About the presenter(s)
Ms. Mellisa Rigter, Senior Consumer Peer Worker at St Kilda Road Clinic, Alfred Health & Peer Work Trainer, Uniting.
Mellisa has worked from the consumer perspective since 2012 and held positions at St.Vincent’s, BHN and Alfred SKRC/ CCT. Mellisa is currently the Peer Work Trainer at Uniting Vic.Tas and the Senior Lived Experience AOD worker in the South City Service at the Alfred. Mellisa lives with dyslexia and has a lived experience of psychosis and a late diagnosis of ADHD. The term ‘Neurodivergence’ has helped put a new lens on a complex history.
Ms. Lauren Snowden (she/her), Carer Peer Practice Lead, Alfred Health.
Lauren Snowden is the Carer Peer Practice Lead for the Adult and Older Adult program of Alfred Mental & Addiction Health.
She originally trained as a psychiatric nurse but chose to step away from formal practice. Instead, she has drawn on her knowledge of mental illness to support loved ones and her community while raising her children.
Over the past four decades, Lauren has recognised the importance of sharing experiences and prioritising the voices of consumers and carers. Central to her work is the belief that centring psychological care is essential for fostering the health and wellbeing of individuals and their families.
Dr. Catherine Cox (she/her) - DPsych (Clinical Neuropsychology), Neurodevelopmental Stream Lead; Psychology Discipline Senior. www.pymhws.org.au
Catherine is a Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist. She completed her D.Psych in neuropsychology at La Trobe. Since then she has worked across the life span in aged care, neuropsychiatry, neurology, neurological rehabilitation, paediatrics, adult drug and alcohol and since June 2022 at Orygen in youth mental health. Catherine has worked in Australia and Singapore. Most of her work has been in the public sector, with her main focus in the child and youth space. At PYMHWS she leads the Neurodevelopmental Stream, which is a multidisciplinary team that takes referrals from the PYMHWS which is a tertiary mental health state government funded service. The team provide assessments across the full spectrum of neurodevelopmental differences, including Autism, ADHD, learning difficulties and language difficulties.
Mr. Caillin Porter
Principal Clinical Psychologist/Senior Clinician headspace Early Psychosis SE Melbourne
Caillin is the Principal Clinical Psychologist with the headspace Early Psychosis Program in Southeastern Melbourne. Through 10 years working in the Early Psychosis Program, and a history of private practice and working with children and carers in the out-of-home care system, Caillin has developed an interest in the topic of ‘difference’. Clients presenting to an early psychosis setting often have unusual experiences; through a clinical lens these experiences can be pathologized and medicalised. Looking through a Neurodiversity lens, particularly Autism, has become a helpful alternative pathway toward understanding and supporting clients presenting as different. Caillin values thoughtful consideration of the challenging intersection between swift medicalised interventions for psychosis, and formulations which consider neurodiversity or other explanations for difference. Caillin has captured some of these ideas in the published article Understanding Autism as a Condition in Mental Health Clinical Practice: Clinical Perspectives from a Youth Early Psychosis Service.
Mr. Simon Bury, PhD - Senior Research Fellow/Clinical Psychologist Olga Tennyson Research Centre School of Psychology and Public Health La Trobe University.
Simon completed his PhD in Clinical Psychology at Flinders University in 2017, following a Bachelor of Psychological Science at the University of Adelaide in 2013. His doctoral research focused on developing a new theoretical approach to ‘hope’.
His current research is centred on improving accessibility and inclusion for autistic adults, with a focus on mental health and employment. This work examines social barriers and enablers of inclusion, defines and promotes neurodiversity-affirming support, and explores the intersections of social and clinical psychology (e.g., autism identity).
In addition to his research, Simon is a clinical psychologist with experience supporting autistic children and adults, as well as clients with trauma histories and those undergoing psycho-educational assessment. He is currently a Senior Research Fellow in the Health & Wellbeing Research Program at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC).
Recent Publications
Flower, R. L., Benn, R., Bury, S., Camin, M., Muggleton, J., Richardson, E. K., ... & Jellett, R. (2025). Defining Neurodiversity Affirming Psychology Practice for Autistic Adults: A Delphi Study Integrating Psychologist and Client Perspectives. Autism in Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2024.0305
Bury, S.M., Hedley, D.; Uljarević, M.; Li, X.; Stokes, M.A.; & Begeer, S. (2024). Employment profiles of autistic people: An 8-year longitudinal study. Autism. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231225798
Bury, S. M., Hascheck, A., Wenzel, M., Spoor, J. R., & Hedley, D. (2024). Brief Report: Learning about autism: Is the source of autism knowledge associated with differences in autism knowledge, autism identity, and experiences of stigma. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05823-5
Bury, S. M., Jellett, R., Hascheck, A., Wenzel, M., Hedley, D. & Spoor, J. R. (2023). Understanding language preference: Autism knowledge, experience of stigma, and autism identity. Autism. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221142381