory profile, carer burden scale. Then a therapy plan and Child and Family Support Plan is created to support your needs. The Canadian Operational Performance Measure (COPM) is utilised to assess current abilities and reassess prior to plan review to provide a view of outcomes achieved. At plan review time a progress report will be completed.
- Mobile Services available for Hervey Bay and Maryborough Region, and telehealth available where necessary.
- BBEI provides support and services to families with children, adolescents, and young adults with additional needs.
- BBEI is specialised to support neurodevelopmental conditions, such as, intellectual impairment, autism, conduct disorder, emotional disturbance, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, acquired brain injuries, developmental delays and trauma.

Key worker model approach

Recognized best-practice by the NDIS

The Keyworker has specialised training in human behavior, life span development, counselling, and other learnings, which enable them to design and implement strategies and supports across areas of concern.
We will help you utilise and maximise your NDIS plan, by offering a holistic approach which looks at all aspects of your child’s needs and development. Including their physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development.
The Keyworker will liaise and collaborate with other allied health professionals who are involved, to reinforce the strategies they also recommend.
The Keyworker is trained to implement evidence-based strategies, provide education, tools, and support for the child and family to manage behaviours of concern and support social and emotional skills to enable your whole family to function well and to support across all environments.
Facilitation of evidence based, group programs, such as, Tuning into Kids, The Nurtured Heart Approach and Bringing Up Great Kids.
Having a consistent lead therapist is very beneficial for children who may have difficulties with change in routine.
Each child and family’s unique needs are considered when providing strategies to ensure they fit into your family’s schedule and needs.
The Keyworker will work closely with the family to provide parental education, strategies, tools, and emotional support for the parent’s carers to build their resilience and capacity and decrease any risk of parental burnout.
The Keyworker will support you by linking you with support networks, mainstream services, and appropriate services, to suit your family’s individual needs.

about Me

Hi, my name is Michelle, and I am the founder of Breaking Barriers Early Intervention. Commencing in January 2023, Breaking Barriers Early Intervention’s vision is to support and empower individuals with the tools to breakdown barriers, which are holding them back from building their capacity and reaching their full potential. This is done by providing support, tools, strategies, and therapeutic intervention within their natural environments, such as home, school and other community settings.

I am very passionate about working as a social worker providing early intervention within the disability sector. It’s a part of who I am, my Dad had an accident in his early twenties, which resulted in him having a significant acquired brain injury, dysphasia, and he became a paraplegic, which changed his life and ours. I am also a mother to a neurodivergent child, and thanks to the benefits of early childhood intervention, this has changed the trajectory of his life, and helped our family to understand and support his needs. I have worked within the human services sector for over 10 years, with a special interest in supporting individuals with disabilities and mental health concerns. I completed my Bachelor of Social Work at Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD July 2018.

I am an Accredited Social Worker with the Australian Association of Social Workers. My goal is to support children, adolescents, young adults, and their families to develop positive attachment, break down barriers, provide strategies and support to decrease dysregulation and increase coregulation, and provide support across all domains and areas of life to increase positive outcomes and build independence and community engagement.
My interests and strengths include supporting with early childhood intervention, support to manage and increase positive parent and child relationships, behavioural management and support, facilitating group programs, supporting parents and carers with education and emotional support. As well as, in depth understanding and training in working with families from diverse culturally backgrounds, having written a literature review and trained staff in how to work effectively with culturally diverse families with complex trauma.

I am committed to ongoing professional development and continue to have regular supervision to continue to develop my therapeutic skills. As a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers, I am bound by their Code of Ethics 2010 and Practice Standards.

OUR VALUES

INTEGRITY

Integrity is the bedrock of our values, guiding us to uphold honesty, transparency, and ethical principles in all our actions and decisions.
INDIVIDUAL FIRST

“Individual first" encapsulates our commitment to prioritizing the unique needs, perspectives, and well-being of each person in our approach, ensuring personalized care and support.
EMPATHY AND COMPASSION

Embracing empathy and compassion as fundamental values, we strive to create a space where understanding and kindness converge, fostering healing and connection in every interaction.
EMPOWERMENT

Empowerment is a cornerstone of our values, dedicating ourselves to equipping individuals with the confidence, tools, and support needed to take control of their own lives and fulfill their potential.
inclusivity

Inclusivity is at the heart of our values, promoting a diverse and welcoming environment where every individual is respected, heard, and celebrated.
Hope

Cultivating hope within the therapeutic process is essential for fostering resilience, inspiring a positive outlook, and empowering individuals to overcome barriers with renewed strength and determination.