Enza Santangelo

My career has taken me to exciting places, working at Gladesville Hospital in Sydney and then to Shenley Hospital, Hertfordshire, which was the largest mental health institution in Britain. In 1992 I was the Consultant Clinical Psychologist in Westminster, London for an Assessment and Treatment Service, and Respite Centre for adolescents and adults with an Intellectual disability, Autism, dementia and/or with mental health issues . I’ve worked clinically with clients in a range of therapies (obtaining training at the Tavistock Clinic and Queens Square in London), and have worked with community, forensic, residential, nursing and medical staff for over 30 years. I have an interest in neuropsychology and worked at The Wellington Hospital, London.

I am a Board Director for a Tasmanian Disability and Mental Health Service. Currently I’m in private practice, educating professionals and support staff on Autism and mental health conditions, and lecturing at the Australian College of Applied Psychology, Melbourne and RMIT University.

I work with adults and adolescents, and am a specialist in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of psychological and mental health issues or problems. I am an approved Clinical supervisor for The Psychology Board of Australia.

Areas of Specialization

I have developed expertise in adult mental health, specifically in anxiety and depression, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability. Generally though, I work across the lifespan, and for most mental health conditions that range from mild to moderate to severe.

I am involved in research, teaching and supervision, program development and evaluation, public policy and Board activities. I am considered an expert in the areas of person-centred and family-centred practice written material.

Consultation

Consultations with me involve:

• Discussing the issues of concern for the client or resident
• Exploring the thoughts, emotions and behaviour of the client and tracing their origins, if possible
• Helping the client develop effective ways of controlling and coping with these difficulties
• Helping the client to implement changes and enhance well-being and awareness, and alleviate the presenting problems
• Helping staff to support the client or resident with their issues to reduce any incidents of concern in their home
• Assessing the client’s emotional, intellectual and behavioural functioning
• Helping staff teams to work together to ensure there is consistency in the approach and type of support offered to clients or residents
• Helping family members to understand how to support their loved one to reduce the impact of mental health, Intellectual disability or autism traits in the home.

Leadership support for supervisors and team leaders is also part of the consultation package.

Sessions are usually up to one hour in length, but assessment sessions may be longer. The number of sessions required will vary and is usually negotiated directly with the client, or the organisation or the family involved.