Emma O’Neill
Director/ Registered Behaviour Support Practitioner
Emma is a Registered Nurse with a specialisation in Intellectual Disability, Epilepsy, and Behaviour Support, boasting 18 years of rich experience across the Disability sector on both a national and international scale. Currently finalising her Masters in Applied Behaviour Analysis at Queen’s University Belfast, Emma also enriches her expertise with studies in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) through The Association for Psychological Therapies (APT). Her active memberships in prestigious organisations, such as the Global Institute of Forensic Research, underscore her dedication to her field.
Originating from Ireland and making Australia her home since 2011, Emma has embraced Darwin as her haven, where her affection for dogs and the local landscapes underscores her warm, compassionate nature. Emma believes in the power of building positive, supportive relationships and is passionate about empowering individuals to make informed choices towards achieving their life goals.
With a professional approach that seamlessly integrates with her personal values, Emma stands out as a dedicated advocate and practitioner in the disability support arena, committed to enhancing the lives of those she works with.
Michael Ruddy
Practice Manager
Michael joined TTH in June 2022, bringing his expertise from central West NSW, where he previously served as the Operations Manager for a NDIS Service Provider. With extensive experience in frontline DSW, Support Coordination, NDIS program management, and internal support worker training, Michael adds valuable skills to our team. He has also collaborated closely with ACCHO’s and Aboriginal Medical Services.
Michael’s passion lies in recovery and rehabilitation for individuals with diverse needs and abilities, with a focus on empowering families and strengthening community ties. He holds qualifications in Community Services, Alcohol & other Drugs, and Case Management. Michael has completed education in Behaviour Support through Monash University and also holds a Diploma of Community Sector Management and a Diploma of Child, Youth and Family Intervention. He remains dedicated to continued development, recently completing courses on Learning and Behaviour Disorders in Children and Adolescents, as well as Trauma-informed Care & Complex Trauma Attachment Management through Australian Open Colleges.
Michael has recently taken on the role of Practice Manager while continuing his work as a proficient Behaviour Support Practitioner. As the Practice Manager at Towards the Horizon, Michael oversees the operational aspects of our organisation, ensuring smooth and efficient service delivery. He plays a key role in coordinating the team of practitioners, managing resources, and implementing policies and procedures to uphold high standards of Behaviour Support Service Delivery. Michael brings a wealth of knowledge to this role. He is committed to fostering a supportive and collaborative work environment where practitioners can thrive and participants receive the best possible services to meet their goals.
Laura Pedason
Clincial and Innovations Lead
Laura is a dedicated Behaviour Support Practitioner with a bachelor’s degree in Behaviour Management from Bond University and postgraduate qualifications in provision of Intensive Family Supports. With previous experience working with children with complex trauma backgrounds in the out-of-home care system, Laura has been a registered NDIS Behaviour Practitioner since 2021.
Laura is dedicated to ensuring that our organisation delivers the highest standard of behaviour support services to our participants as Towards the Horizon’s Quality Assurance Officer. Laura brings a wealth of expertise to her role and is committed to upholding the rights and dignity of all individuals, particularly in the context of the reduction of Restrictive Practices. Laura’s passion for quality assurance ensures that Towards the Horizon remains at the forefront of providing exceptional care and support to our participants.
Komal
Administrative Officer
Komal has recently moved to Darwin from India after completing year 12. She has always been interested in community services sector why she has enrolled self in the Diploma of Nursing at Fox Education. Komal loves to learn new things and she feels empowered to be part of Towards the Horizon’s family. Komal loves watching Netflix, doing painting and cooking. Komal is proud of self to be the face of Towards The Horizon’s family.
Holly Martin
Registered Behaviour Support Practitioner
Holly has just recently relocated from Melbourne, Victoria where she was working for an NDIS provider as a Support Coordinator. She completed her tertiary studies at Deakin University where she achieved a Bachelor’s degree in Psychological Science. Holly has a strong interest in mental health and drug/alcohol disorders. Holly has extensive experience in supporting individuals with complex mental health issues. She is passionate about celebrating diversity and building the capacity of every individual to achieve their NDIS goals. Holly is extremely dedicated to providing quality service to individuals and values respect and integrity above all else.
Jody Smyth
Registered Behaviour Support Practitioner
Jodi is a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist with additional post graduate studies in trauma recovery practice and is currently completing further studies in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).She is originally from Sydney and has been living and working in Darwin since 2012 in both the health commissioning and the Aboriginal community control sectors. Jodi commenced working with Towards The Horizon as a Behaviour Support Practitioner in October 2022.
Jodi is passionate about strengths-based and person-centered practices that are holistic, and trauma informed. Jodi places a strong emphasis on building safe and respectful working relationships, and she likes to take the time to deeply listen to people so that she can truly understand their unique story and experiences through their eyes. She likes to work in partnership with others and is committed to walking alongside her clients and their families/carers to help support them to achieve their desired goals and potential.
Chelsea Martin
Registered Behaviour Support Practitioner
Chelsea has worked in the disability sector for a number of years. She has worked as a Disability Support Worker, a Mental Health Recovery Worker, a Support Coordinator, and a Psychosocial Recovery Coach. Chelsea has also worked in leadership roles such as a Team Leader of an NDIS Outreach Supports Team. She has successfully worked to build new programs within organisations from the ground up. She holds a Bachelor of Psychological Science from Charles Darwin University where she focussed on Alcohol and Other Drugs, Counselling, and Behaviour Change. Chelsea has extensive specialised training within the NDIS space and is committed to ongoing professional and personal development. Chelsea has a keen interest in and has extensive experience working with youth, individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, individuals with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, individuals with mental health challenges and/or psychosocial disability, and individuals who have co-occurring diagnoses. Chelsea is passionate about and dedicated to utilising a person-centred, trauma-informed approach with everyone that she supports. She believes strongly in collaborating meaningfully with an individual’s support team to ensure continuity of care, prevent risk of carer burnout, and working to achieve positive outcomes and improving overall quality of life. Chelsea has firsthand experience with caring for one of her closest loved ones who has chronic conditions and as a result, dynamic disability. Chelsea grew up in Darwin, and she and her husband have a young daughter, as well as two cats, two dogs, two snakes, a few ant farms, and a tank full of fish. Chelsea likes to watch all different kinds of sports, read fantasy/romance books, play word related games, and eat Mexican food, in her down time.
Troy Richardson
Registered Behaviour Support Practitioner
Troy has dedicated nearly two decades (since 2005) to supporting individuals with disabilities across various settings, including special education, in-home support, day programs, and support coordination. He brings a wealth of experience working in Supported Independent Living (SIL) environments, specifically with participants managing mental health diagnoses and challenging behaviours. Fuelled by a bachelor’s degree in theology and a genuine desire to understand the human experience, Troy is a lifelong learner. He has further bolstered his expertise with qualifications in Disability and Youth Work, alongside a recent Trauma Informed Coaching certificate. This multifaceted approach allows him to connect with people on a deeper level and support their journeys in a holistic way.
Known for his calm presence and ability to connect with people from all walks of life, Troy thrives in collaborative environments. Outside of work, he loves spending quality time with loved ones.
Gunveer Singh Mann
Registered Behaviour Support Practitioner
Gunveer Singh Mann is an esteemed Registered Behaviour Support Practitioner at Towards the Horizon, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team. With a Bachelor’s degree in Humanitarian and Community Studies from Charles Darwin University, complemented by a Certificate IV in Leadership & Management, Gunveer epitomises the blend of academic excellence and practical leadership skills. Further enhancing his professional credentials, Gunveer has successfully completed a Train the Trainer certificate in MAYBO, specializing in managing challenging and complex behaviors.
Prior to joining Towards the Horizon, Gunveer dedicated over six years to the community services sector, notably serving as a Supported Independent Living Coordinator. This role enabled him to develop a deep understanding of the unique needs of individuals with challenging and complex behaviours, equipping him with the skills necessary to support NDIS participants in achieving their NDIS goals. Gunveer’s extensive experience and adaptable skill set make him a valuable asset to our team and the individuals we support, as he employs a holistic and person-centered approach to behaviour support.
Ross Davidson
Registered Behaviour Support Practitioner
Ross holds a Bachelor of psychology as well post graduate studies and qualifications in numerous other roles including, youth work, youth justice, restorative Justice, child protection, Trauma, sexual health and relationships, mental health, disability, and adverse experiences. Ross has worked in a range of sectors throughout Darwin and remote communities and grew up in the Katherine region before relocating to Darwin 15 years ago.
He has previously worked in the social workspace for around 5 years. Ross prides himself on his past less insular and academic roles beforehand, and still being able to draw from an empathetic real word perspective. Ross is particularly adept at identify strengths, and finding practical ways to support those he works with.
He brings a drive to working with clients and stakeholders always seeking to utilise a team and foster a diversity or perspectives. Having been raised in the territory and spending a lot of his childhood interacting and befriending foster children he is imbued with an enthusiasm for supporting those children. Ross has extensive experience working in remote community such as Maningrida and Wadeye as a child protection practitioner, and the dis-engaged youth in Darwin. This has given him extensive incite how disabilities and society’s systems interact and how collaborative intervention can best be utilised. Ross has an established mutual respect and collaboration with careers, and a particular passion for working with young people and adults with Autism spectrum disorder.
Adela Higiro
Registered Behaviour Support Practitioner
Originally from Czech Republic, came to Australia in 2016 and thought she will only stay for few months but fall in love with the country, it’s people and natural beauties and decided to stay and study certificates in disabilities and diploma of mental health in Sydney. During that time Adela worked in disability as a support worker as well as team leader. After finishing her studies Adela was deciding where to move as big city just wasn’t for her. After reading about Darwin, she decided to visit and see if she likes the place, and she was immediately in love with Darwin because of its friendly people, beautiful tropical environment, and strong cultural connections to Indigenous cultures.
Adela finished bachelor’s in social work at Charles Darwin University in 2023, during her studies she worked in disability and mental health organisation both as a support worker and in a management position. Adela worked closely with Indigenous people and enjoy learning about their culture and has many years of experience working with people with schizophrenia and other mental health disorders.Adela has interested in intergeneration trauma and works under the person centred and narrative lens. She also has an excessive interest in learning about different cultures particularly because she has a very multiculture family on her own.During her day off you can find Adela with her family, playing a guitar the beach or listening to music on the shore and watching sunset.
Nadia Selva
Behaviour Support Assistant
Originally from Argentina, Nadia has been living and working in Australia for 6 years. Her experience is in the Education sector as an early childhood educator and inclusion support assistant. It was performing those roles that she developed a deep interest in supporting people with different needs such as behaviour challenges, physical assistance or learning delays. Because of this, she started studying the double degree Bachelor of Health Science/ Master of Occupational Health at Charles Darwin University. (current student)
Nadia has a very calm and patient nature; she is very proactive and self-demanding. She is a team player and loves supporting not only colleagues and participants but families and stake holders in order to accomplish, together, their shared goals.
Brendan Coutts
Analytics Specialist
Brendan is fascinated by people. He loves to get to know who they are and discover all they can be. This has taken him on a deeply enriching journey inwards through extensive training in meditation and mindfulness, and lead to many years advising on organisational behaviour and organisational effectiveness.
With a PhD in the physical sciences, he brings an unusual balance of head and heart to all he does and is delighted to have discovered Behaviour Support as a career – especially with the great crew at Towards the Horizon.
Having worked around the world, he’s new to Darwin and is excited about all the Top End has to offer. He’s currently studying a Diploma of Counselling and also teaches mindfulness.
