Our Team
Hazel Turner
Clinical Registrar Psychologist
she/her
Hazel does therapy on Wednesdays and Thursdays
Hazel is a Psychologist and Clinical Registrar who works with neurodivergent adults with a particular focus on high-masking presentations, late-discovered neurodivergence, and identity exploration.
Many of the people Hazel supports have spent years feeling “different” without fully understanding why, often navigating chronic overwhelm, burnout, anxiety, people-pleasing, perfectionism, or a lifelong sense of not quite fitting in. Her work focuses on helping clients better understand themselves through a neuroaffirming lens, untangle the impact of masking and survival strategies, and build a life that feels more authentic, sustainable, and aligned with who they actually are.
Hazel has a strong interest in the complexities that commonly intersect with neurodivergence, including trauma, anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, shame, low self-worth, and relationship difficulties. She is particularly passionate about supporting individuals exploring Autism and ADHD in adulthood, including those whose experiences may have been overlooked or misunderstood earlier in life.
Her approach is warm, collaborative, and grounded in evidence-based practice, drawing from both lived experience and therapies including ACT, CBT, DBT and schema therapy that are adapted and tailored to fit neurodivergent brains.
Outside of work, you can find Hazel finding any excuse to switch off and whip out her favourite podcast, whether that be while sewing, drawing, cooking or walking the dog. If her headphones are in, you can bet that’s what she’s tuning into!
Mariah Connolly
Registered Psychologist
she/her
Mariah does therapy on Thursdays and Fridays
Mariah is a neuroaffirming and trauma-informed psychologist who fosters an inclusive, person-centred space for you to explore your wellbeing, identity, and lived experiences. She is authentic, curious, and collaborative, and works closely with you to create a therapeutic environment that feels safe and supportive.
Mariah has experience supporting adults (largely members of neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ communities) facing complex mental health and psychosocial challenges. She uses a mix of evidence-based therapies, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Schema Therapy, and mindfulness-based techniques.
Across all areas of her work, Mariah aims to help you build self-understanding and sustainable strategies that support meaningful change. She draws on her clinical experience, professional training and lived experience to provide a compassionate and holistic approach to care.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending time in her garden, experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, and playing video games with friends.
Kelly Cubis-Higgs
Registered Psychologist
she/her
Kelly does therapy on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
Kelly is a neurodiversity-affirming and trauma-informed clinician who uses a warm, kind, and engaging approach. She is a board approved supervisor and has over 10 years of experience supporting adults, children, teens and families therapeutically, both in clinic and school-based settings.
In the past, Kelly has also worked in ADHD assessment for children and adults, and in supervisory roles in organisations supporting children and families. She currently provides therapy to adults 18+ via telehealth.
She is a passionate advocate and draws from a range of evidence-based frameworks, including ACT. She uses deliberate practice skills, which means that she is deeply committed to a collaborative approach and ensures that your therapy experience with her is best suited to your needs.
She enjoys learning about your unique strengths and interests, and creating flexible individualised therapeutic supports. By doing this, she will support you to build the capacity to manage life’s challenges and adversity.
Outside of her work, you will find Kelly enjoying time in the ocean and at the beach, reading or getting creative with arts and crafts.
Lauren Zannettino
Registered Psychologist
she/her
Lauren assesses adults (18+) for Autism via Telehealth, utilising a neurodiversity affirming and trauma-informed lens.
Lauren is a Psychologist who values empathy, authenticity, and trust. Alongside her warm and friendly personality, Lauren creates a non-judgmental space for you to freely express yourself. She welcomes and values all identities, genders, & neurotypes.
Lauren is extremely passionate about helping you to explore and understand your unique neurotype. Lauren has loved providing therapy to Autistic people and ADHDer’s over the last three years. She feels incredibly privileged to work with and to be trusted by her clients.
When Lauren is not at work, she loves getting creative through art and music, collecting trinkets, spending time with her dogs in the sun, or exploring new restaurants with family and friends.
Lauren does assessments on Fridays
Esther Fidock
Registered Psychologist
she/her
Esther does assessments on Tuesdays
Esther assesses adults 18+ for Autism via Telehealth, through a neurodiversity affirming and trauma informed lens. She is passionate about creating a space that is welcoming of all identities, and views the assessment process as a collaborative exploration of someone's life narrative.
She believes that warm, trusting relationships are integral to good health and wellbeing, and feels privileged to be able to develop connections with clients and describe their life journeys.
Her work is influenced by the neurodiversity affirming movement, Circle of Security principles, and ACT. She welcomes members of the LGBTQIA+ community and enjoys supporting a diverse range of clients, using flexible, adaptive, and evidence based research to inform her assessments.
Outside of assessments, Esther enjoys consulting in the autism research space. She also facilitates training for professionals relating to autism and ADHD, including how to facilitate an affirming assessment experience for adults.
Through her work with children and families, she has observed a common pattern of adults realising their children are neurodivergent, then realising they too present with autistic and/or ADHD characteristics. She's particularly interested in supporting these individuals to understand their neurology so they can work with their brain rather than against it.
When she's not working, you can find Esther in her garden, going for a walk, or curled up with a good book and a coffee.
Sally Speed
Registered Psychologist
she/her
Sally does therapy on fortnightly Thursday and Fridays
Sally is a warm, neuroaffirming, and trauma-informed psychologist who is passionate about creating a safe, inclusive, and empowering space for her clients. She brings a transparent and collaborative approach to therapy, working alongside you to explore strengths, navigate challenges, and build meaningful change.
With experience across the lifespan, Sally has worked with both children and adults in therapy and assessment, and provided consultation and training to schools and community service agencies. Sally is a board approved supervisor, and enjoys supporting early career psychologists to develop their confidence and professional identity.
She takes an eclectic and flexible approach to intervention, tailoring her work to the unique needs of each individual. Her practice draws from a range of evidence-based modalities including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), and techniques informed by Schema Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) principles.
A strong advocate for neurodiversity and an LGBTQIA+ ally, Sally values authenticity and understands and honour the diverse ways people experience the world.
Outside of work, she enjoys beach days, time with her cat, family and friends and dabbling in arts and crafts (even if the results don’t always match the Pinterest inspiration).
Berny O'Connor
Admin Support
she/her
Berny is the person you'll hear from when you email us. She brings fourteen years of experience across private organisations and public healthcare to the behind-the-scenes work that keeps TNNC running by managing enquiries, following up GP letters, supporting payment processing, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Berny works with us remotely from Airlie Beach in North Queensland, which means she's great at coordinating across time zones. Her background spans both administration and human resources, and she has a particular knack for the kind of careful, relationship-centred work that is so important to us. Her approach is warm, organised, and she is invested in making things easy for the people she supports - both clinicians and clients!
When she's not at work, you'll find her snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, fishing, camping, or enjoying good food and drinks with family and friends.
If you have a question, a referral to send through, or anything at all you need help with, Berny is your first point of contact at admin@theneuronurturecollective.com.