Meet Ella

Ella MacLean

Regulation begins in the body and the nervous system. Everything I do grows from that one idea.

I hold a Master of Occupational Therapy, with a focus on early intervention for children aged two to nine, with a distinctive, evidence based sensory motor approach that supports children to grow through safety, connection and movement.

I have built my practice around a structured model of care, with a clear beginning and endpoint, that equips parents and schools to carry the change forward rather than relying on therapy that continues indefinitely without a plan. With a background in clinical Pilates and observing movement, training in sensory and reflex integration, and deep experience across home, school and hospital settings, I bring an attuned, whole person lens to every session, grounded in how the nervous system develops and changes.

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One Integrated Approach

Four ways of understanding, brought into one

Rather than separate services, my work draws several strands together around a single nervous system focus, so the support meets the whole person, not just the surface.

Reading the behaviour

What you see is the surface. Behaviour is communication, and the work begins with what sits beneath it.

Settling the nervous system

Safety first, then everything else. Once the body feels safe, regulation, attention and confidence can follow.

Building the foundations

Primitive reflexes, sensory processing and organised movement: the foundations the body builds on, established through repetition.

Supporting the mind

Training in CBT and DBT, supporting sense of self and emotional understanding, for children and for the parents beside them.

One Therapist, Start To Finish

The same therapist gets to know your child, designs the program, delivers every session and coaches you through it.

You can trust that your child will not be passed between clinicians, or slotted into an overpacked schedule. I take on a small number of families at a time and hold your child’s full history myself, so every session builds directly on the one before it.

ContinuityOne clinician who knows your child’s history, not a file summary of it

ConsistencyThe same clinical reasoning and the same standard in every session

AccountabilityOne person responsible for the plan, the progress and the outcome

Why This Work Matters To Me

I understand this from the inside

Having received my own late diagnosis of ADHD, alongside a deeper understanding of my own sensory preferences, I know first hand the work of learning to understand yourself again. It is part of why I hold this work with such care, and why, with the children I see, that care runs deeper still.

Whether I am sitting with a child or a parent, safety, attunement and clinical understanding sit at the centre of every session I offer.

I am recognised for clear communication with families and schools, and for a strong understanding of classroom processes, tasks and expectations. Alongside that sits the clinical reasoning that identifies what sits beneath behaviour, helping build the internal foundations of strength, regulation and confidence a person needs to feel capable and engaged in their life.

I work collaboratively with families, educators and school communities across Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, from Vaucluse and Watsons Bay through to Kingsford, providing thoughtful, individualised support that helps children build strong foundations for learning, participation and confidence at school.

How I work: the approach →