Our Team

Executive Team

Pam Roy, B.B.A. – Accounting

Pam Roy, B.B.A. – Accounting

Executive Officer with over 20 years experience in ABA therapy delivery and therapist team management/development.

Pam arrived in Australia in 1997 to deliver ABA programs to families in Victoria who had no other access to ABA. She has also delivered ABA therapy and supervision for over 30 families in Queensland as well as training therapists through supervisory levels.

Emma Miller, B.A., B.Sc.

Emma Miller, B.A., B.Sc.

Clinical Director.

Emma has over 25 years experience working with children with ASD, ABA therapy delivery and therapist team management/development.

Emma has been with Learning for Life for the past 13 years and Clinical Director since 2012.

Emma is passionate about building the skills of those around her. This includes our L4L students and families and our staff members.

Emma was a finalist in the 2014 Victorian Disability Sector Awards for Excellence in Improving Learning and Development Outcomes.

Victoria Crane, LLB (Hons), BComm

Victoria Crane, LLB (Hons), BComm

General Manager – Operations.

Victoria is an experienced banking and legal professional having formerly held roles with ANZ Institutional Bank and Allens Arthur Robinson (now Allens Linklaters). Victoria is a former board member of Learning for Life and a current board member and Treasurer for Regional Arts Victoria. In addition to her finance, risk and legal skills, Victoria brings experience and knowledge from her active involvement in the early education sector, including through her role as President of a community kindergarten.

Clinical Team

Sarah Wood, B.A., P.G. Dip. Psych, M.Ed. Psych, M.A.P.S.

Sarah Wood, B.A., P.G. Dip. Psych, M.Ed. Psych, M.A.P.S.

Head of Psychological Services.

Sarah is an Educational and Development Psychologist and Clinical Supervisor with extensive clinical and research experience in the area of ABA. Sarah has worked with Learning for L4Life for over 10 years, providing behavioural consulting for children families and educators throughout the Melbourne school system and into rural Victoria.  She is also responsible for coordinating L4Life’s research program in addition to running L4Life’s Psychological Assessment Testing program and Inclusion Works Program.

Sarah has a specific interest in working with clients who primary difficulty is behaviours of concern and motivated by seeing the progress clients can make with appropriate supports.

I really enjoy working at L4Life because we go out of our way to individualise our supports to each individual child and their family circumstances. We don’t expect the child and family to conform to the way that we do therapy, instead we work out how we can apply the behavioural principals to maximise the chance that the particular child can engage and succeed in their everyday environments.” 

Sarah frequently presents at conferences on Autism and ABA-related clinical and research topics.

In October 2019, Sarah presented at the Applied Behavioural Analysis International Convention in Stockholm.

Claire Birrell, MEd (ABA), BCBA

Claire Birrell, MEd (ABA), BCBA

Board Certified Behaviour Analyst, Clinical Supervisor and School Behavioural Consultant.

Since joining the L4Life team in 2007, Claire has gained extensive experience working with children with ASD, as well as supporting and training their therapists, families and educators.  Claire’s practice focuses predominantly on early intensive behavioural intervention and the School Behavioural Support Program.  She is particularly passionate about developing effective therapist training practices utilizing the principles of ABA and the use of technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.

In July 2019, Claire presented at the ABA Today Conference.

Samantha Boyle, B.Sc, P.G. Dip. Psych, M. Ed. Psych, M.A.P.S.

Samantha Boyle, B.Sc, P.G. Dip. Psych, M. Ed. Psych, M.A.P.S.

Psychologist, Clinical Supervisor and School Behavioural Consultant.

Sam has worked with many children with ASD in their homes, kindergartens and schools since starting with L4Life in 2011. She frequently provides behavioural consulting for families and educators in schools, conducts a range of assessments and provides regular training for L4Life staff.

Read Sam’s articles:

Sam runs the Secret Agent Society (SAS) social skills program. She also provides regular training for L4Life staff.

Sara Allen, B.Sc., P.G. Dip Psych, M. Clin. Psych, M.A.P.S.

Sara Allen, B.Sc., P.G. Dip Psych, M. Clin. Psych, M.A.P.S.

Psychologist, Clinical Supervisor and School Behavioural Support Consultant.

Sarah has worked with L4Life for over 10 years with widespread experience working with children on the Autism spectrum and their families across a number of environments, including their homes, kindergartens and schools.

Sara also provides behavioural consultation for educators within the school system, including running workshops and professional development programs. She frequently runs workshops in therapist training, school integration and social skill development.

Jodi Harris, B. Hs. (Psych & Dis)

Jodi Harris, B. Hs. (Psych & Dis)

Clinical Supervisor, School Behavioural Consultant and University Placement Coordinator.

Jodi has been working at L4Life since 2011 and has widespread experience working with children with ASD in various locations including homes, kindergartens and schools.  Jodi is passionate about working with children and families to help find their full potential and what works for them.

“I love how every day and experience is different. Seeing a child achieve something they haven’t done before is so rewarding” 

Outside of Learning for Life Jodi is a member of the technical committee for Gymnastics with over 20 years gymnastics coaching experience.

Read Jodi’s article: Tips for Preparing Kids with ASD for Starting School.

Tiffany Poljakovic, B.A. Applied Sciences (Psych), G. Dip. Applied Sciences (Psych)

Tiffany Poljakovic, B.A. Applied Sciences (Psych), G. Dip. Applied Sciences (Psych)

Clinical Supervisor, School Behavioural Consultant and Social Skills Group Facilitator.

Tiff is a clinical supervisor who has extensive experience in working with children and families across their homes, kinders and schools. Tiff has worked at Learning for Life since 2014 and is passionate about inclusion across all environments. She works predominantly with families accessing EIBI and SBSP services, and also provides training to kinder and school staff in task analysis and behaviour strategies. Tiff also facilitates the SAS social skills program, aiming to build confidence, friendships and further develop social skills for all group members.

Nilushi Goonetilleke B.A. (Psych), B. Sp Path CPSP, MSPA

Nilushi Goonetilleke B.A. (Psych), B. Sp Path CPSP, MSPA

Speech-Language Pathologist, Clinical Supervisor and School Behavioural Consultant.

Nilushi provides assessments and intervention within the speech and language domains. She also provides ABA program supervision in early intervention as well as school behavioural support.

Nilushi has been working with Learning for Life and in the ABA field since 2013. Since beginning with L4Life, she developed an interest in the different areas of communication including speech development as well as the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) methods. She is particularly passionate about collaborating with families, teachers and other professionals in order to use a holistic approach when supporting her clients.

Nilushi provides assessments and intervention for speech, language and multimodal communication within her role as a Speech-Language Pathologist. She consults with the multidisciplinary team to support communication of all forms. Nilushi runs workshops and training seminars on ABA theory, Verbal Imitation and being an integration aide.

Nilushi is highly driven by the progression of her clients and strives to use an individualised approach. She is passionate about helping her clients find their means of expressing themselves.

Read what Nilushi said about becoming an ABA therapist.

Read Nilushi’s article: Imitation & Autism: The Importance of Imitation Skills in the Process of Learning.

Elisha Mont, BSocSc(Psych), MEd(ABA), BCBA

Elisha Mont, BSocSc(Psych), MEd(ABA), BCBA

Board Certified Behaviour Analyst and Clinical Supervisor.

Elisha joined the L4Life team in 2010 and has experience working with children and families in the home, community and educational settings. She coordinates the L4Life Certification Program for staff and regularly conducts ABA theory seminars and practical training for therapists and families.

Elisha also provides school behavioural consultation, working alongside educators to provide proactive supports and learning strategies for students.

Elisha is passionate about collaborating with families, teachers and other allied health professionals, to ensure every child has an individualised program and supports that will help them to develop lifelong skills, as well as nourish the skills that the child already has.

Read Elisha’s articles:

Emma Davies, BA OccThy; MTeach (Inclusive Ed)

Emma Davies, BA OccThy; MTeach (Inclusive Ed)

School Behavioural Consultant with L4Life, providing one-on-one consultation as well as running Inclusion Works Programs and Secret Agent Society Social Skills groups.

Emma has been working in the ABA field since 2013, but has been working in disability since 2008. Since joining the L4Life team she has completed her Masters in Primary Teaching with a focus on Inclusive Education. She is particularly passionate working with families and education settings, as they provide ongoing support for their children/students. In and out of these roles, she runs workshops in therapist training, school integration, social skills, and managing challenging behaviours.

Perri Ashton, BA, GDipPsych(Adv), MEd&DevPsych, MAPS

Perri Ashton, BA, GDipPsych(Adv), MEd&DevPsych, MAPS

Psychologist, Educational and Developmental Psychology Registrar, and School Behavioural Consultant.

Perri is one of our Psychologists at Learning for Life. She has a wide range of experience working with clients in clinical and educational settings. She strives to foster a positive therapeutic relationship and a safe space for her clients. Perri works collaboratively with families, educators, and other allied health professionals.

Services that Perri provides include school behavioural consulting services, conducting a range of assessments, counselling services, and working with educators to create an inclusive school environment.

Administration Team

Celeste Sullivan

Celeste Sullivan

Practice Manager.

Celeste joined Learning for Life in 2017 after having worked in the customer service and hotel industries for ten years prior. In addition to her Practice Management role, Celeste is the Learning for Life Child Safety Officer and Occupational Health and Safety Officer.  In addition to a love of travel, Celeste is a huge foodie and can be found at brunch most Sunday mornings.

Lauren Elevato

Lauren Elevato

Office and Finance Administrator.

Lauren joined Learning for Life in 2021, bringing extensive experience in client services and operational support across corporate, allied health and early intervention settings. In addition to her background in administration, Lauren’s experience encompasses application of human-centred design to create functional therapy and consultation spaces. Lauren is the first point of contact for Learning for Life families, and manages our finances and day to day operations.