Dr Sargun Mahindroo

MBBS DipPaed GradCert ClinEd MPH FRACP

Developmental Paediatrician

Dr. Sargun Mahindroo is a paediatrician from Melbourne with sub-specialty training in Developmental and Behavioural Paediatrics. She obtained her medical qualification at Adelaide University in 2007, following this, a Diploma in Paediatrics through Auckland University in New Zealand and most recently her Masters in Public Health through the University of Sydney.

Dr. Mahindroo completed her advanced paediatric training at the Centre for Community Child Health at The Royal Children’s and Monash Children’s Hospitals, Melbourne’s premier Paediatric teaching institutions. She has particular interests and expertise in the diagnosis and management of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Learning difficulties, Developmental delays, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and Developmental trauma.

As a mother of two young children, Dr. Mahindroo appreciates the challenges of parenting in todays world. She is committed to understanding the particular strengths and challenges that make each child and family unique.

Dr Mindi Fernand0

MBBS DCH FRACP

General Paediatrician

Dr Mindi Fernando is a specialist in General Paediatrics and cares for children from birth through to 18 years of age. She graduated from the University of Adelaide in 2008 and completed a Diploma of Child Health through the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, SA in 2010. She completed her paediatric advanced training in Melbourne having worked at Monash Health and Eastern Health.

Her interests in paediatric care include poor growth, feeding difficulties and sleep concerns. She also has an interest in developmental paediatrics including developmental delay, ADHD, Autism and learning difficulties.

Dr Fernando understands that the care of a child with complex medical issues can be challenging, therefore she is committed to supporting her patients and their families to ensure they reach their full potential.

Dr Maitreyi Modak

MBBS BMedSci GCertClinTeach FRACP

General Paediatrician

Dr Maitreyi Modak is an experienced Consultant Paediatrician treating children and adolescents aged 0-17 with particular interest in paediatric medical conditions, infants, adolescents with physical and mental health concerns, as well as childhood and adolescent ADHD and other developmental disorders. 

She completed her medical degree in 2009 at the University of Melbourne, and has worked in paediatrics since 2011. As a busy mother to three young boys with her partner, Maitreyi understands the joys and challenges of parenthood as well as the variation in strengths between children. This perspective allows her to provide individualised care to each child and their family. Maitreyi closely collaborates with parents and children when considering treatment plans, as well as liaising with other health practitioners that are involved in the child or adolescent’s care team.

Dr Katharine (Kat) Blazé

MBBS BA BSc GradDipEd FRACP MPH

Developmental Paediatrician

Kat is a dedicated paediatrician with a unique combination of expertise in both education and medicine. Before becoming a doctor, she worked as a secondary school teacher in Victoria and also taught in several public primary schools in France, giving her insight into the classroom experience of young people with learning and behavioural challenges. This background allows her to bridge the gap between healthcare and education, working closely with families, schools, and communities to support children in reaching their full potential.

Kat completed her medical training at Melbourne University and completed her specialist training in General Paediatrics at the Royal Children’s and Monash Children’s Hospitals. She went on to obtain a second specialist qualification in Community Child Health, making her one of the few paediatricians who is fully dual-trained and accredited by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in both areas. This means she has completed two separate, rigorous paediatric training programs, each with distinct requirements. Kat’s comprehensive training gives her a deeper level of expertise in developmental and behavioural paediatrics and a broader understanding of the complex social and systemic factors affecting child health. She has worked at the Women’s and Children’s Unit of the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service and has cared for children in out-of-home care and those affected by trauma during her time at the Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service. She has also worked in specialised paediatric clinics for learning difficulties, unsettled babies, sleep concerns, and encopresis (soiling) at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Kat has a special interest in neurodevelopmental conditions, including ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and developmental delay, as well as language and communication difficulties, anxiety, and learning challenges. She also provides support for feeding, eating and sleeping difficulties, toileting, constipation/soiling, overweight/obesity and developmental trauma. She is passionate about helping families navigate these challenges with evidence-based strategies tailored to each child’s unique needs.

Having lived and worked in both Australia and France, Kat understands the complexities of transitioning between different education systems, particularly for children who speak English as an additional language. She has not only navigated these systems professionally but also as a mother, having migrated overseas with her family and enrolled her children at school in a non-English speaking country. She understands firsthand the challenges of moving to a new country, adapting to a different school system, and supporting children through these transitions. She is passionate about helping families through these changes and ensuring that every child is understood, supported, and given the best opportunity to thrive.

Kat takes a holistic approach to care, recognising that each child’s development is influenced by their environment, relationships, and experiences. She believes in working collaboratively with families, educators, and other health professionals to build strong support networks that empower children to grow with confidence.

Dr Amy Wang

MD BBiomed FRACGP CWH SCHP

Specialist General Practitioner

Dr Amy Wang is a specialist general practitioner with an interest in child and adolescent health. She graduated from The University of Melbourne in 2017 and worked in a variety of roles at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and Monash Health before entering general practice training.

Dr Wang has undertaken further study in various areas of interest, obtaining the Sydney Child Health Program certificate (formerly Diploma of Child Health), Certificate of Women’s Health and focussed psychological strategies (FPS) skills training before being awarded the Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP).

Dr Wang is passionate about providing high quality person-centred care with a focus on preventive health and wellbeing.

Dr Wang works in a shared care model with our Paediatricians to support adolescent general and mental health. These consults are extended appointments, usually between 45-60 minutes.  

At Papillon Paediatrics, we encourage you to establish a good long term relationship with a local general practitioner. However, if you are unable to get an appointment with your usual GP and would like to be seen more urgently, or are in the process of finding a local general practitioner, Dr Amy Wang is available for consultations regarding any general practice issues. These consults are usually between 20 - 30 minutes.

Dr Wang enjoys all aspects of general practice with interests in:

• Family medicine

• Women’s health

• Child health & mental health

• Adolescent health & mental health

• Pregnancy care

• Family planning & pregnancy counselling

• Sexual Health

• Contraceptive counselling including Implanon insertion & removal

Dr Ellen Pattison

BPsych GradDipProfPsych MPsych (Ed & Dev) PhD

Registered Psychologist

Ellen Pattison is a registered psychologist who has experience working in the public and private health sectors. Ellen has a special interest in developmental and educational psychology and enjoys working collaboratively with children as well as their families, schools and other allied health professionals, to help highlight their individual strengths and support needs.   

Ellen attended Monash University where she was enrolled in the Master of Educational and Developmental Psychology program. She has completed a doctoral degree through Monash University. Her PhD focused on the communication of developmental disorder diagnoses with caregivers.

Ellen provides individualised psycho-educational assessments which offer a holistic understanding of an individual’s cognitive, academic, social, emotional, and behavioural functioning.

Katie Godwin

BPsychSc, GradDipProfPsych, MEdPsych

Educational & Developmental Psychologist

Katie is a registered psychologist who has experience working in private and public schools, and private practice. She completed her Master of Educational Psychology at the University of Melbourne and is currently an Educational and Developmental Registrar.

Katie has an interest in the assessment, diagnosis and management of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Specific Learning Disorders.

Katie welcomes working with neurodiverse children and adolescents, and those part of the LGBTIQA+ community. She provides individual therapy to support their mental health and wellbeing. Katie is committed to working collaboratively with children and adolescents, their families, schools, and other health professionals to provide well rounded support. 

Outside of work, Katie enjoys spending time with her family and two loving cats. She loves playing music and completing Ninja Warrior obstacle courses.

Georgina Mendelson

BA (psych) BASc (Hons) MProfPsych

Registered Psychologist

Georgina is a Registered Psychologist who completed her studies in the Master of Professional Psychology program at the Cairnmillar Institute. Georgina has worked in a variety of private practice and educational settings with a strong focus on nuero-affirming therapeutic intervention, social skills groups, parent support, assessments across a variety of complex paediatric presentations.

Georgina is passionate about achieving positive mental health outcomes and equipping young people with the skills they need to thrive and reach their goals.

 Georgina utilises a client centred approach tailoring her treatment to meet the young person’s needs whilst considering their qualities and interest points. Georgina applies a range of Evidenced Based Techniques including Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Play Therapy, and Mindfulness practises. Georgina enjoys to work collaboratively with parents, schools, and other professionals involved in a young person’s care to offer and develop a comprehensive therapy plan.

Areas of interest include:

• ADHD assessment and intervention

• Anger and Impulsivity issues

• Anxiety

• Attachment

• Autism (ASD)

• Behavioural problems and Boundary settings

• Bullying

• Emotional regulation difficulties

• Family stress, separation and divorce

• Foster families

• Grief and loss

• Interpersonal skills

• Learning concerns and motivation issues

• LGBTIQA+

• Mood disturbance

• Low self-esteem

• Self harm

• School refusal

• Social challenges

• Trauma.

Haylie Ho

BA (Psych), BA (Hons), MEdPsych

Registered Psychologist

Haylie is a registered psychologist who completed her Master of Educational Psychology at the University of Melbourne.

She has experience in educational settings, providing evidence-based therapeutic interventions to children with diverse needs.

Haylie adopts a client-centred and neuroaffirming approach, recognising that each child and family is unique. She enjoys working collaboratively with children, their families, schools, and other professionals to provide holistic support.

Haylie is passionate about building meaningful connections and empowering children to thrive by focusing on their individual strengths and helping them navigate challenges in a way that aligns with their needs and interests.

 Michaela Freeman

BAppSc, MSpPath CPSP MSPA

Certified Practicing Speech Pathologist & Allied Health Team Leader

Michaela is a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist with a Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Speech Pathology from La Trobe University. Michaela loves working with children and has particular interests in speech, language, play, AAC, and literacy. She runs school holiday literacy intensives for school-age children, and works both in-clinic and within local schools, childcares and Kindergartens.

She has experience working in both regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne, and is guided by a range of evidence-based interventions to best suit the child and family. Michaela works from a family-centred and play-centred approach and recognises that each child and family is unique. She encourages families to be involved in therapy sessions to feel empowered to continue achieving their speech pathology goals at home.

Michaela has completed training in:

• Orofacial Myology

• Hanen: It Takes Two To Talk

• Cued Articulation

• SMART spelling

• Phonological Awareness for Literacy (PAL)

• Multi Sensory Structured Language (MSL) training

• LAMP Words For Life

• Karen Stagnitti: Learn to Play

• Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Outside of work, Michaela enjoys going on day trips, running, swimming, and snorkelling, and is often found trying to keep her orange cat, Iggy, out of mischief.

Jenna Wang

B-SCI MPH MSLP MSPA CPSP 

Certified Practising Speech Pathologist 

Jenna graduated from The University of Sydney with a Master of Speech Language Pathology after completing her Master of Public Health and Bachelor of Science (Human Physiology) at The University of Melbourne. She is a member of Speech Pathology Australia. 
 
Jenna works closely with children and their families to support achieving their communication goals. She is dedicated to providing evidence-based interventions to ensure that therapy is effective, but also aims to make each session fun and client-centred. Jenna endeavours to connect with, support and encourage families with their child’s communication development. As a dedicated professional and parent, she appreciates and understands the diverse dynamics and unique needs of every family. She is passionate about staying up to date with the current best evidence and continuing professional development activities. She has extensive experience participating in multidisciplinary assessments with other health professionals. Jenna works part-time at Papillon Paediatrics (Monday and Wednesday). 
 
Jenna’s interests are in the areas of:

• Speech sounds, play

• Language development

• Fluency

• Early literacy

• Social communication.

Emma McLauchlan

BAppSc, MSpPath

Certified Practicing Speech Pathologist

Emma studied a double degree of a Bachelor of Applied Science and Masters of Speech Pathology at La Trobe University in Melbourne. 

Emma is passionate about working with clients, their families and other health professionals to deliver comprehensive assessment and intervention in areas such as speech, swallowing, language, social communication, literacy and implementing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. Emma is a trained Orofacial Myologist (Australian Orofacial Myology Collaboration, AOMC) and has a particular interest in children who have sleep concerns, feeding difficulties and poor articulation. Emma has completed evidence-based literacy training to support children’s ability to read and write. She also loves working with neurodivergent (autistic and ADHD) children to develop their confidence in interacting with others. 

Emma has completed training in: 

Orofacial Myology 
Neurodiversity Affirming Practice
Phonological Awareness for Literacy (PAL)
SoundsWrite
Cued Articulation 
AAC and Aided Language Displays
The Meaningful Speech course for Gestalt Language Processing
Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Hanen: More Than Words Program
Paediatric Feeding
Inspiration by Integration

Elma Badic

BAppSc, MSpPath CPSP MSPA

Paediatric Occupational Therapist

Elma graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) and is registered with AHPRA and a member of Occupational Therapy Australia.

Elma is passionate about working with children and their families to help them increase their independence, using fun and engaging strategies to achieve goals and help children gain confidence in their everyday activities. Elma finds inspiration from courses such as Kim Bathel's Relationship Matters. She is currently completing her training in Tuning into Kids. She has experience in working with ADHD, Autism (ASD), Global Developmental Delay and Cerebral Palsy (CP).

Elma areas of practise include working with children in regards to:

• Community safety and access

• Gross motor skills

• Emotional regulation

• Fine motor skills

• Independence in Activities of Daily Living

• School readiness skills

• Sensory processing

• Self care - toileting, dressing, feeding, grooming, sleep

• Social skills

Rachel Manderson

BOccTherapy (La Trobe) CertDisabilityStud(Deakin)
Paediatric Occupational Therapist

Rachel is a paediatric Occupational Therapist with nearly 30 years of clinical work experience spanning public and private sectors including schools and community health. She is passionate about occupational therapy and caring for the health and wellbeing of clients. She aims to build meaningful relationships and provide therapeutic services to achieve personal goals and the highest outcomes for children and young people.

Rachel’s skill set is assessment and development of gross and fine motor skills, sensory processing, emotional regulation, executive functioning and self-care development. She has a special interest in handwriting.

 Outside of work Rachel enjoys spending time with her two young adult sons, family and friends. She enjoys gardening, swimming and participating in her local Park Run.

Kat O’Brien

BFood&NutrSc and MDiet

Paediatric Dietician and Nutritionist

Kat is an accredited practicing dietitian (APD) who specialises in allergy management and fussy eating. Kat also has extensive experience supporting neurodivergent children that find meal times a challenge; working with families to make meals easier, while supporting children to meet their nutrition needs. Kat is passionate about giving children the best chance to thrive over the course of their life and believes that excellent early life nutrition is key for this.  

Since specialising in paediatrics, she has completed additional studies in paediatric feeding disorders as well as becoming a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician (CEDC). Kat is passionate about supporting young people with eating disorders and helping them to build a positive relationship with food and their bodies. She also understands the importance of simple, empathetic and individualised nutrition advice that is tailored to your specific needs.

Outside of work, Kat loves spending time with family and friends, cooking, running and exploring the best places to eat in Melbourne.

Carmen Puskas 

BFood&NutrSc and MDiet

Dietician

Carmen is a dedicated and enthusiastic registered dietitian with a passion for paediatric nutrition. After completing her masters in Dietetics, she pursued further education in paediatric nutrition to be able to better support children’s unique dietary needs. 

She brings a compassionate, hands-on approach to working with families, focusing on personalised, practical strategies that empower parents and children to make nutritious choices and foster a positive relationship with food.

Recently she has also been working in education, doing talks in schools about all things health and wellbeing in a preventative health education setting. 

Outside of work, Carmen enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends, experimenting with new recipes and taking early morning road trips down to the coast. 

Sally Le Guen

AthR B.A (textile design) DipVisArts CertIVDisability

Creative Arts Therapist

Sally is a Creative Arts Therapist specialising in early childhood development, family systems, and trauma-informed practice. With a background in visual arts, textile design, and disability support, she integrates her expertise to provide a tailored, client-centered approach. Trained in attachment theory and child-led methodologies, Sally works collaboratively with parents and carers to strengthen bonds, support emotional regulation, and foster healthy relational experiences.

Through Parent-Child and Family Therapy, Sally creates a compassionate and creative space where connection and self-expression can flourish. Arts Therapy offers an alternative means of communication, where no prior artistic experience is needed. By engaging with materials such as clay, paint, or sand, individuals can externalize emotions and experiences, facilitating deeper self- awareness and understanding within the family system. This process is built on trust, an authentic therapeutic relationship, and a person-centered approach that honors the perspectives of both children and their caregivers.

Sally’s work empowers children and families to develop stronger emotional connections, enhance resilience, and build self-esteem through creativity and play. She views artistic expression as a bridge for communication, offering an engaging and meaningful way to explore identity, emotions, and relationships.

Having lived and traveled extensively, including five years in Edinburgh, Sally brings a broad, holistic perspective to her work. Outside of her therapy practice, she enjoys spending time with her family and their dog Noi, as well as collecting natural materials—leaves, shells, and other found objects—to incorporate into her own art-making.

Sandra Buchanan

Creative Arts Therapist

Drawing on ten years in private practice and her own lived experience enables Sandra to hold a gentle therapeutic space of safety and trust. Her approach is person-centred, and Sandra enjoys working closely with clients and their families.

With the use of various evidence-based, creative processes that are holistic and grounding, clients feel supported as they learn more about themselves, developing their own strategies that enable healthy ways of experiencing their world. 

Creative activities have always defined Sandra, currently on weekends you will find her enjoying watercolour painting or working with various textile activities. As she has grown up in rural Victoria, Sandra recharges her batteries taking in the fresh air and sounds of wildlife on bush outings. 

Melinda De Haan

Learning Intervention Specialist and Teacher

Melinda de Haan is a Learning Intervention Specialist focusing on students with Specific Learning Difficulties and ADHD.

She earned her Master's in Learning Intervention from the University of Melbourne in 2019. Since then, she has helped teachers use evidence-based practices to support students with diverse learning needs in primary and secondary schools.

In 2024, she joined a philanthropy-funded project between the Royal Children’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute as part of multidisciplinary care team for children with complex learning difficulties. Recently, Melinda was invited to share her evidence-based approaches at the University of Melbourne’s Sharing Best Practice Conference (September 2024). Currently, Melinda works at Camberwell Girls' Grammar School and Papillion Paediatrics.

Claire Eddy

Practice Manager

Claire Eddy is a professional, patient focused practice manager. With over 15 years within the travel sector, Claire has accumulated a broad range and scope of skills in business administration and has made an effortless shift into medical administration.

As a mother of two young children, Claire is empathic to the rollercoaster that is parenthood and endeavours in supporting families to thrive by facilitating and coordinating front of house experiences at Papillon Paediatrics.