Hi, I’m Lydia Briers.
Founder & Advanced PBS Practitioner
Registered PBS Supervisor
Lydia founded Waves out of a deeply personal commitment to deliver genuine, neuroaffirming, and culturally safe support to individuals and families. As a neurodivergent parent raising a neurodivergent family, Lydia brings a rare blend of lived experience, clinical expertise, and radical empathy to her work.
She rejects rigid, compliance-focused methods, focusing instead on building trust, honoring communication, and understanding the nervous system behind the behavior. Lydia specializes in supporting participants with complex situational needs - including mental health challenges and involvement with corrective services - and works closely alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members.
ABOUT LYDIA
MY APPROACH & FRAMEWORKS
“I believe behaviour is simply a reflection of nervous system regulation and unmet needs. My goal is to hold a safe space where participants and families feel deeply understood, never judged”.
Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS): Solving problems with the person, not doing things to them.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT): Supporting emotional regulation and psychological flexibility.
Self-Determination Theory: Honoring autonomy, competence, and choice.
Nervous System & Brain-State Aware Care: Focus on sensory safety, regulation, and co-regulation.
Trauma-Informed & Culturally-Grounded Practice: Embedded in deep respect for community, identity, and story.
Lived Experience Integration: Neurodivergent practitioner supporting neurodivergent adults & children.
Complex Case Navigation: Forensic/corrective services involvement, complex mental health, and acute crisis support.
Cultural Safety: Collaborative practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Training & Supervision: Delivers neurodiversity-affirming training for organizations and supervises PBS practitioners.
SPECIALTIES & EXPERIENCE
WHY FAMILIES & PARTICIPANTS LOVE WORKING WITH LYDIA
Parents instantly feel the weight lifted off their shoulders. Lydia creates an environment where you can speak openly about the hardest, messiest moments without ever feeling judged or criticized.
When a parent answers "it's a lot," Lydia knows from her own lived experience as a neurodivergent parent exactly what those words carry - the exhaustion, the constant advocacy, and the silent weight of carer burnout.
She doesn't just hold space for that pain; she steps in proactively to lighten the load, taking the fight out of their day-to-day so the family can finally breathe.
Because Lydia and her family are neurodivergent, there is no clinical distance. She understands the physical and emotional reality of autistic burnout, sensory overload, and navigating complex systems from the inside out.
In moments of high distress, complex crisis, or forensic involvement, Lydia is a steady, unflappable anchor who knows how to de-escalate situations and co-regulate with care.
Known for her warm, respectful, and genuine relationships within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, Lydia listens first and honors community and cultural story.
QUALIFICATIONS & CREDENTIALS
Advanced PBS Practitioner & Registered Supervisor (NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission)
Graduate Certificate: Indigenous Trauma & Recovery Practice
Bachelor of Psychology | Bachelor of Arts
Diploma: Early Childhood Education & Care
Postgraduate Studies (Currently Enrolled):
Master of Indigenous Health
Graduate Diploma (Advanced) Psychology