The ARBRE Team Dr Kerri-Lyn Webb is Co-Director of ARBRE and our Developmental Paediatrician who specialises in supporting children and young people with developmental and behavioural problems. She believes working with an expert team is the best way to understand and support children and young people. She provides services face-to-face and by telehealth to rural and remote areas. Kerri trained at the Mater Children’s Hospital (Brisbane) and the Royal Children’s Hospital Parkville (Melbourne). Since 2001, she has worked as a paediatrician in Brisbane (Royal Children’s Hospital and then Children’s Health Queensland). Kerri has studied public health and evaluation and will study family therapy in 2022. From 2015 to 2021, Kerri chaired the Queensland Child and Youth Clinical Network. She worked with systems: service planning and redesign and supporting policies for the health of children and young people. Kerri is a partner and a mother to four “big kids”. Her love for friends and family drove her to co-create Arbre with her friend and colleague, Jordana Rigby. Jordana Rigby is Co-Director of ARBRE and our Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and Family Therapist. Jordana has spent the majority of her career in the field of child development where her passion for understanding individuals in the context of their family grew. Jordana believes child and family development is intertwined and that understanding both is crucial to helping children and families grow. Jordana has worked across hospital and community settings for over 18 years with many health services including child development, mental health and state-wide services. Jordana completed a Master of Mental Health (Family Therapy) in 2017 which was driven by her desire to work with families and their dynamics to create a unique, nurturing and therapeutic space. Her desire to help families and the strength of her 17-year working relationship with Kerri drove her to co-create Arbre. Dr Gemma Burford is a Developmental Paediatrician who appreciates the complexity of supporting children and young people with developmental and behavioural challenges. She is keen to assist families to help their child thrive. She recognises the importance of working as a team with parents and other professionals to understand the child’s behaviours and developmental skills to provide appropriate support and encouragement. Gemma trained at Leicester University Medical School and started her paediatric training in the UK before relocating to Australia in 2007. She continued her paediatric training at the Royal Children’s hospital in Brisbane and later moved to the Queensland Children’s Hospital. She completed a fellowship at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada in 2012. She has very much enjoyed travelling to different countries and learning how different health systems support families. Gemma is qualified as a dual specialist in developmental and behavioural paediatrics and general paediatrics. She has worked as a developmental paediatrician for the public child development service in Brisbane since 2017 and brings with her a multitude of experience from this role. Dr Brooke Andrew is a Clinical Neuropsychologist who cares about the well-being of young people and their families. Brooke has a PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology and Clinical Psychology and has worked in both hospital and university settings. She believes that the best outcomes for children result from a shared understanding of the child in their context. It is essential to work with other professionals, schools, families, and young people. Brooke loves the chaos of family life. She is a mum to two young boys, a lively dog, and a few oddly long-lived fish. Antoinette Fitzgerald is an Occupational Therapist who is passionate about helping children and families. With a strong family centered approach Antoinette can help you support your child to feel confident, happy and successful in their everyday roles. Antoinette studied occupational therapy at the University of Queensland and also has a Masters degree from the University of Sydney. She has worked in child development for over 20 years in Brisbane in the public health system. Antoinette understands how busy life can be. She has two teenagers, a husband, and two almost human puppies. She knows all children and families are unique and wants to help find solutions to see families flourish. Keirra Middleton is a Speech Pathologist who helps children and young people with speech, language, reading and writing. She values warm and fun sessions that are effective and enjoyable. She helps families understand their child’s challenges and works with parents and teachers to achieve results. Keirra is a busy mum of two. She understands the juggle of family life and worries of parenting when you know your child is struggling. Cressida Brown is a Clinical Psychologist who has been developing her therapeutic practice since 2016 working in community mental health, private practice and corrective services settings. While she has experience working across the lifespan, Cress has a particular interest in supporting adolescents in their wellness and mental health recovery. Cress adopts a client-centred approach using warmth, empathy and a trauma-informed stance to foster a sense of safety for young people and their families. Her preference is to work collaboratively with clients in developing treatment plans to meet their needs and preferences for work, through integrating evidence-based frameworks such as cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, solution-focused brief therapy, and family systems principles. Dr Jennifer Lancaster is an Educational and Developmental Psychologist with over 20 years’ experience working in various public sector roles in the UK, Queensland Health and Mater Hospital. In more recent years Jennifer has taken up leadership roles in Health. Jennifer’s clinical work has focused on children and families with complex developmental difficulties. In particular, she completed her PhD in family functioning in families with a child with ADHD and as a result, has a particular interest in this area. Dr Amanda Heys is a Clinical Psychologist who completed her training in the United Kingdom before relocating permanently to Brisbane in 2007. She has over 30 years’ experience working across the fields of adult and child mental health and child development both in the UK and in Brisbane. Amanda has experience in helping children and young people with complex developmental difficulties alongside mental health concerns. She has a specific interest in autism spectrum disorder and ADHD. Gemma Davie is a Speech Pathologist who has worked across a number of health fields. Gemma has experience working with little ones through to late adolescences across communication, feeding, and social skills. Gemma has a particular interest in working holistically with families within early language and feeding development, as well as empowering adolescences to understand and enhance their communication abilities. Dr Nicole White is ARBRE’s GP Specialist. Dr White has been providing specialised general practice services since 2016 with a focus on quality care to children. She has extensive experience and skills at managing a broad range of developmental and mental health issues in children and young people. Dr White has specific interest and expertise in childhood ‘growth and development”, behavioral, developmental and learning issues, and adolescent wellbeing and mental health. Dr White will be working alongside our Developmental Pediatric team to offer medical review options to ARBRE families and to support our GP shared care model. Alyssa Heim is a Speech Pathologist with 20 years’ experience working in Pediatrics across educational and public health settings. Alyssa has a passion for child development and is highly skilled in developmental diagnostics. Alyssa has worked for the past 15 years within a specialist child development setting as part of a multidisciplinary developmental diagnostic assessment team. Alyssa is passionate about working with preschool, school aged and high school students and provides a warm and engaging style to her speech pathology assessment and intervention. Alyssa is a busy Mum of three and understands the importance of family context and how offering a child and family focused approach to care is critical to ensuring best outcomes. Emma-Grace is an Educational and Developmental Psychologist who has a passion for taking a creative and holistic approach to mental health. Her key areas of interest include neurodiversity, early attachment/parent-child relationship, grief and loss, role transitions, daily living support, behavioural concerns, emotion regulation and social communication. In addition to using a range of evidence based therapy modalities to suit clients’ needs and presentation, it is important to her to tailor therapy to incorporate clients’ personality, strengths and interests. She finds it helpful to take time to assist clients to adapt and settle into the therapeutic environment through accessing different spaces that are available, incorporating regulation strategies and movement, and using games when working with children. Emma-Grace adopts a neurodiversity-affirming approach in her work with parents, children and adolescents. Stephanie Ridgway is a Paediatric Occupational Therapist who works with children and their families to support development, self-regulation, social/emotional wellbeing, and participation in daily occupations. Stephanie has worked in community services specializing in Autism and other developmental domains. She has experience in working within acute hospital setting and in private practice. She is trained in the Developmental Individual Difference and Relationship (DIR) Floortime approach, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), SOS Approach to Feeding, and art and expressive therapies. She is passionate about recognising the strength and potential for growth in children and their families.
