Our Counselling Team

Our team have current and valid Police and Working With Children Checks.

 

Donna Zander
Director

Donna Zander is the Director of her own private clinical, training and consultancy practice as an accredited mental health social worker and play therapist she is an outstanding counsellor with clinical experience working with vulnerable and abused children, young people and adults in a range of settings. She has a focus on sexual assault and domestic violence trauma, the neurobiology of trauma, trauma-based interventions and loss and grief. Donna has worked as a clinician for Northern C.A.S.A., Reach Out For Kids Foundation, Abercare Family Services, Orana Family Services, North East Metropolitan Psychiatric Services and was the Coordinator of Post Trauma Victoria who oversaw the civilian psychological trauma work of Austin Health privately since 2004. Donna's personalised, energetic and dynamic strengths based style sees that her services as a counsellor are in great demand.

Donna currently has 8 adult children, 3 biological and 5 step children whom she raised and has been a foster mum of two. It is her experiences in all of these roles that she draws on to offer advice and support to parents on how to best deal with their children.

 

Maz Ellerbok
Parenting Educator

Maz Ellerbok is a Mum of three adults now and has had over 40 years working with families in various capacities, from disability support to community welfare. In this time she has learnt that no one family is the same, and believes that a Parent Educator should be able to provide diverse and adaptable strategies in which to cope with the many differences in parenting styles, cultures and beliefs. She believes we all have the capacity to gain new insight, and the strength to build solid relationship foundations as parents and partners. She has a passion for working with children and young people, facilitating a supportive and empowering environment for kids to develop to their full potential no matter what their circumstance. Working with both parents and children she aims to provide families with knowledge and skill in which to improve their relationships and crisis management. Her approach is very hands on, focusing on giving people practical and relevant tools that can be integrated easily into their own lives. "I love what I do, and feel privileged to share in the lives of others".