Meet the Team
Radhika Tanksale worked for nearly 10 years as a psychologist at Minds and Hearts until February 2021, a private clinic in Brisbane that provides therapeutic services for individuals on the autism spectrum. She is grateful for the learnings she received from her supervisors Dr Michelle Garnett and Prof Tony Attwood and continues to be mentored by them. She has completed 50-hours of training from Zenergy Yoga - the leading training organization of children's yoga in Australia. She also completed Yoga Psychology for Mental Health Professionals training and the 8-week course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. She developed a yoga-based program for children on the autism spectrum between 8-12 years of age and ran a pilot randomised controlled trial as a part of her PhD candidature from 2016-2020. During her doctoral program, she realised the importance of connections that exists between the mind-body, parent-child, as well as connecting to the here and now, to the group with a shared intention, to the surroundings, and to the wholeness that lies within everyone. She conceived the idea for Social Space Community in January 2020 just before “social distancing” became the new norm. Experiencing social distancing herself fortified her passionate commitment to making this social enterprise a reality.
Atousa Salehpour is a visual artist. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and has experience in the fields of painting, pottery, photography, wood carving, sculpture, miniature inlaying and jewellery making. For the last 20 years, she has been teaching visual arts to different age groups. Over the years, she has come to realise how much art activities can help people identify their emotions, express feelings they may not be able to verbalise, or even be aware of. She believes art provides an opportunity for people to relax, gain confidence, self-understanding, and provides a unique opportunity for creating and maintaining a positive social connection. These experiences have encouraged her to find a way to help people through Art Therapy. Because of this Atousa completed a Diploma in Art Therapy to not only expand her knowledge and skills in both a theoretical and practical way but also apply her art teaching knowledge and experience to the area of Art Therapy. She is a Creative Consultant for the Social Space Community “Create to Connect- Visual Art” groups.
Aashni Pratap professionally is a specialist working in the domestic and family violence sector, predominantly working with men who use violence. She is also completing her doctoral degree and looking at the effect of trauma and its link to the use of violence. Aashni has previously co-facilitated groups at the Minds and Hearts clinic, working with young people on the autism spectrum. She has also been the lead facilitator in a number of intervention groups for adult clients and believes that the connection and shared experience through group work, is second to none. When she is not at work, Aashni enjoys cooking, shopping, watching crime shows and movies and going for nice bush walks. She is a HUGE dog lover and you will no doubt hear stories of her two puppies. Aashni is passionate about being proactive in the early intervention space, with a focus on empowerment, healing and social connectedness. Aashni is the creative coordinator for the Social Space Community "Space to Connect- Compassion" groups.
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Kylie Hinde, a clinical psychologist and registered music therapist and is part way through completing a Ph.D. in psychology. For the past nearly 3 years, Kylie has worked predominately with neurodiverse populations through the Minds and Hearts clinic in Brisbane. Kylie loves connecting with children and parents in colourful, creative, and experiential (hands-on) ways using music, art, storytelling, and other fun mediums. She values the importance of mind-body connection. Kylie grew up playing the violin and is still very passionate about playing in community and professional groups across Brisbane. Before completing her psychology studies, Kylie lived in Bangladesh for 12 months working as a music therapist for Australian Aid in 2011/2012, and fell in love with the culture, the food, and the people. When she’s not playing her violin or working with families, Kylie loves spending time with Buddy her dog and being out in nature. She is the creative coordinator for the Social Space Community "Space to Connect- Music and Lego" groups.
Clwedd moved to Australia from Canada where he gave up using snowshoes and avoiding bears in the woods for year-round cycling and avoiding kangaroos on the roads. He studied geography and biology and has worked in related industries for over 20 years. His jobs have taken him to countries such as Malaysia, Korea, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Costa Rica. The first roleplaying game he played was Dungeons & Dragons in his early teens. He went on over the next 10 years to play many other types of games. He worked for a game manufacturer in his early 20s, during which he helped design tabletop games. He is excited about the potential for supporting social learning using role-playing games for young teens and adults. Clwedd is committed to the storytelling aspects of role-playing games which supports strengthening social skills. He has undertaken training with Games to Grow which is a Seattle based nonprofit group with the goal of providing social skills development for people using role-playing games. He continues to expand his knowledge and experience in this area. He believes that stepping into the shoes of the hero and playing a different role from our everyday lives provides opportunities to practice social-emotional skills and facilitate life-long relationships in a safe environment.​​ He has developed Hero's Roll and is the coordinator for the Hero's Roll Dungeons & Dragons Table Top game groups.
Emily is a support worker of two years. Originally from Canada, Emily moved with her family in 2014 to Australia where she completed a Bachelor of Film. Emily always wanted to be able to utilize her unique skill set within the workplace, and support work was the perfect fit as she began her journey by running Dungeons and Dragons for young girls on the autism spectrum. After that, she found herself working in many other exciting and creative areas! She has worked with youths on the autism spectrum and ADHD with a focus on community building, teamwork and developing specific independence skills such as cooking and cleaning. Emily has also started to paint Dungeons and Dragons and Warhammer miniatures with groups to assist participants in finding a hobby, artistic expression and building a community. She thinks that social connections through mutual creative endeavours are something so important for youths that want to have a community. Emily has her Bachelor's in Film with an interest in script writing. She is currently studying Allied Health Assistance in Occupational Therapy with TAFE. Emily is the consultant for Social Space Community; Space to Connect -"Dungeons and Dragons Art Workshop and "Script Writing and Role Playing Workshop."
Annaketurah is nearly finished her Ph.D. in psychology (yay!) which looks at trauma and substance use in adolescents. She is currently working for Queensland Health in the alcohol and drug sector.
Anna has spent many years living, traveling, and working overseas in her original profession as a pharmacist. She has also worked as a sound engineer and worked for Van Morrison at Windmill Lane
Studios in Dublin. Anna started taking photos of her travels when she was in her 20’s and especially enjoys photographing people and the interactions they have with each other and their environment.
Photography is about capturing our relationship to the present moment. Anna believes that any practice which helps to ground us
in the present moment, like mindfulness, can bring a new depth to
how we observe the world and the way in which we choose to
capture it. She has been practicing meditation for over 15 years and tries to bring mindfulness into her photography and daily life as best she can. Anna loves travelling, food, and dogs: she has a dog called Hudson, who is a very good boy and they love to go on adventures together. Hudson also loves food, playing with his friends at the dog park, and splashing about in muddy puddles. Anna is the consultant for the Social Space Community "Mindful Connection - Photography Groups."
Eli has worked in disability support since 2019. For the past three years, Eli’s focus has predominantly been on facilitating social groups for adults on the autism spectrum. The focus has been on tabletop and board games such as Magic the Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons. The goal of the groups is to provide a safe space for the adults to explore social interactions, work together as a team, and build confidence in their abilities. Eli has ten years of experience in people management and development from retail roles, which he uses to set goals and work towards them in his support work. Eli loves all kinds of video games, reading fantasy and other games like Dungeons and Dragons and Magic the Gathering, but is also sporty and loves to watch cricket, NRL and play cricket on the weekends. Eli has recently stepped into parenthood and is a brand-new father since December 2022. He also has two dogs Arty (Ridgeback) and Archer (Staffy). He grew up in country NSW. Eli is the facilitator of "Space to Connect Workshops."
