2026 ACCSSQ CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

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day 1

  • 8.30 - Registration

    9.00am - Welcome to Country

    9.30am - Justin Coulson

    11am - Morning Tea (30 mins)

  • 11.30am - Helen Kambouridis

    1pm - Lunch (1 hour)

  • 2pm - Clare Kempton on River of Life Safety Map

    This workshop introduces the River of Life Safety Map, a narrative approach to safety planning with young people

    5.30 - 6.30pm - Welcome drinks & Canapes

    6.30pm - Conference Dinner & AGM

Register
Register
A digital art installation of a wireframe human brain made of interconnected spheres and lines, floating above a purple platform with scattered spheres, set against a dark background.

DAY 2

  • 8.30am - Registration

    9am - Nathan Wallis on ‘Change Your Brain, Change Your Life’

    10.30am - Morning Tea (30 mins)

  • 11am - Emma Spencer from Spencer Health

    Neurodiversity in Action: Practical Strategies for Supporting Diverse Brain Styles Across the School Years

    12.30pm - Lunch (1 hour)

  • 1.30pm - Dr Tessa Opie on consent and respect

    3pm - Conference finish

Register
Register

2026 Presenters

We are excited to announce that our line up of speakers for 2026 are

  • Justin Coulson

  • Nathan Wallis

  • Dr Tessa Opie

  • Helen Kambouridis

  • Emma Spencer

  • Clare Kempton

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  • Dr. Justin Coulson is a prominent Australian parenting expert, author of 9+ books, and co-host of Channel Nine's Parental Guidance. With a PhD in Psychology, he founded the Happy Families website to help families thrive through research-backed, positive psychology approaches. He is also a sought-after speaker and father to six daughters

  • Helen is a registered and endorsed Counselling Psychologist with over 30 years experience working with children, adolescents, families, individual adults and groups.

    Helen is a Senior Psychologist at the Royal Children’s Hospital for over 20 years and brings a wealth of clinical and therapeutic knowledge and skill.

    Additionally, she is a regular guest lecturer at Swinburne University psychology department and supervises clinicians in the area of trauma-informed practice.

  • Clare Kempton is a social worker and counsellor with experience as a mental health clinician in rural school settings. Her practice draws on narrative approaches with a focus on collaborative, non‑pathologising responses to safety planning and risk. 

    Clare is interested in finding creative opportunities for young people's expertise to be centred within duty‑of‑care contexts. Clare currently works on unceded Awabakal land with adults as a counsellor. 

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A man with dark hair and a beard, wearing a light blue blazer and white shirt, smiling indoors with a colorful background.
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  • Nathan Wallis is a father of three & foster parent with a professional background in child counselling, teaching and social service management.

    He lectured in Human Development at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand and was also a board member and senior trainer with the national body responsible for the dissemination of neuroscientific research to professionals.

    He has developed a reputation as a lively and engaging speaker who uses humour and plain language to make this complex topic come to life.

    Nathan is a regular on Radio and Television shows in New Zealand, sharing his expertise on child development.

    In 2010 he founded a private training consultancy, X Factor Education Limited, with the goal of facilitating easy to understand professional development training reflecting the latest neuroscience discoveries and their practical implications for everyday practice.

    Since then he has been in hot demand, delivering well over 200 presentations year in New Zealand Australia and internationally.

  • Emma Spencer is a Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years’ experience working with children, adolescents, and families. She is a neuroaffirming clinician and developer of the Low Demand Approach to Therapy, with a passion for supporting neurodivergent young people in ways that honour autonomy, reduce distress, and foster meaningful engagement across home and school environments.

  • Co-Director

    PhD (Psych). BPsych.

    Dr. Tessa Opie

    Dr Tessa Opie, founder and director of inyourskin®, is dedicated to promoting healthy and consensual relationships. With extensive experience as an educator in government, not-for-profit, and private sectors, as well as being a guest lecturer at universities, Tessa brings a wealth of knowledge to her work. She has provided expert advice to Education Departments, including the South Australian Department for Education, the Western Australian Department of Education, and the Northern Territory Department of Education.

    Tessa has partnered with Dr Monique Mulholland and Dr Fida Sanjakdar from Monash University to investigate Relationships and Sexuality Education in multicultural classrooms. Additionally, she has collaborated with Mancel College to develop a tailored Relationships and Sexuality Education curriculum for young people with Language Disorder.