Supervision Team
We are so fortunate to have an incredible team of supervisors at ConnectEd. All of our supervising psychologists bring a wealth of experience, insight and perspective, but importantly, all balanced with a practical and tailored focus to best suit your needs.
We have a special interest in supporting school staff – counsellors and psychologists, as well as pastoral carers, through our mentoring. This might be focussing on:
- School-based counselling and wellbeing – Supporting psychologists and counsellors to manage the complexity of school settings, including how to clarify roles, set boundaries, and make the most of limited time.
- System and process development – Helping schools and practitioners design structures and workflows that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of support services.
- Early intervention and prevention – Designing and implementing population-level approaches to wellbeing and mental health within schools.
- Assessments in schools – providing and interpreting assessments, as well as working with students with diverse needs to support their adjustments
- Engaging young people in therapy – Thinking through the ‘how’ of our work with young people, including process issues and creative engagement strategies.
- Pastoral care frameworks – Assisting schools to create and refine whole-school wellbeing systems, with a focus on sustainability, clarity and team engagement.
Dr Matt O'Connor
Clinical and School Psychologist
As a supervisor, Dr Matt O’Connor is particularly interested in the real-world complexities of working in schools and education systems. His supervision draws on years of experience as a Clinical and School Psychologist and is grounded in both practice wisdom and a systems-focused lens.
He is especially passionate about supporting practitioners who are navigating the unique dynamics of school counselling and pastoral care—where competing priorities, layered relationships, and limited resources can often get in the way of good work. His areas of interest include:
School-based counselling and wellbeing – Supporting psychologists and counsellors to manage the complexity of school settings, including role clarity, boundaries, and making the most of limited time.
System and process development – Helping schools and practitioners design structures and workflows that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of support services.
Policy and procedure development – Crafting clear, practical frameworks for schools and organisations that align with best practice and are usable on the ground.
Early intervention and prevention – Designing and implementing population-level approaches to wellbeing and mental health within schools.
Applied research – Supporting professionals to engage in meaningful, practice-informed research projects that have real-world impact.
Engaging young people in therapy – Exploring process issues and creative strategies to meaningfully connect with young people in therapeutic work.
Presentation and communication skills – Building confidence in content design, delivery, and logistics for both online and face-to-face presentations.
Pastoral care frameworks – Assisting schools to develop and refine whole-school wellbeing systems that are sustainable, clear, and engaging for staff.
Mentoring school-based professionals – Providing supervision and mentoring to school psychologists, counsellors and pastoral care staff, supporting them to feel clearer, more confident, and better resourced in their work.
Emily Coote
Educational and Developmental Psychologist
Emily Coote is an Educational and Developmental Psychologist (and Board-approved Supervisor) with over a decade of experience, primarily within the education sector.
Emily’s professional experience is working across the lifespan, in particular with young people through school-based roles (School Psychologist & Guidance Counsellor), crisis management, intervention and support (Child and Youth Mental Health Services and disability support) along with roles in rural and remote communities (educational, medical and hospital settings). Her expensive work within complex trauma and crisis support has enabled a calm and relational approach when supporting emotion regulation, safety, and help-seeking.
Emily has a passion and skillset for psycho-educational assessments and provides psycho-educational assessment support, upskilling and report writing assistance. Emily has extensive experience with working with educational systems allowing her to support school teams and provide appropriate recommendations and support regarding learning, vocational, and environmental adjustments.
Emily is Brisbane-based and offers supervision to a wide array of psychologists across Australia including those pursuing endorsement (Educational & Developmental). Find out more about Emily on our consultancy page or on LinkedIn
Michelle Pullen
Educational and Developmental Psychologist
Michelle Pullen is an Educational and Developmental Psychologist, supervisor, and registered teacher with over a decade of experience working to support the wellbeing and learning of students, staff, and families in schools. Michelle has provided supervision for both provisional and fully registered psychologists working in schools. She has also supported Teaching staff and staff on Wellbeing and Pastoral Care teams to tap into their strengths and resources in their roles to problem solve for their students’ holistic needs while managing their energy to avoid compassion fatigue or burnout.
Michelle has experience and a passion around advocating for and supporting students (and their Teachers) who find the traditional classroom social and academic setting challenging due to life circumstances, mental health or behavioural concerns (Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, ODD, Autism Spectrum, intellectual disability or specific cognitive strengths and weaknesses). She does this through:
- Individualised Interventions
- Behaviour assessments,
- Learning assessments,
- Tailored individualised behaviour support plans,
- NCCD documentation,
- Verification applications and reviews,
- Planning and executing whole-school wellbeing initiatives, and
- Delivering and promoting education for staff around understanding the behaviours of students with disabilities, learning, or emotional needs; trauma impacts; and research backed strategies for managing relationships with these students and promoting their learning.
Michelle has also worked with school parents and carers groups on a range of topics including behaviour management strategies, supporting children with anxiety, school reluctance, and supporting the transition to Prep.
Michelle enjoys translating research into practical strategies for teachers and parents and finding (new) ways to use (new) tools in the educational context to support students with learning, behavioural, or emotional needs.
She currently works out of ConnectEd Counselling and Consultancy, a Brisbane-based clinic which provides assessment and therapeutic services to families and consultancy services to the education and corporate sectors. To find out more about Michelle please see the consultancy page at ConnectEd or to book in for supervision, consultation, or mentoring go to her Bookings page here. Reach out to Michelle at ConnectEd to discuss Professional Development or presentation solutions and requests for families, education professionals, or allied health or medical professionals.
Tracey Beck Gude
Psychologist
Tracey Beck Gude is a Psychologist and Board-approved Supervisor. Tracey has worked in health and Education systems and as a School Psychologist for the past 10 years. Tracey offers supervision to provisional psychologists to develop their knowledge, skills, interests, and strengths with their psychological practice with an emphasis on cultural awareness. She is passionate about strengthening supervisees and school staff knowledge and awareness around migration and settlement support.
Tracey’s professional experience includes working with children, adolescents, and adults, in school settings. Tracey has regularly facilitated workshops for students on healthy relationships, resilience and referral pathways for parents and trauma informed and mental health workshops with teaching staff. Professional development is key for Tracey’s learning and providing support to supervisees, clients, families, schools, and relevant stakeholders.
Tracey continues to enjoy her own supervision and values the strengths, knowledge, and interests of her supervisors and peers at different stages and settings. She also holds professional memberships with APS and Animal Therapies Ltd.
Dr Matt O’Connor
Clinical and School Psychologist
Qualifications
- BPsySci(Hons)
- Doctor of Psychology (Clinical)
About me as a supervisor
I’m a Clinical and School Psychologist, academic, and presenter—and also the Director of ConnectEd Counselling and Consultancy, a Brisbane-based clinic providing therapeutic services to young people and families, as well as consultancy to the education and corporate sectors.
As a supervisor, I’m particularly interested in the real-world complexities that come with working in schools and education systems. My supervision draws on years of experience as a Clinical and School Psychologist, and is grounded in both practice wisdom and a systems-focused lens.
I’m especially passionate about supporting practitioners navigating the unique dynamics of school counselling and pastoral care—where competing priorities, layered relationships, and limited resources can often get in the way of good work. My areas of interest include:
School-based counselling and wellbeing – Supporting psychologists and counsellors to manage the complexity of school settings, including how to clarify roles, set boundaries, and make the most of limited time.
System and process development – Helping schools and practitioners design structures and workflows that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of support services.
Policy and procedure development – Crafting clear, practical frameworks for schools and organisations that align with best practice and are actually usable on the ground.
Early intervention and prevention – Designing and implementing population-level approaches to wellbeing and mental health within schools.
Applied research – Supporting professionals to engage in meaningful, practice-informed research projects that have real impact (and aren’t just for the sake of ticking boxes).
Engaging young people in therapy – Thinking through the ‘how’ of our work with young people, including process issues and creative engagement strategies.
Presentation and communication skills – Developing skills in content design, presentation delivery, and logistics for workshops and talks—whether face-to-face or online.
Pastoral care frameworks – Assisting schools to create and refine whole-school wellbeing systems, with a focus on sustainability, clarity and team engagement.
Mentoring school-based professionals – Offering supervision and mentoring tailored to school psychologists, counsellors and pastoral care staff, supporting them to feel clearer, more confident and better resourced in their work.
Whether it’s helping someone find their feet in a new role, offering a thinking partner to reflect on tricky systems, or co-designing a wellbeing initiative from scratch, I enjoy working alongside people to make their work more meaningful, sustainable, and effective.
Emily Locke (nee Coote)
Educational and Developmental Psychologist
Qualifications
- BBehavSci
- PostGradDip Psychology
- MEdDev
About me as a supervisor
I’m an Educational and Developmental Psychologist (and Board-approved Supervisor) with over a decade of experience, primarily within the education sector.
My professional background spans the lifespan, but I’ve especially focused on working with young people through school-based roles as a School Psychologist and Guidance Counsellor. I’ve also worked in crisis management and intervention (including Child and Youth Mental Health Services and disability support), and have held roles in rural and remote communities across educational, medical, and hospital settings. My extensive work in complex trauma and crisis support has shaped my calm and relational approach when it comes to supporting emotion regulation, safety, and help-seeking.
I have a strong passion for psycho-educational assessments, and I regularly provide assessment support, upskilling, and assistance with report writing. With a deep understanding of educational systems, I enjoy working alongside school teams to provide practical and appropriate recommendations around learning, vocational, and environmental adjustments.
I’m based in Brisbane and offer supervision to a wide range of psychologists across Australia, including those working toward endorsement in Educational and Developmental Psychology. You can find out more about my work on our consultancy page or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Michelle Pullen
Educational and Developmental Psychologist
Qualifications
- BSocSci (Psych)
- BPsych (Hons)
- BEd
- MPsych (Ed & Dev)
About me as a supervisor
I’m an Educational and Developmental Psychologist, supervisor, and registered teacher with over a decade of experience supporting the wellbeing and learning of students, staff, and families in schools. I’ve provided supervision for both provisional and fully registered psychologists working in schools, and I regularly support teaching staff and those in Wellbeing and Pastoral Care roles to tap into their strengths, problem-solve for their students’ holistic needs, and manage their own energy to prevent compassion fatigue and burnout.
I’m particularly passionate about advocating for and supporting students—and their teachers—who find the traditional classroom setting challenging due to life circumstances, mental health, or behavioural concerns. This includes working with students experiencing anxiety, depression, ADHD, ODD, autism spectrum presentations, intellectual disability, or specific cognitive strengths and weaknesses. I offer this support through:
Individualised interventions
Behaviour assessments
Learning assessments
Tailored behaviour support plans
NCCD documentation
Verification applications and reviews
Planning and executing whole-school wellbeing initiatives
Educating staff about student behaviour, disability, emotional needs, trauma, and evidence-based strategies for supporting relationships and learning
I also work closely with school parent and carer groups on topics such as behaviour management strategies, supporting children with anxiety, school reluctance, and transitioning to Prep.
I love translating research into practical, usable strategies for teachers and parents—and I’m always on the lookout for new tools and fresh ways to support students with learning, behavioural, or emotional needs within the school context.
I’m currently based at ConnectEd Counselling and Consultancy, a Brisbane clinic offering assessment and therapeutic services for families, and consultancy for the education and corporate sectors. You can find out more about me on the consultancy page at ConnectEd. To book in for supervision, consultation, or mentoring, head to my bookings page. If you’re interested in professional development or presentations for families, educators, or allied health professionals, feel free to get in touch.
Tracey Beck Gude
Psychologist
Qualifications
- BBehavSci
- PostGradDip Psychology
- MEdDev
About me as a supervisor
I’m a Psychologist and Board-approved Supervisor, with experience working across both health and education systems. For the past 10 years, I’ve worked as a School Psychologist, supporting students, families, and school communities. I offer supervision to provisional psychologists, focusing on developing their knowledge, skills, interests, and strengths in psychological practice, with a strong emphasis on cultural awareness. I’m particularly passionate about building understanding and capacity around migration and settlement support—both for supervisees and school staff.
My professional background includes working with children, adolescents, and adults in school settings. I’ve regularly facilitated student workshops on healthy relationships and resilience, provided referral pathway sessions for parents, and delivered trauma-informed and mental health workshops for teaching staff. Ongoing professional development is a priority for me—both in my own learning and in how I support supervisees, clients, families, schools, and stakeholders.
I continue to enjoy and value my own supervision, and I appreciate the strengths, knowledge, and perspectives that supervisors and peers bring at all stages and in different settings. I also hold professional memberships with the APS and Animal Therapies Ltd.