Veronica Burton

Registered Psychologist - AHPRA Registration
Current Tasmanian WWVP(NDIS) registration
Full member of Behaviour Support Practitioners Australia

Veronica is a registered Psychologist of 30 years. As well as being a skilled Psychologist, she is an inspiring, effective, and emotionally intelligent leader with 15 years of leadership experience in Government and Not for Profit Sectors. 

Veronica has 30 years of experience working with children, young people and their families and the staff that support them in out of home care, child safety, disability, family violence, mental health and youth justice services and is passionate about working to protect the safety and rights of the most vulnerable members of our society and ensuring that they receive supports and services of the highest quality. 

Veronica has worked extensively with individuals, teams, and organisations in the child and family and disability sectors to grow and improve practice, enhance team functioning, develop systems, respond to compliance and regulatory matters and implement recommendations for improvement. She has also completed numerous critical incident reviews at the individual, team and systems level and supported organisations to implement recommendations leading from reviews.

Veronica has a deep understanding of the impact of trauma on the developing child and particularly trauma as it occurs in the context of caregiving relationships. She is also skilled at educating and supporting staff in relation to the impact of vicarious trauma. She is committed to sharing her knowledge and experience with others by providing training, peer support and professional supervision.

Matthew Spicer

Registered Psychologist - AHPRA Registration, 
Current Tasmanian WWVP(NDIS) registration
Full member of Behaviour Support Practitioners Australia
Member of the National Therapeutic Residential Care Alliance
Faculty Member for the MacKillop Institute
Member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers


Matthew is a Psychologist and Board Approved Supervisor in Psychology. He has over 25 years’ experience using Positive Behaviour Support in collaboration with people with disability and complex needs. He holds endorsement as a ‘suitable’ Behaviour Support Practitioner (Advanced & Specialist) with the NDIS.

Matthew has led sector wide training in PBS and change management processes for services implementing an organisational model of Trauma Informed Practice. Matthew has a strong interest in the application of trauma informed services to people with disability and the synergy of Trauma Informed Practice with Positive Behaviour Support. This approach is founded on a deep commitment to both cultural safety and cultural humility. 

Matthew has published work in journals and textbooks on Multi-Element Behaviour Support (MEBS), non-aversive approaches to crisis management and trauma informed practice. He is a faculty member for the MacKillop Institute and has, for many years, led organisations through the Sanctuary training – a model that focuses on creating trauma-informed organizational cultures and providing staff with the skills to support individuals, especially those who have experienced trauma, to heal and recover. Matthew is also a skilled trainer in the evidence-based model, motivational interviewing and regularly delivers training at different locations around Australia for staff and leaders   working in youth justice, child safety and disability organisations.

Matthew’s values of compassion, social justice and effective practice are evident through his work with people impacted by trauma, people living with disability, their families, staff members and community.

Publications and Research

Veronica

Spicer, M & Burton, V. Setting up a “whole of culture” trauma informed care model in Australia (2019). In R. Benjamin, J Haliburn & S. King (Eds.), Humanising Mental Health Care in Australia - Introducing a Trauma Informed Approach. Routledge, Sydney. 

Spicer, M., Crates, N. Pullen, D, Burton, V & Sims, B (2015). Trauma informed care and the multi-element model. International IABA Conference. Manchester, UK.

Matthew

Crates, N. and Spicer, M. (2012). Developing behavioural training services to meet defined standards within an Australian statewide disability service system and the associated client outcomes. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 37(3), pp.196-208.

Crates, N. and Spicer, M. (2016). Reactive strategies within a positive behavior support framework for reducing the episodic severity of aggression. The International Journal of Positive Behavioural Support, 6(1), pp.24-34.

Spicer, M. and Crates, N. (2016). Non-aversive reactive strategies for reducing the episodic severity of aggression. The International Journal of Positive Behavioural Support, 6(1), pp.35-51.

Spicer, M., & Crates, N. Non-aversive Reactive Strategies (NARS) to reduce the episodic severity of aggression and to reduce the need for restrictive practices (2016). In R. P. Liberman & G. W LaVigna (Eds.), New directions for the treatment of aggressive behavior in persons with mental and developmental disabilities.  Nova Science Publishers, Inc., Hauppauge, NY 11788.

Spicer, M & Burton, V. Setting up a “whole of culture” trauma informed care model in Australia (2019). In R. Benjamin, J Haliburn & S. King (Eds.), Humanising Mental Health Care in Australia - Introducing a Trauma Informed Approach. Routledge, Sydney. 

Walsh, P. (2019 March 19). Positive Behaviour Support Interview (Matthew Spicer, Gary LaVigna and Caroline Dench). In ‘All About Dis: Exploring Disability Issues.’ https://soundcloud.com/allaboutdis/positive-behaviour-support?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing 

LaVigna, G.W., Hughes, E.C., Potter, G., Spicer, M., Hume, L., Willis, T., & Huerta, E. (2022). Needed independent and dependent variables in multi-element behavior support plans. Perspectives on Behaviour Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-022-00331-4   

Hayward, B., Paley, S., Hepburn, L., Spicer, M., McGowan, S., Fisher, A., Staughton, S., Davis, F., and Wakefield, M. (2024). Positive behavioural support in Australia: A state of the nation report 2023. The International Journal of Positive Behavioural Support, 13(2), pp.6-12.

Fisher, A. et al. (2024) ‘A positive behaviour support practice framework for Disability and Community Services in Australia that prioritises human rights and evidence-based practices’, Disability and Rehabilitation, pp. 1–12. doi:10.1080/09638288.2024.2402079.