Behaviour Support Practitioner
Serving Malvern East & City of Stonnington

NDIS Behaviour Support in Malvern East

Some of the work I do starts because a teacher, principal or support coordinator has flagged a pattern. School’s getting harder, incidents are piling up, and nobody’s quite sure why yet. I try to work out what’s underneath it, sensory load, communication gaps, something unmet that the behaviour is standing in for, rather than treating the behaviour itself as the whole problem.

What Behaviour Support Looks Like in Malvern East

From there I build a plan that travels between home, school and anywhere else the child spends time, and I stay involved after I write it. If restrictive practices are already being used, I can usually prioritise an Interim BSP within two weeks rather than waiting the full four to six.

For a family in Malvern East, this might mean:

• A Functional Behaviour Assessment for a child in Malvern East whose meltdowns are escalating before school or bedtime
• A Behaviour Support Plan for a teenager with autism, ADHD, anxiety, or sensory overload
• Parent and carer coaching so responses are calm, consistent, and realistic under pressure
• Support worker guidance so strategies are used the same way across home and community settings in City of Stonnington
• An Interim Behaviour Support Plan where urgent safety strategies are needed before a full assessment is complete

I work directly with schools where that helps, sitting in on meetings, contributing to a plan the school’s already got, or starting one from nothing. The same approach carries through regardless of the participant’s age, five or fifteen or forty five, the method doesn’t really change.

Getting Started

A few people have asked what actually happens once they get in touch, so here’s the short version. First there’s a free 20-minute call, no referral needed, just a conversation about your situation. If it makes sense to go ahead, we sign a service agreement and book the initial assessment in, usually at home or at school with consent.

A full Behaviour Support Plan generally takes four to six weeks from there. If it’s urgent, especially where restrictive practices are already involved, I can usually get an Interim BSP done in about two weeks so you’re not left without any plan in the meantime. I try to keep the wait as short as possible for Malvern East families, same as anywhere else I work.

NDIS Funding & Early Childhood Support in Malvern East

City of Stonnington falls within the NDIS Bayside Peninsula region. Behaviour Support is commonly funded under Capacity Building — Improved Daily Living. Local Area Coordination for Malvern East is provided by your allocated Local Area Coordinator. We support plan-managed and self-managed participants:

• Plan Managed — your plan manager handles all invoicing; no out-of-pocket payments
• Self Managed — we invoice you directly; you claim reimbursement from the NDIS myplace portal
• Early Childhood (under 7) — no formal diagnosis required; families in Malvern East can also access Stonnington City Council's free Maternal and Child Health service for developmental checks alongside NDIS Early Childhood supports

Not sure what’s in your NDIS plan, or who your allocated Local Area Coordinator is for your area? Book a free consultation — we’ll explain your options in plain language.

Who We Work With in Malvern East

Himani works with NDIS participants and families across Malvern East, Malvern, Chadstone, and Glen Iris. We commonly support:

• Children aged 2–12 with Autism (ASD), including children adjusting to kinder, school, or new routines in Malvern East
• Teenagers with ADHD, emotional dysregulation, anxiety, school refusal, or escalating conflict at home
• Adults with intellectual or developmental disability who need safer daily routines and clearer support strategies
• Children and young people with complex trauma, including those in out-of-home care or kinship care
• CALD families in Malvern East who want culturally respectful support that works well across different family and community contexts
• LGBTQIA+ participants and families who need affirming, trauma-informed support

School and Community Collaboration in Malvern East

Many families come to us because the behaviour is most visible at school. With consent, we talk directly to teachers and wellbeing staff so the same calm strategies and early warning signs are used at home and at school.

Telehealth and In-Home Support

Sessions can be arranged around school hours, work commitments, and support worker shifts, with telehealth available across Malvern East and neighbouring Malvern and Chadstone for families who’d rather not add another trip to the week.

About Your Practitioner

Your Behaviour Support Practitioner is Himani Arora, founder of Brave Mental Health. Himani has 5+ years of experience supporting NDIS participants across Melbourne, including families in Malvern East and across City of Stonnington. She is trauma-informed, culturally affirming, and brings genuine expertise and warmth to every family she supports.

“I believe every person — regardless of their diagnosis, background, or the challenges they face — deserves support that truly sees them. Not just their behaviour, but their whole self.”

— Himani Arora, Behaviour Support Practitioner