Ari is in his fourth year of Psychology at Curtin University. Ari has been volunteering and taking part in social groups for Awesome, YES groups and the Telethon Holiday Makers Program since early 2022. Ari also loves watching and playing sports as well as spending time at the beach.
Beth has been with Spectrum Space since mid 2020, working as a Group Facilitator with one of our Awesome Groups. Since then Beth has worked as a group facilitator with one of our Step Into Social Groups, and has also worked as a group facilitator and group assistant on our Telethon Holiday Makers Program.
Beth has a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science and Law) and a Master of Social Work. When she is not working with our social groups, she works full time as a qualified Social Worker.
Beth loves working with young people and her goal is to contribute towards making our community a better, more inclusive place. Beth is also passionate about literature, cooking and being active in nature.
Cynthia started as a volunteer at Spectrum Space in 2021 and is now running the YES group in Marangaroo. She is on her second year of Psychology at UWA, working hard towards being a Clinical Psychologist. Her passion for mental health is undeniable and she dreams of a time where people’s differences are understood, accepted and catered for.
In her free time she likes to catch up with friends, listen to music and more recently she started doing some woodwork. Those activities help her clear her mind and offer a nice balance in her life.
Dina joined the Spectrum Space team in 2022 working as a group facilitator in the SIS group and loves being a part of the fun. Dina has a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology & Aboriginal Health) and is currently completing her Masters of Social Work at UWA. In her spare time, you’ll find Dina swimming at the beach, walking in the bush, or trying out a new vegan recipe.
Michelle completed her placement with Spectrum Space for her Bachelor of Social Work. She then continued to volunteer for the social groups in term 4 of 2021. This year Michelle facilitates three social groups, Awesome Mandurah, Awesome Rockingham and the SIS Rockingham, she also gets involved in the Telethon Holidays Makers Program. Michelle is in her final year of a Bachelor of Social Work and a mother of two children. Michelle is passionate about social change and feels that Spectrum Space’s philosophy is inline with her values.
Olivia is in her final year as a Behavioural Science and Secondary Education student at the University of Notre Dame. During 2022 she completed her work placement at Spectrum Space getting involved in social groups for Awesome groups and the Telethon Holiday Makers Program. Olivia also loves spending time at the beach and cooking.
Phillip is a screen media graduate who started his journey at Spectrum Space in 2016 as a volunteer for our Step Into Social documentary project. After several years working as a Barista, Phillip has transitioned into our office while running small video projects on the side. He oversaw the completion of the Youth Empowerment Project and now runs the Spectrum Space office, coordinating social groups and dealing with all day-to-day enquiries. He is also a massive music fan, enjoys playing drums and keeping fit by practicing Taekwondo. Phillip supports the strengths based philosophy that Spectrum Space promotes and enjoys seeing our participants discover and unlock their talents through interacting with our programs.
Rose enjoys spending time with the young participants at Spectrum Space and started facilitating social groups in 2023. She is a mother of one and educated in Counselling, Art Therapy and Play Therapy. Rose has just finished a degree in Human Services (Child, Youth and Family Practice) before progressing onto a Masters degree. When she is not at Spectrum Space in Freo she is working in child counselling and welfare, teaching yoga and meditation or swimming in the ocean.
Sami facilitates the YES group in Rockingham and a SIS group in South Fremantle as well as one of the Telethon Holiday Makers Program. She is also the Cultural Activities Coordinator, helps in the office and is one of the staff assisting the Autism Connect Helpline.
Sami is a wife and mum of 3 kids aged 7, 8 and 15. The family have a dog (Jersey), a cat (Djuripin which is Noongar for Joyful) and 2 pythons (Crash and Bernie).
Sami is a proud Noongar woman from the Balladong and Willmen language groups. Sami and her husband have some land in Balladong, just next door to York for their kids to develop their cultural connection to Country. They also love to get out on their dirt bikes and then sit around the fire and cook dinner.
Sami brings a wide range of experience from working at Perth Zoo for 9 years as well as personal connections to our community.
Sandhya has been working with individuals on the autism spectrum since 2013. She started with Spectrum Space as a volunteer and now runs social groups. Sandhya has finished her Masters in Counselling and is a registered counsellor. Since then she started running the Street Smart Life Smart workshop with the aim of creating a safe space to allow participants to address personal and social issues without feeling judged. She also works closely with the Youth Advisory Council. Sandhya takes personal pleasure in guiding Spectrum Space participants and monitoring their personal growth.
Valeska has been working for Spectrum Space since 2017. She holds a PhD in Cognitive Psychology and is passionate about research in Developmental and Educational Psychology, and, Mental and Physical Health. After working as an assistant during the Telethon Holiday Makers program, Valeska started running our SIS and YES social groups in Marangaroo. She has presented at our annual Symposium, led the development of the Awesome Productions Company, and also works as our Operations and Research Manager.
