We’re happy to report that Stream Services is growing, and that we have an increasing number of both participants and staff. Which is why we’ve created the new Support Coordination Team, made up of Dr Sue Read and our newest recruit, Emily Hahn, to ensure that participants are getting the absolute best out of their NDIS budget.
We’re thrilled to welcome Emily to our team. Emily will share her time at Stream Services between her role as a dietitian and her role as joint Support Coordinator along with Dr Sue Read.
Born in rural England, Emily trained originally as a primary school teacher, before deciding to retrain as a dietitian after moving here to Australia in 2014. She studied a Bachelor of Nutrition, Exercise, and Biomedical Sciences before completing her Master of Dietetics Studies at the University of Queensland.
Emily’s areas of interest as a dietitian include women’s health, fertility, gut health, and chronic disease management. Nutrition counselling is an important part of the work Emily undertakes with her clients, to support them heal their relationship with food and body.
“The big thing that gets me up in the morning is helping people fall in love with their bodies and to appreciate how wonderful they are. My guiding principles are the principles of ‘health at every size”, which means that my dietetics services are all weight neutral. That is, I will never have changing a person’s body size or shape as a goal of my treatment. The focus is always on health behaviours, rather than the scale. Research consistently shows that health behaviours are much more powerful determinants of health than body size or shape.
The core belief underpinning everything I do in my dietetics practice is that the client or participant is the true expert on their body and their life. My role is to facilitate empowerment and capacity building. It’s why I think dietetics and NDIS support coordination complement each other so beautifully. When these roles operate within a motivational framework of self-determination, long lasting change happens. It all comes back to the person building capacity. They are, and always will be,the expert of their bodies. I just help them fulfil their goals as co-pilot and facilitator.”
A lot of Emily’s clinical and research experience will also come to bear on her joint role as Support Coordinator. A self-professed organisational fiend and lover of colour-coded charts, Emily is looking forward to the challenge of making sure everyone’s supports are well-organised, and that everyone gets the service they deserve.
In view of this, Emily and Sue will be bringing in weekly case conferences, where Stream Services staff meet to discuss each participant and ensure that they are building their capabilities and progressing towards their goals.
“I love a challenge. The problem solving that is required really appeals to me, and it’s where I think that Sue and I can really flourish. Sue and I collaborate well together and our skills complement each other.”
In between working in private practice in Brisbane, Emily will travel to Clermont one week per month to meet with participants face-to-face for dietetics appointments and support participants in accessing the supports they require. Sue Read will also work from Clermont one week per month, on alternating weeks with Emily so there is Support Coordination and dietetics presence in Clermont two weeks per month.
“One of the main reasons for me taking this role is that in my city based private practice, not everyone has the means to access my services. At Stream Services, we’re helping people who often miss out on the supports they deserve. I am so passionate about addressing the gap between what people in the city and people in the country can expect from their health services.”
“Having Sue and Alec as colleagues is fantastic. Alec has a beautiful vision for Stream Services, and is incredibly passionate about empowering our participants. He cares so much about the wellbeing of each and every individual for whom we provide support. It’s really inspiring — and a real privilege — to be part of a team that is driven with such integrity and authentic caring for each of our participants.”
We believe the privilege is ours, and we’re looking forward to all the great work that Emily and Sue can accomplish on behalf of our participants as Support Coordinators.