Who We Are

Deberea Sherlock

Deberea is an Educational and Developmental Psychologist specialising in children’s learning and development. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of New England (UNE) as an external student while her children were growing up. She graduated with a Bachelor of Psychology Honours Class 1 and University Medal. Post-graduate study in educational and developmental psychology was a natural extension of her academic interest in psycholinguistics and clinical interest in children’s social and emotional development. She completed her doctoral training at The University of Queensland.

Deberea has 15 years of clinical experience working extensively with children and their families in a variety of settings. Children’s learning, and social and emotional strengths and challenges remained the focus of her clinical work. She has held a special interest in attention control, emotional regulation, and childhood anxiety.

For many children delays in these areas may present as only part of the developmental picture. Social and emotional development is complex. The knowledge that isolated interventions can miss something fundamental about the complexity of development spurred the need to look beyond the confines of a singular professional approach.

Finally in 2012, the opportunity to combine professional insights and knowledge with Aisling led to the development of the MASTER Institute.

Aisling Mulvihill

Aisling is a Speech-Language Pathologist specialising in language and social communication. She completed her undergraduate studies at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. She has worked in paediatric speech-language pathology in both Ireland and Australia.

Aisling’s interest in the area of social and emotional development began during her university studies. Her final year research considered social communication in young adults with Asperger Syndrome. This research ignited a passion for work in the field of social communication. Her clinical insights and continued studies informed the need to improve understanding of the complex nature of social and emotional development. She sought a shift away from isolated interventions seeking collaboration with other professional disciplines.

The opportunity to combine professional insights and knowledge with Deberea led to the development of the MASTER Institute.