024 Where Psychology Meets Positive Behaviour Support (Dr Zoe Perry)

Clinical psychologist and specialist behaviour support practitioner Dr Zoe Perry unpacks the often murky distinction between psychology and positive behaviour support, and what genuine interdisciplinary collaboration looks like in practice.The conversation covers the concept of “the missing middle”- people who are too complex for mainstream services, yet not eligible for public mental health or disability supports, and how this gap influences and shapes service delivery.The discussion moves into practical territory, examining where scope of practice and scope of role diverge, whether positive behaviour support should be considered therapy, and how formulation skills can sharpen rather than blur professional boundaries. Real world examples illustrate how psychologists and behaviour support practitioners can work in a genuinely interdisciplinary way, including practical tools like shared formulation and simple memoranda of understanding, and strategies for advocating to the NDIS when clients need both disciplines working together rather than one substituting for the other.Anyone working alongside psychologists and behaviour support practitioners in disability and mental health settings will recognise the tension between staying within scope and responding to genuine unmet need. This conversation offers concrete language and tools for navigating that tension while keeping the person at the centre of a coordinated, evidence-informed interdisciplinary support team.Chapters 00:00 Introduction01:03 A Career in Complex Behaviour06:16 The Missing Middle10:36 Psychology vs Behaviour Support15:21 Is PBS Therapy?22:33 Psychologically Informed PBS36:52 Multidisciplinary vs Interdisciplinary Teams43:06 Practical Strategies for Collaboration53:55 Advocating for NDIS Funding1:01:19 Closing ThoughtsAbout the GuestDr Zoe Perry is a clinical psychologist and advanced specialist behaviour support practitioner. She is the founder and director of Journey Health Solutions, a multidisciplinary practice of behaviour support practitioners, psychologists and occupational therapists based in Melbourne.Key TakeawaysThe missing middle describes clients too complex for public mental health or mainstream disability services yet not eligible for adequate private support, a gap that predates the NDISPositive behaviour support is not therapy, but practitioners can sometimes do short, contained, person led work if they have relevant training, supervision and a clear rationaleAround 30 percent of behaviour support practitioners are psychologists, which further complicates any attempt to draw a hard line between the two disciplinesLearning formulation skills does not expand a practitioner's scope, it clarifies it by helping identify which parts of a presentation belong to behaviour support and which need another disciplineThe NDIS previously suggested clients could only access psychology or behaviour support, not both, which created confusion and led some services to swap one for the other inappropriatelySimple tools such as a shared table outlining each team member's role, or a brief memorandum of understanding, can prevent duplication and scope creep in interdisciplinary teamsResources MentionedNDISImproving Access to Psychological Therapies programmeJourney Health SolutionsBritish Psychological Society formulation guidanceZones of RegulationLooking for practical, flexible learning that goes beyond the podcast?The All Access Pass gives you unlimited entry to all of our self-paced online courses, early access to new content, exclusive member discounts, and our ever-growing library of downloadable resources, templates, and clinical tools. It's all grounded in evidence-based, person-centred practice, designed to support you at your own pace, in real-world ways.Visit https://specialistbehaviour.com/all-access-pass/Questions, comments, feedback?Email us at [email protected]