Holly is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker with over twenty years experience working alongside children, adolescents, their families and broader support networks in both case management and clinical roles. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree with first class honours having undertaken a specialty project focused upon prevalent discourses on male victims of domestic violence. Over the course of her social work career she has maintained a passion and determination to support people to navigate the challenges life has thrown their way. Often this has involved working alongside families to explore ways in which they can cultivate their strengths to build connection and achieve safety for all family members.
Holly’s early career included various roles within the child protection system including within Family and Youth Services; initially on an Intake and Assessment team before moving on to Family Preservation work. Roles in the High Risk Infant program (FAYS) and Child Protection Services followed before she undertook a role at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service from 2006 through to 2022. Much of this time, Holly was a Keeping Them Safe clinician supporting children and young people in alternative care and their caregivers as well as broader support systems with a focus on enhancing relational connection in order to facilitate positive mental health. Holly utilised various therapeutic modalities in her mental health role to support children and young people to build their abilities to tackle stressors in a healthy and safe way.
In 2022, Holly commenced work as a private therapist including joining the Connecting Families team. She also works part time with the Department of Human Services as a Family Practitioner working with families with a focus on child safety.
Over the course of her career Holly has undertaken further study to enhance her social work practice including: Circle of Security, Life Story Work, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (practitioner level), Marte Meo therapy (practitioner level), Parallel Parent Child Narrative therapy, Parent and Child Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Family Based Treatment and CBT-e. Holly is currently training toward a certificate in Perinatal Mental Health. She enjoys and is committed to ongoing reflective practice activities and regularly undertakes training opportunities to ensure her practice is effective and relevant.
Holly has a warm and empathic approach and values engaging in a collaborative, respectful and transparent manner. She is a strong advocate for those whom she works alongside and believes in people’s capacity for change.