Our Team
Lauren
Clinical Director
Lauren has been a part of Woodbury since 2011 where she started as a Clinical Supervisor and stepping into the role of Clinical Director in 2019.
Lauren started her professional journey with an undergraduate degree in psychology after learning about Autism within one of her lectures. She was fortunate enough to find a position within an ABA school in the UK where she started as a junior therapist. Over the years she progressed to a senior therapist role and a classroom teacher allowing her the opportunity to gain valuable experience within the classroom. Since then she has successfully completed a M.Ed as well as gaining the relevant experience and supervision to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).
Lauren moved to Australia to be part of the Woodbury team and has played an integral part in the development of Woodbury’s specialised curriculum, and the training and coaching of their highly qualified teaching and therapy team.
Through her experience within ABA, Lauren has had the opportunity to work with a variety of individuals, mainly with a primary diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, ranging from early intervention through to adult services. This broad experience, across age groups and with a variety of developmental and emotional disabilities, provides her with a very practical and functional application of ABA. She has strong interests in the field of verbal behaviour, group learning and integration. Lauren has a true passion for the discipline and endeavours to continue to support and guide Woodbury in its aspiration to provide quality and meaningful education to our students.
Cayley
Clinical Supervisor
Cayley joined Woodbury as a Clinical Supervisor in January of 2020.
Cayley first decided to pursue ABA therapy while earning her BA degree in psychology and her BS degree in applied physiology and sport management in Dallas, Texas. She was volunteering with a program that paired adults and children with disabilities with professional directors to help them write and perform their own musical production. While volunteering, she often heard from the participants that they enjoyed how the program empowered them to make their own decisions and express their opinions freely. As a result, Cayley realized how different her world would be if other people made all her decisions. She chose ABA therapy because she is passionate about helping children learn more efficient ways to control and interact with their environments.
After earning her M.Ed in Autism and developmental disabilities in Austin, Texas, Cayley worked for three years at a private early intervention centre where she gained enough experience and supervision to earn her BCBA. During this time, she developed the curriculum for a social skills group, led an early intervention classroom and supervised multiple therapists in both private and educational settings. Cayley then moved to Sydney in June of 2018 to join her partner. Prior to coming to Woodbury, Cayley worked in Sydney as an ABA therapist and as an ECEI Coordinator for an NDIS partner.
Cayley is passionate about finding activities that makes each child smile. She believes the best interventions are child-led and individualized, and the best teaching tool is fun.
Rebecca (Bec)
Clinical Supervisor
Bec came to Woodbury with years of experience in Applied Behaviour Analysis; her first experience and ABA training was through service providers and in home therapy. She has been a teacher at Woodbury since July 2010. Bec has a B.A (majoring in Psychology), and a M.Ed. Bec has recently completed her BCBA qualification, and is moving to the role of Clinical Supervisor.
Her particular interests are helping children develop their self-help skills with regard to daily living tasks, communication, helping students manage and identify their own behaviours (where possible) and making the transition to other schools as smooth as possible for both the children and their families. Bec is also passionate about training others in ABA, including staff and other stakeholders, so more people can see the benefits of this powerful tool.
Katie
Speech Therapist
Katie recently joined Woodbury, after graduating with a M in SLP from the University of Sydney and a BSp Hearing Science from Macquarie University.
During her studies, Katie worked with Speech Pathologists in Western NSW to provide community health services to people in rural areas, as well as providing in-school support for students with sensory and special education needs. These experiences developed a special interest in the field of paediatric swallowing disorders, Aboriginal health, and working with young people and their families from disadvantaged communities.
Katie is passionate about working with each student’s strengths and interests to ensure therapy is individualised to their life and needs, and is excited to continue the development of Woodbury’s “Fruity Friday” program to encourage students to find enjoyment in new foods and support them in forming flexible, diverse, and healthy eating habits.
Lori-Anne (Annie)
Teacher
Lori-Anne (Annie), started at Woodbury in 2018.
Annie’s initial encounter of Woodbury was after an in class observation when they first opened in 2006. It was this experience which ignited Annie’s passion for teaching. Now, after completing her studies ( and a short break to start a family) she has come back to Woodbury and is excited to be part of this amazing team.
She first began her career in the Early Childhood Sector, completing a Diploma in Children’s Services. She then went on to complete a BEd (birth to 12 year) gaining valuable experience working with children in both the classroom and outside school settings. While on maternity leave she completed post graduate studies in behaviour support teaching.
What she enjoys most about working at Woodbury are the relationships and bonds that are built with your students and their families. Annie says “The students at Woodbury have taught me so much already and I can’t wait to see what my future at Woodbury holds”.
Emily
Teacher
After graduating from university with a B.Ed (Primary), Emily moved to the United States and worked as a teacher in a small preschool for children with Autism. This was where she first encountered ABA in a classroom setting. Upon returning to Australia Emily knew she wanted to continue working in the ABA field and began at Woodbury in 2012.
Emily is extremely passionate about embedding ABA into naturalistic teaching opportunities. She is particularly invested in creating a classroom environment that promotes independence, teaches flexibility and encourages students to express themselves in a functional way.
Matthew
Teacher
After graduating from university (B.Ed Primary) Matthew worked as a Primary Classroom Teacher in a variety of workplaces for 3 years. During this time he saw the prevalence of students with additional needs and decided to undertake further study (M.Ed Special and Inclusive Education) to find out how to better cater for the growing needs in the classroom. Since then Matthew has worked at an International School in Tanzania as a Classroom Teacher and Special Education Coordinator where he found his passion for working with students with additional needs. He is passionate about teaching students in the most engaging and creative way in order for them to realise their potential and thrive in all environments.
Ethan
Teacher
After graduating with a BA and B.Ed (primary) Ethan moved to the UK to explore different teaching opportunities. During this time he worked in a range of roles including teaching at a behavioural school, special ed needs and disability schools including children with Autism, as well as working on a one to one basis with students who had been excluded from school and looking to return.
Through these schools he witnessed the improvements students could achieve academically, socially and emotionally when the appropriate learning environment and support was provided. These experiences fostered a strong passion for teaching children with additional needs and developed my educational philosophy of inclusion wholism and independence which he brings with him to Woodbury.
Claire
Room Leader Rubens’ Place
Claire joined Woodbury as the team room leader in Rubens’ Room, our Early Intervention program for our younger students, in 2019.
Claire first started teaching children with Autism as a junior therapist while in her last year of completing a BA, Sociology whilst living in the UK. Quickly coming to love the role, she developed a passion for ABA and how she could help these wonderful children she was meeting. Since then Claire has been blessed to work with many amazing professionals in both schools, private clinics and in private homes as a senior therapist and special education consultant.
Claire has also completed a MEd, studied the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) and continues to study for her BCBA.
Of all the amazing mentors and teachers she has met, Claire feels that her students remain the biggest teachers of all. Through them learning so much about resilience, joy, patience, sensitivity and humour.
“It is my hope that the Rubens’ Class will be an enjoyable and fun place to learn pivotal skills that will lay the foundation for a brighter future”.
Therapy Team
Meet the Woodbury Therapy Team.
Woodbury is proud to have a dedicated team of highly trained ABA therapists who work in our school providing vital support within the classroom.
The team here at Woodbury undergo specialist training in ABA, and are drawn from a variety of backgrounds, including education, speech pathology, childcare and psychology.