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Mental Health/Disability Support Workers
Rachel McManus
Meet Our Team Leader Rachel
Rachel, is a dedicated and compassionate mental health and community services professional with over 20 years of experience across diverse roles including nursing, program management, and health promotion. She brings a wealth of clinical expertise and leadership experience to her role, combining a deep understanding of mental health with a strong focus on collaboration, quality care, and continuous improvement.
Rachel is deeply committed to delivering person-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally safe care, empowering individuals to achieve their goals while promoting wellbeing and independence. She has led multidisciplinary teams, coordinated complex care plans, and implemented quality improvement initiatives to enhance service delivery and client outcomes.
Her leadership style is supportive and inclusive — fostering teamwork, accountability, and respect among staff and clients alike. Skilled in mentoring and developing others, Rachel ensures her team feels valued, motivated, and equipped to deliver compassionate, high-quality care.
She has supported individuals with a wide range of conditions, including autism, depression, anxiety, ADHD, intellectual disability, mood and personality disorders, OCD, trauma, and challenging behaviors.
What we love about Rachel:
Rachel’s leadership embodies the heart of Astute Living Care — compassionate, people-focused, and purpose-driven. She leads with integrity and empathy, creating an environment where both clients and staff feel supported and respected. Her decades of experience and unwavering commitment to improving lives make her not just a leader, but an inspiration within our organisation. We value Rachel’s calm strength, her vision for inclusive care, and her ability to empower others to reach their fullest potential.
Van Den Heever
Meet Denevene
Denevene is a compassionate and motivated Support Worker with over 2 years of experience, supporting individuals with disability and mental health needs. After transitioning from administration into disability support, she brings strong organisation skills alongside a genuine passion for helping people live more independent and meaningful lives. Her friendly and approachable nature helps create a warm, supportive environment where individuals feel comfortable and encouraged.
Her approach is person-centred and trauma-informed, with a strong focus on empowering individuals to make choices that reflect their goals and values. Denevene supports people with schizophrenia, trauma, bipolar and mood disorders, autism, intellectual disability, ADHD, anxiety, and depression, providing both emotional support and practical assistance. She assists with daily living tasks including personal care, medication support, community access, transport, and progress documentation
What we love about Denevene
Denevene’s energy, positivity, and genuine care make her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She brings enthusiasm, empathy, and encouragement to her work, helping individuals feel supported, motivated, and confident in their everyday lives. Her commitment to learning and empowering others reflects the heart of our person-centred approach.
Jodie Becker
Meet Jodie
Jodie Becker has over 2 years of experience in the care sector, specializing in building trusting relationships with clients. Known for her calm and understanding nature, Jodie excels in creating a comfortable and supportive environment for individuals with diverse needs. Her responsible work ethic, combined with her easy-going demeanor, enables her to help clients reach their goals and enhance their capacity through positive guidance, encouragement, and motivation. Jodie has supported individuals with a range of conditions, including schizophrenia, autism, depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, OCD, borderline personality disorder, and intellectual disability.
What we love about Jodie:
Jodie’s ability to connect with clients and make them feel at ease is what truly sets her apart. Her calm presence and dedicated approach to supporting clients in both medical and social settings reflect her deep commitment to their well-being. Jodie’s passion for empowering clients to achieve their goals and her hands-on involvement in their daily activities make her an invaluable member of our team. We appreciate Jodie’s positive attitude and the trust she builds with those she supports.
Kristie Lee Sardis
Meet Kristie
Kristie is an experienced Support Worker with a focus on mental health. With 2 years of hands-on experience, Kristie is dedicated to providing compassionate and enthusiastic support to individuals facing mental health challenges. She is known for her outgoing, bubbly personality and her ability to build strong connections with clients, helping them overcome obstacles and increase their capacity for independent living. Kristie’s expertise includes working with a variety of disabilities, including Autism, ADHD, Schizophrenia, Intellectual Disability, Anxiety, Depression, and behaviours of concern.
What We Love About Kristie:
Kristie’s passion for community care shines through in everything she does. Her commitment to growth and development, combined with her empathy and compassion, makes her an invaluable member of the team.
She goes above and beyond to support her clients, not only helping with daily tasks such as medical appointments, shopping trips, and meal planning, but also providing emotional support and mentoring. Kristie’s dedication to improving the lives of those she supports, paired with her bubbly personality, makes her a beloved figure among clients and colleagues alike.
Cherie Yeaman
Meet Cherie
Cherie is a compassionate and experienced Support Worker with over 10 years of experience supporting individuals living with psychosocial and complex mental health conditions. She is passionate about mental health and supports people to build confidence, independence, and meaningful progress toward their personal goals. Her approach is person-centred, trauma-informed, and holistic.
Cherie has experience supporting individuals with autism, intellectual disability, trauma, OCD, ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, and suicidal ideation, along with providing practical daily living support.
What we love about Cherie:
Cherie’s calm reliability, empathy, and depth of experience make her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She brings consistency, professionalism, and genuine care to every interaction, supporting individuals with dignity and respect
Nur Aisya Binti Mohd Nazori
Meet Nur
Nur is a compassionate and experienced Support Worker with three years of private nursing experience and hands-on experience in mental health and psychiatric care. She supports clients with empathy, patience, and a person-centred, trauma-informed approach, helping them feel safe, respected, and empowered in their care.
Nur has experience supporting individuals with autism, schizophrenia, ADHD, anxiety, depression, PTSD, mood disorders, personality disorders, and challenging behaviours, as well as providing practical daily living support.
What we love about Nur:
Nur’s calm nature, clinical background, and genuine compassion make her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She brings professionalism, patience, and respectful support to every interaction.
Tiffany Kibue
Meet Tiffany
Tiffany has been a Support Worker since 2021, showing dedication and playing a key role in improving her clients’ lives. She excels in daily tasks, helping with various activities and personal care, always prioritising their needs.
Known for strong time management, she organizes tasks effectively. Tiffany communicates well with her team, contributing to effective teamwork. Her calm demeanor and fair conflict resolution make her a valuable team player.
Overall, she brings a wealth of skills, including clear communication, team collaboration, and a dedicated nature, making her an exceptional Support Worker.
What we love about Tiffany:
Tiffany is skilled in maintaining client confidentiality, providing excellent customer service, adapting to people’s needs, collaborating effectively in teamwork, managing time and tasks efficiently, and focusing on positive client and teamwork outcomes.
Tabitha Akech
Meet Tabitha
Tabitha is a compassionate and dedicated Social Worker with experience supporting individuals and families since 2019. She brings a person-centred, trauma-informed approach to her work and is skilled in crisis intervention, emotional support, and building trusting relationships with clients from diverse backgrounds.
Tabitha has experience supporting individuals with depression, anxiety, dementia, Alzheimer’s, stroke, developmental delay, mood disorders, paralysis, speech impairment, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, ADHD, personality disorders, and intellectual disability.
What we love about Tabitha:
Tabitha’s empathy, patience, strong communication skills, and cultural sensitivity make her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She brings warmth, professionalism, and genuine care to every interaction.
Isabella Melo Santos
Meet Isabella
Isabella is a compassionate and experienced Support Worker fluent in English and Portuguese, with over five years of experience in mental health and disability support. She takes a trauma-informed, person-centred approach, tailoring care to each individual’s goals, needs, and lived experiences.
Isabella has experience supporting individuals with depression, PTSD, anxiety, bipolar disorder, autism, OCD, personality disorders, Alzheimer’s, and other complex needs. Her calm and nurturing approach helps clients feel safe, heard, and empowered, while her nursing background and collaborative style support high-quality, coordinated care.
What we love about Isabella:
Isabella’s warmth, patience, and professionalism make her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She brings creativity, reliability, and genuine compassion to every interaction, helping clients build confidence, independence, and emotional wellbeing.
Anastasia Nyamoita
Meet Anna
Anna is a compassionate and dedicated Support Worker with two years of experience supporting individuals with daily living needs, including personal care, meal preparation, medication support, domestic assistance, and community participation. She takes a person-centred approach, helping clients build independence, confidence, and meaningful connections while promoting dignity and choice.
Anna is passionate about supporting people living with mental health and psychosocial disabilities. Through consistency, empathy, and genuine connection, she helps clients feel safe, respected, and empowered as they work toward their goals and participate in their communities at their own pace.
What we love about Anna:
Anna’s warm, patient, and encouraging approach makes her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She brings genuine care to every interaction and supports clients in taking meaningful steps toward greater confidence and independence.
Brigesh Parrakatil
Meet Brigesh
Brigesh Parrakatil is a compassionate and dedicated Support Worker with 3 years of experience in the field. Specializing in mental health support, Brigesh is skilled in monitoring and assessing mental health conditions, employing de-escalation techniques, and using restraint when necessary. His exceptional social and communication skills allow him to engage effectively with clients, their families, and the team, fostering a supportive environment. Brigesh provides counseling, therapeutic activities, and group sessions, ensuring clients receive holistic care tailored to their needs.
His hobbies include playing football, riding motorcycle, cooking, going out to the beach, listening to music, playing video games and spending time with his family.
What We Love About Brigesh:
Brigesh’s ability to connect with people and his genuine care for their well-being stands out. His positive attitude and commitment to emotional support create an inclusive atmosphere where clients feel safe and valued. His diverse interests, from playing football to spending time with his family, show his well-rounded nature and passion for life. We admire his dedication to helping others and the compassion he brings to every aspect of his work.
Jacqueline Defaveri
Meet Jacqueline
Jacqueline holds a Diploma in Mental Health and has over three years of experience in the mental health industry. With a strong foundation in both the theoretical and practical aspects of mental health support, Jacqueline works closely with community clients, helping those with various diagnoses such as Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, Autism, PTSD, and more. Her compassionate approach and recovery-focused model ensure participants receive tailored care and support. Jacqueline is also passionate about advancing her career and plans to study psychology at university.
What we love about Jacqueline:
Jacqueline’s deep empathy and dedication to her clients make her an invaluable part of our team. Her proactive approach to personal and professional growth, coupled with her experience handling complex mental health conditions, enables her to make a meaningful impact on the lives of those she supports. We admire her commitment to continually learning and her ability to motivate and emotionally uplift her clients.
Harmanpreet Singh
Meet Harmanpreet
Harmanpreet is a compassionate and dependable Support Worker with over three years of experience providing care across a wide range of mental health and disability settings. Guided by person-centred and trauma-informed principles, Harman is deeply committed to helping individuals build resilience, achieve their goals, and live with greater independence and confidence.
His personal connection to the field drives a genuine dedication to every client he supports. Known for his calm and grounded presence, Harman creates safe, respectful spaces where people feel understood and valued. He has extensive experience supporting individuals living with autism, dementia, trauma, intellectual disability, psychosis, anxiety, depression, and complex behaviours, always approaching each person with patience, empathy, and understanding.
With strong interpersonal skills and a non-judgmental approach, Harman fosters trust and collaboration with clients, families, and colleagues alike. His focus on continuous growth and learning is evident in his professional development and his ongoing contributions to the Astute Living Care team.
What we love about Harman:
Harman’s quiet strength and genuine compassion shine through in every aspect of his work. He’s reliable, kind, and always willing to go the extra mile to ensure clients feel supported — not just cared for. His passion for helping others and his consistent professionalism make him an invaluable part of our team. Outside of work, Harman enjoys fitness, cooking, reading, and music — finding balance and energy that he brings into his care every day.
Thivaani Puvaneswaran
Meet Thivaani
Thivaani is a compassionate and dedicated Support Worker with experience supporting older people with daily living and personal care. She brings a calm, patient, and person-centred approach, particularly when supporting individuals living with dementia, and is committed to promoting dignity, comfort, and independence.
Thivaani has experience assisting with personal care, daily activities, manual handling, infection control, workplace safety, medication support, meal preparation, transport, companionship, and emotional support.
What we love about Thivaani:
Thivaani’s calm nature, strong communication skills, and caring approach make her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She builds trusting relationships and remains composed and respectful, even in challenging situations.
Judy Nguyen
Meet Judy
Judy is a compassionate and thoughtful Support Worker with a background in psychology and therapy assistance. She has experience supporting children’s developmental goals through play-based and structured activities, while helping build communication, social skills, confidence, and independence.
Judy has experience supporting individuals with autism, ADHD, developmental language and global developmental disorders, speech sound disorder, intellectual disability, anxiety, depression, and trauma. She also brings strong active listening, communication, and attention-to-detail skills through her therapy and volunteer experience.
What we love about Judy:
Judy’s warm nature, patience, and psychology background make her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She brings empathy, curiosity, and thoughtful support to every interaction, helping clients feel heard, encouraged, and respected.
Radha Ghimere
Meet Radha
Radha is a compassionate and experienced Support Worker with over five years of experience in care and support roles, with a strong focus on mental health and person-centred care. She supports people of different ages with empathy, respect, and understanding, always promoting dignity, safety, independence, and wellbeing.
Radha has experience supporting individuals with anxiety, autism, Down syndrome, mood disorders, personality disorders, OCD, trauma, dementia, intellectual disability, depression, and challenging behaviours, as well as providing practical daily living support.
What we love about Radha:
Radha’s compassion, adaptability, and person-centred approach make her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She builds trusting relationships and provides thoughtful support tailored to each person’s individual needs.
Victoria “Vicki” Cooke
Meet Vicki
Vicki is a caring and empathetic professional with over three years of experience in counselling and mental health support. She takes a person-centred, trauma-informed approach, building trusting relationships and providing support that is respectful, personal, and empowering.
Vicki has experience supporting individuals with anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, stress, adjustment disorders, and suicidal ideation. She also brings a strong background in counselling, mentoring, telehealth, program delivery, and community support.
What we love about Vicki:
Vicki’s warmth, empathy, and grounded approach make her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She listens deeply, responds with compassion, and brings a genuine commitment to helping people feel supported, confident, and hopeful.
Syeda Sana Bukhari
Meet Sana
Sana is a compassionate and dedicated Support Worker with experience supporting children and adults with autism, psychosocial disabilities, and physical support needs. She provides person-centred support with kindness, respect, and empathy, helping clients build independence, confidence, and everyday skills.
Sana has experience with daily living support, community participation, skill development, case coordination, social activities, personal care, medication support, meal preparation, transport, companionship, and emotional support.
What we love about Sana:
Sana’s warm approach, reliability, and strong understanding of individual goals make her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She creates a positive and encouraging environment where clients feel respected, supported, and empowered.
Patricia Busuttil
Meet Patricia
Patricia is a compassionate and thoughtful Support Worker with a background in psychology and health services. She takes a person-centred approach, adapting her communication and support to each individual’s needs, preferences, and goals while promoting dignity, independence, and wellbeing.
Patricia has experience providing emotional support, active listening, practical assistance, community support, personal care, medication assistance, transport, companionship, and daily living support. She also brings strong advocacy and collaboration skills from working with families and healthcare professionals.
What we love about Patricia:
Patricia’s patience, empathy, and respectful approach make her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She builds meaningful connections and helps clients feel heard, comfortable, and supported.
Cameron Allen
Meet Cameron
Cameron is a compassionate Support Worker with hands-on experience in the mental health and disability sector. He provides person-centred, trauma-informed support to individuals with a range of needs, including autism, anxiety, depression, trauma, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, dementia, physical and intellectual disability, and challenging behaviours.
Cameron brings patience, empathy, active listening, and problem-solving to his work, helping clients feel safe, respected, and supported as they build confidence and independence.
What we love about Cameron:
Cameron’s calm, dependable, and compassionate approach makes him a valued part of each client’s support journey. He brings consistency, understanding, and genuine care to every interaction.
Mary Faustino Yel
Meet Mary
Mary is a compassionate healthcare professional with over 10 years of experience across support work and nursing. She has supported individuals of all ages with needs including autism, PTSD, schizophrenia, ADHD, bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, intellectual disability, personality disorders, and challenging behaviours.
Mary takes an empathetic, person-centred approach, providing personal care, medication support, emotional encouragement, and daily living assistance while promoting dignity, comfort, and wellbeing.
What we love about Mary:
Mary’s warmth, clinical experience, and genuine compassion make her a trusted and valued Support Worker. She brings reliability, empathy, and thoughtful care to every interaction.
Emma Grace Greenland
Meet Emma
Emma is an energetic and compassionate Support Worker with experience as a Disability Support Worker, Support Coordinator, Recovery Coach, and Youth Worker. She takes a person-centred approach, helping individuals build everyday living skills, participate in their communities, and work toward greater independence.
Emma has experience with personal care, social and recreational activities, behaviour support plans, community participation, medication assistance, meal preparation, transport, companionship, and emotional support.
What we love about Emma:
Emma’s calm, creative, and professional approach makes her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She brings kindness, focus, and genuine encouragement to every interaction.
Elaha Qasimi
Meet Elaha
Elaha is a compassionate Support Worker with over two years of experience in youth work and multicultural support services. She has supported individuals with autism, anxiety, depression, trauma, OCD, intellectual disability, non-verbal conditions, and challenging behaviours.
Elaha takes a trauma-informed, person-centred approach and brings strong skills in behavioural support, emotional encouragement, personal care, medication assistance, and daily living support. Her calm and culturally responsive nature helps clients feel safe, understood, and empowered.
What we love about Elaha:
Elaha’s empathy, patience, and warm approach make her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She builds trust easily and brings genuine care and understanding to every interaction.
Anjeela Chetri
Meet Anjeela
Anjeela Chetri is a compassionate Support Worker with two years of experience supporting refugee, migrant, and vulnerable communities. Fluent in English and Nepali, she provides person-centred support to individuals with autism, ADHD, intellectual disability, dementia, psychosis, trauma, addiction, physical disability, non-verbal conditions, and challenging behaviours.
Anjeela brings strong skills in emotional support, personal care, medication assistance, care planning, and progress monitoring. Her calm, empowering approach helps clients feel safe, respected, and supported as they build confidence, resilience, and independence.
What we love about Anjeela:
Anjeela’s empathy, patience, and advocacy-focused approach make her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She brings warmth, understanding, and genuine care to every interaction.
Sameera Khan
Meet Sameera
Sameera is a compassionate Support Worker with a background in psychology and experience working with children and families. She takes a strength-based, person-centred approach, helping individuals feel heard, valued, and empowered while supporting their independence and wellbeing.
Sameera brings strong communication, rapport-building, and emotional support skills, along with experience in personal care, medication assistance, meal preparation, transport, companionship, and daily living support.
What we love about Sameera:
Sameera’s calm, respectful, and encouraging approach makes her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She brings empathy, positivity, and a genuine commitment to helping clients feel supported and confident.
Mikayla Grace Pollock
Meet Mikayla
Mikayla is a compassionate Support Worker with experience assisting clients with their day-to-day needs. She brings empathy, patience, active listening, and a warm interpersonal approach, helping clients feel comfortable, supported, and understood.
Mikayla has experience supporting individuals with anxiety, autism, intellectual disability, schizophrenia, ADHD, bipolar disorder, panic attacks, psychosis, stress, low self-esteem, and other emotional and social challenges. She also has experience providing peer support and encouraging confidence and social connection.
What we love about Mikayla:
Mikayla’s empathy, adaptability, and encouraging nature make her a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. She brings patience, positivity, and genuine care to every interaction.
Berhanu Bifftu
Meet Berhanu
Berhanu is a dedicated Disability Support Worker with over two years of experience in Australia and more than ten years of prior experience as a Staff Nurse and Mental Health Professional. He provides person-centred, recovery-focused support that promotes wellbeing, emotional stability, independence, and dignity.
Berhanu has experience supporting individuals with intellectual disability, autism, ADHD, trauma, depression, anxiety, mood and personality disorders, learning disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder.
What we love about Berhanu:
Berhanu’s empathy, reliability, and strong mental health background make him a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. He brings calm, respectful, and professional support to every interaction.
Jose Rodrigo Gatica
Meet Jose
Jose is a compassionate Mental Health Support Worker with experience supporting individuals through acute distress, suicidal thoughts, trauma, grief, and other complex life challenges. He provides calm, respectful, and non-judgmental support, helping people feel heard, safe, and supported.
Jose has experience with crisis support, suicide risk assessment, safety planning, emotional support, medication assistance, personal care, transport, companionship, and daily living support.
What we love about Jose:
Jose’s calm nature, empathy, and strong crisis-support skills make him a valued member of the Astute Living Care team. He brings professionalism, reassurance, and genuine care to every interaction.
Interested in being part of our team? Click Here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What qualifications do your support workers have?
Our workers are trained in mental health and psychosocial disability support. Many hold qualifications in psychology, social work or mental health, and some bring valuable lived experience.
Will I have the same support worker each time?
We prioritise consistency, so you see familiar faces you can build trust with, rather than a constantly changing roster. Consistency is one of the most important parts of good mental health support.
Can I choose my support worker?
Yes. We offer free meet and greets so you can choose who supports you. Choice and control sit at the heart of how we work.
How do you match workers to participants?
We consider your needs, goals, personality and preferences, then introduce you to a worker we believe is a strong fit. If it is not right, we will find a better match.