Principal Psychologist and Director:
Catherine Asciak
Educational and Developmental Psychologist, MAPS., FCEDP.
Catherine is an endorsed Educational and Developmental Psychologist with over 20 years of experience working with children, adolescents and families. She has worked in various settings, including NSW and Canberra disability services, as well as within the catholic and independent school systems.
Catherine is a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and a Fellow of the College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists.
Catherine has extensive experience in a range of psychological assessments and evidence-based interventions for young people, including those with disabilities.
As a clinician, her approach to working with families is open and sensitive to their individual needs. Sessions are always collaborative, and she encourages the involvement of parents and families when possible.
Catherine is passionate about sharing her skills and experiences with others. As such, she dedicates a large part of her practice to the training and development of psychologists who want to increase their skills when working with children and their families. Catherine’s role as Principal Psychologist involves supporting the other psychologists on the team to ensure that a high-quality service is consistently delivered.
Catherine also provides psychological assessments and interventions to adult clients seeking support from our service.
Registered Psychologists:
Rebecca Muscio
Rebecca is a fully registered psychologist who works part-time at Asciak and Associates. Rebecca completed a Master of Professional Psychology at Western Sydney University and has worked at Asciak and Associates since March 2021.
Rebecca has experience providing therapy and psychological assessments for children and young people across a variety of presentations. She has experience working with Autistic people and has completed further training in conducting Autism assessments. Rebecca has also completed additional professional development working with Autistic females and has an interest in this area. She also has previous experience working with children and adolescents in government youth mental health services and community service settings. In addition to this, Rebecca has experience working with individuals with complex mental health support needs. She has assisted young adults in overcoming barriers impacting their employment.
Rebecca is passionate about working with children and families to achieve positive outcomes. She has a particular interest in providing early intervention mental health services. She enjoys working collaboratively with families, community services and other health professionals. Rebecca has experience planning and implementing psychological treatment using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Solution Focused Therapy and Motivational Interviewing.
Emily Hudders
Emily is a Clinical Psychologist who has worked at Asciak and Associates since 2022. Before that, she completed a six-month placement at our practice and worked in early intervention services.
Emily completed her Masters of Clinical Psychology at Western Sydney University and is a full member of the Australian Psychological Society.
Emily works part-time and has a particular interest in working with neurodiverse populations. She has over seven years of experience working with children and young people with Autism, ADHD and developmental delays. Emily has also completed additional training in conducting assessments of Autism, cognition, and difficulties with attention and learning. This is an area in which Emily has a particular interest.
Emily works with children and young people of all ages and backgrounds using an individualised approach adapted to each client’s needs. She draws on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) whilst providing clients practical skills to develop and maintain relationships, solve problems and persevere in the face of adversity. Importantly, Emily collaborates with caregivers extensively, as well as teachers, other health professionals and family members, to meet the needs of her clients.
In a session with Emily, you can expect a safe and calm space to discuss your concerns, and have the chance to laugh, have fun and learn something new.
Sophia Stanford
Sophia Stanford is a registered psychologist who works part-time at our practice. She completed her Clinical Masters degree at Western Sydney University, which included 18 months of supervised practice at our clinic between 2022 and 2023. She has experience in completing a range of psychological assessments for children and young people and has also completed Autism assessment training. Sophia has experience providing psychological intervention and support to neurodiverse clients. Sophia has completed additional training in delivering social skills programs. She is keenly interested in collaborating with families to support young people in nurturing their mental well-being and building meaningful relationships with their peers.
Sophia has previous experience working with clients as a crisis telephone counsellor. She has also worked with clients experiencing severe mental health difficulties as part of her training at Blacktown Hospital’s mental health ward. This led to her additional interest in supporting clients facing trauma, psychosis and suicidal ideation. Sophia draws from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Narrative Therapy in her work with clients. She also enjoys working collaboratively with families to improve the well-being of her clients.
Administrative Staff
Shannon Brown
Our friendly receptionist, Shannon, can assist you with your enquiries. Shannon has extensive experience in medical administration and, therefore, has the skills to answer questions that you may have about your appointment. Shannon may ask you about your concerns to provide information on appropriate services.
Student Placements
Asciak and Associates is committed to the training and development of psychologists who have a passion for working with children, adolescents and their families. As such, we often have registered or provisionally registered psychologists completing the final stages of their training here with us. As experienced professionals, we believe it is vital to share our skills, knowledge and experience to increase the community’s access to quality psychological services for children now and in the future.
A provisional psychologist has provisional registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and works under the supervision of a board-approved supervisor. A provisional psychologist will typically have completed a 4-year sequence of study comprising an undergraduate degree and an additional honours degree or graduate diploma in psychology.
Asciak and Associates only accept provisional psychologists undertaking an additional Master’s degree in Psychology. Our provisional psychologists must also have a genuine interest in working with young people. They must have some previous work experience in the field. As such, the provisional psychologists who successfully secure a placement with us need to demonstrate a high degree of knowledge in assessment, psychological theory and research.
All clients are notified when we have a student joining the team. Sessions with students or a provisional psychologist can be a cost-effective way of accessing additional psychological support. Clients are encouraged to speak with reception if they wish to discuss this as an option.