Meet the Team
Danae Callaghan - Lead Clinician
Meet Danae
Danae is a PACFA registered Clinical Counsellor and Supervisor who brings over 10 years of specialized experience in trauma work with children, young people, and families. Her passion lies in guiding individuals and families through healing from trauma, understanding behavioural patterns, and developing the emotional regulation skills that transform relationships and rebuild self-confidence.
With qualifications in Community & Human Services, Developmental Trauma, and Forensic Behavioural Science, plus her role as a Senior Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner, Danae offers a uniquely comprehensive approach to healing. She's accredited in EMDR (and EMDRAA registered), which she seamlessly integrates with her responsive, individualized therapeutic style.
Danae works with clients across the entire lifespan—from very early childhood all the way through to older adults—specializing in PTSD, CPTSD, childhood trauma, critical incidents (including sexual assault), addiction, eating disorders, and behavioral challenges. She's particularly skilled in addressing concerning or harmful sexualized behaviors, sexual health education, psychotic and dissociative disorders, negative core beliefs, and problematic relationship patterns. Her practice is proudly neurodiverse and LGBTIQ+ friendly.
What makes Danae special? Her clients often describe her as engaging, authentic, and "a bit of a mind reader"—someone who truly gets it. Many tell us that after seeing numerous mental health professionals, they finally feel safe and understood with Danae. They leave each session feeling lighter, with reduced symptoms and practical strategies they can actually use.
Danae has a gift for holding complex cases and connecting with clients who have struggled to engage in therapy before. Her enthusiastic, genuine approach creates the safety needed for real healing to begin.
Naomi Farmer - Educational & Behavioural Specialist
Naomi is our experienced Educational and Behavioural Specialist who brings a unique blend of teaching expertise and behavioral support to help neurodivergent individuals and those with developmental delays thrive. With over 10 years as a teacher in both mainstream and special education settings, plus her credentials as a Senior Specialist Behavioural Support Practitioner, she specialises in skill development across emotional regulation, executive functioning, and language and communication.
As a Senior Specialist Behavioural Support Practitioner, Naomi has an incredible ability to assess functional capacity and understand what drives behaviour. She works not just with clients, but with the entire system around them—families, schools, and support networks—to create sustainable changes in behaviour, reduce distress, and build social-emotional capacity.
Naomi is passionate about strength-focused approaches that build foundational skills to help neurodivergent individuals overcome the challenges our society presents. She works with individuals from childhood through to the aged, specialising in those who are neurodiverse or have developmental delays, including non-verbal clients and those displaying behaviours of concern.
What sets Naomi apart is her exceptional ability to understand non-verbal communication and identify strengths and interventions that others might miss. Her clients describe her as incredibly patient, knowledgeable, and responsive to their needs. Even our team relies on Naomi for her creative, out-of-the-box ideas to support our younger clients and assess often-overlooked aspects of neurodiversity.
Beyond her professional life, Naomi's passion for advocacy extends to social justice causes and community programs. When she's not changing lives, you'll find her reading or tending to her garden. Her practice is proudly neurodiverse and LGBTIQ+ friendly.
Naomi offers one-on-one therapy, family support, staff training, and professional development—bringing her expertise wherever it's needed most.
Kelly Hurst - Counsellor
Meet Kelly - Counsellor
Kelly brings a wealth of community experience and genuine passion for helping others to our team. With qualifications in Community Welfare, Counselling and Mental Health, and currently completing her Masters of Counselling and Psychotherapy, she combines solid academic foundations with real-world experience that makes a difference.
For the past 12 years, Kelly has worked in the local community with a particular focus on supporting people in immediate crisis. Her ability to connect with people from all ages and stages of life is remarkable, and she holds a powerful belief that defines her approach: "We are not what we have endured—we are so much more."
Kelly works with clients from school age through to older adults, bringing her crisis intervention expertise and natural ability to see beyond people's struggles to their inherent strength and potential.
What makes Kelly special? Her clients describe her as refreshingly straight to the point, hilarious, and entirely non-judgemental. She has that rare gift of being able to address serious issues with both honesty and humour, creating a space where healing can happen naturally.
Outside of work, Kelly believes in practicing what she preaches about balance—you'll find her out running or in the kitchen baking. After all, as she says, life is all about balance...
Linda Petho - Art Therapist
Meet Linda - Art Therapist
Linda brings the transformative power of art therapy to our team, combining her Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) with specialised training in Art Therapy and over fourteen years of experience in health and welfare. She's worked therapeutically with children, adults, and young people, both individually and in small groups, always with a passionate commitment to empowering others through a person-centred, humanistic approach.
Linda's philosophy about art therapy is beautifully simple yet profound: "Art therapy is not about changing people, or about being able to draw. Art therapy provides a way of communicating without words." She creates a safe, nurturing space where people can be themselves without judgement, using creative modalities to express and expand who they are.
As an art therapist, Linda facilitates opportunities for individuals to externalise and safely explore their human experience through creativity. Her approach allows people to communicate feelings, thoughts, and experiences that might be difficult to put into words, creating pathways to healing that are uniquely their own.
Linda works primarily with children and young people, as well as dyadically (with a child and parent/caregiver), bringing her natural warmth and ability to engage even the most hesitant clients. Her young clients describe her as warm and non-judgemental, and there's no better testament to her skill than this: the children and young people who see her are always hanging out for their next session.
When she's not facilitating creative healing, Linda is an extremely proud and devoted nan and mum who loves travelling, connecting with others, spending time in nature, and nourishing her own creative spirit.
Bonnie James - Senior Administrator and Client Services
Meet Bonnie - Senior Administrator
Bonnie is the first friendly voice you'll hear when you contact us at THACG, and she's so much more than our admin—she's the heart of our practice. From your initial enquiry through to your appointments and the end of your services, Bonnie is with you every step of the way, ensuring you feel supported and cared for throughout your entire journey.
Currently studying her Diploma in Counselling, Bonnie brings an in-depth understanding of the therapeutic process to her role. Her passion for this work runs so deep that she's completed additional qualifications in peer support work, AOD (Alcohol and Other Drugs), and mental health. This unique combination of administrative expertise and extensive therapeutic knowledge makes her invaluable to both our team and our clients.
While Bonnie works remotely, every one of our clients feels like they know her well—and for good reason. She's the ultimate debriefer, often being the person our clients turn to on their most challenging days. Bonnie has an extraordinary gift for supporting people through whatever life throws at them, providing that crucial bridge of care until their therapist can step in.
In fact, it's not uncommon for clients to have a debrief with Bonnie and feel well enough that they no longer need an urgent response! Her natural ability to listen, understand, and provide comfort in those difficult moments makes her an integral part of our healing community.
Rest assured, you're in great hands with Bonnie from the very first hello.
Perseus (Percy)
Percy is our in-house peer support worker and cuddle therapist, bringing her own unique brand of healing to our practice. With lived experience of making mistakes but being supported and contained to overcome and move on, Percy understands the journey of growth and resilience better than most.
She's experienced grief and loss, and she's not ashamed to ask for constant support—usually in the form of constant pats (and she's very clear about her needs!). This vulnerability and openness to receiving care makes her an incredible role model for our clients about the importance of asking for help when we need it.
Percy's therapeutic approach is simple yet profound: she provides unconditional positive regard, sees the best in everyone, and forgives readily. Her ability to be present without judgement creates a safe space where healing can happen naturally.
She particularly enjoys being used as a sensory tool—so soft and shiny!—and feels honoured that people are as vulnerable with her as she is with them. There's something magical about the way Percy can help clients access feelings and experiences that might be difficult to reach in traditional talk therapy.
Percy embodies everything we believe about therapy: that healing happens in relationship, that vulnerability is strength, and that sometimes the most profound support comes without words.
Our Space
