Meet Our Team
At Making Connections Toowoomba, our team of professionals has a proven track record of working with young people from diverse backgrounds, especially those facing social challenges. We adopt a strengths-based approach, leveraging your young person's strengths and interests to facilitate connections with peers who share similar interests. We deeply value diversity and inclusion, considering it a privilege to work with your young person.
Fiona Goodall
Autism Consultant
Owner & Director of Making Connections Toowoomba
Making Connections Toowoomba was founded by Fiona Goodall, a Special Educator with over 20 years’ experience. Fiona holds a Bachelor of Education and Master of Special Education. She is also a certified facilitator of the PEERS® Program, Peaceful Kids Mindfulness and Positive Psychology programs, and is a certified facilitator of LEGO® Based Therapy. Fiona has a professional and personal interest in Mindfulness and Meditation. She is a Registered Meditation Teacher with the Meditation Association of Australia, and is currently studying a Diploma of Counselling.
Fiona has worked across all education sectors, including specialist autism settings, special education settings and mainstream schools, both in Australia and abroad. Fiona stepped into the private sector so she could devote her professional time, passion, and expertise to working directly with neurodivergent young people, and their families.
Fiona is a member of the Positive Partnerships Delivery Team, working with caregivers and educators of school-aged children on the autism spectrum to provide evidence-informed information through face-to-face and online workshops. Fiona is also a member of the Positive Partnerships Educators Reference Group.
Fiona is the proud mother of two teenage boys who are patient in their endeavours to keep her up to date with Gen Y lingo. Her better half shares her love of live music and passion for supporting neurodivergent youth. Aside from her human companions, Fiona enjoys the gentle company of the family’s little white dog Oskar, and their two chooks, who are reluctant layers yet enthusiastic scratchers of her beloved garden.
Em fiona@makingconnectionstoowoomba.com.au
Ph 0492 054 085
Nikki Esplin
Occupational Therapist & Program Facilitator
Nikki is an Occupational Therapist with a passion for supporting people to live meaningful and purposeful lives – whatever that may look like! Since graduating in 2013, Nikki has worked within child and youth mental health settings, supporting individuals and facilitating group programs as a vital part of a multidisciplinary team. Additionally, she has provided support to parents, caregivers, and childcare professionals working with vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Nikki has a special interest in working with neurodivergent youth and loves the authenticity, fun, and energy that these amazing young people bring.
Nikki has been part of the MCT team for nearly a year now (how quickly it's flown by!). She loves working with such beautiful participants and engaged families and feels fortunate to be part of such an amazing and supportive team.
Nikki enjoys creative endeavors, usually juggling one or more projects at a time with a new art technique always waiting to be tried. She also loves going to brunch with friends, spending time with her animals, and volunteering for a local charity.
Darcy Goodall
Provisional Psychologist
Now Taking Clients: from July 2025
We’re thrilled to announce that Darcy, our long-time team member at MCT, is now seeing clients in his new role as a Provisional Psychologist.
Darcy has spent over 20 years working with young people with a wide range of support needs — alongside their families, school teams, and broader support networks. Within these roles Darcy has always brought insight, warmth, and practical experience to his work. His background includes leading Inclusive Education programs within schools, a decade as an Advisory Visiting Teacher for Autism, and working as a facilitator with Positive Partnerships, where he delivered workshops for caregivers and educators of autistic children across Queensland. These roles are just a few examples of the breadth of experience Darcy brings across education and allied health.
Working as a Provisional Psychologist, Darcy supports both young people and adults navigating a range of challenges including anxiety, depression, and emotional regulation. He also works with clients experiencing school or work-related stress and social and emotional wellbeing, helping them build insight into their own strengths, needs, and coping strategies. Darcy brings a calm, person-centred approach and is particularly skilled at helping individuals — and, where appropriate, their families — make sense of what’s going on beneath the surface. Within our model of support at MCT, caregiver partnerships are strongly valued, and Darcy is able to work collaboratively with parents and families as part of the therapeutic process.
When he’s not supporting clients or immersed in his studies, Darcy enjoys a quiet round of golf and remains a devoted Brisbane Broncos fan — no matter their place on the ladder!
You don’t need to be an existing Making Connections Toowoomba client to book in with Darcy — he welcomes new enquiries.
To get in touch:
darcy@makingconnectionstoowoomba.com.au
Megan (Meg) McClenaghan
Occupational Therapist & Program Facilitator
Meg is an Occupational Therapist (OT) who is passionate about seeing people celebrate their uniqueness and thrive in their everyday lives. Before becoming an OT, Meg worked as a Youth Worker, supporting young people recovering from mental illness to transition into independent living. She also has experience working in both individual and group therapeutic settings with clients of a variety of ages.
Meg has a particular passion for neuro-affirming practice sparked by her own lived experience of neurodivergence, and has a keen interest in sensory processing and health research.
In her spare time, you'll find Meg doing any creative hobby she can get her hands on! She loves playing table top games, reading a good book, and going for runs or having couch cuddles with her pet spoodle, Leo (who no doubt will make some guest appearances at MCT!).
Michelle Vanzella
Group Assistant & Independent Support Worker
Michelle has had a broad career working with vulnerable people within the community. Michelle worked as a government social worker for over a decade throughout Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Looking for more hands-on roles, Michelle started working as an allied health assistant about 7 years ago, and more recently, as an independent support worker. In 2021, Michelle joined Making Connections Toowoomba as a Group Assistant. She enjoys the opportunity to create meaningful working relationships with our Making Connections Toowoomba participants and their families to achieve their goals. Michelle also loves being part of a dynamic, passionate and supportive team which celebrates both the little and big wins of our participants.
Outside of work, you’ll find Michelle and her husband trying to keep up with their busy teenage children. They love bushwalking, picnics and board games and can often be seen searching for their aging beagle who, even at 12 years of age, is still a supreme escape artist.
Sarah Ryan
Group Assistant & Club Facilitator
Sarah is a third-year Psychology student with UniSQ. Sarah chose Psychology because she has always been interested in human behaviour, and hopes to one day work as a child psychologist.
In addition to working as a Club Facilitator and Assistant in several Making Connections Toowoomba groups, Sarah also enjoys running fun, outdoor, adventurous activities for primary-aged students. Sarah has also been volunteering with a local primary school for the last two years. She loves helping students with math and reading rotations and especially music lessons and concert items.
Besides study and work, Sarah loves relaxing while drawing, taking photos or watching action and fantasy films. However, what she really loves most is her cat Mitten, and dog Jasper!
Kay Folker
Group Assistant
Kay has always worked in compassionate and caring roles, testimony to her measured and patient nature. Kay worked for many years as a registered nurse, then later when she gained her Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood, for seven years in a dedicated early intervention setting for children with autism.
Kay’s passion is for working with neurodivergent children, teens and young adults, where she believes in and celebrates the uniqueness of every person. Kay sees learning as a social activity and values collaborative interactions and caregiver partnerships.
Life away from work, sees Kay living on a farm on the outskirts of Toowoomba with her husband, two barn cats and a herd of Speckled Park cattle. Kay’s children have flown the nest, so visits to Brisbane or the Sunshine Coase are much anticipated get-aways, where she has two grandchildren to spoil!
Cate Power
Administrative Assistant
Cate brings a wealth of experience to the team at Making Connections Toowoomba, with a career that spans from hairdressing to administration. After 17 years as a hairdresser, she completed her Cert IV in Business and Booking, leading to a decade managing a boutique medical practice in Toowoomba.
Cate then transitioned to a school environment, where she worked in various administrative roles, including as a personal assistant to the Assistant Principal Student Engagement for eight years. In this role, Cate gained valuable insight into student behaviour and engagement, and cites this as one the most rewarding times in her career. Cate now remains in the administration field and is enjoying her new adventure taking on a role helping Fiona and the MCT team within the administration side of Making Connections Toowoomba.
Cate has two grown up children, a husband and a mini poodle. When she is not working you will find her relaxing and catching up with family and friends, going to the gym and swimming.
Nicholas Downey
Group Facilitator
Nick holds a Bachelor of Psychology from QUT and is currently studying a Master of Learning and Teaching. Nick has extensive experience as a caseworker working with young people in the statutory care system, supporting them to remain stable in their foster care placement so that they do not bounce through the system.
Nick is passionate about seeing all young people empowered to do what they are passionate about and thrive personally.
In his spare time Nick likes fishing, eight-ball pool, and spending time with his young family.