Empowering People Through Knowledge, Care and Community
Hello, my name is Jumana Nicola. I am a dedicated psychology student at Griffith University, with professional experience as a disability and youth support worker and in aged care. My work spans supporting children in the child safety system, older adults in residential care, and individuals with disabilities, providing person-centred care that values empathy, integrity, respect, reliability, and lifelong learning.
This ePortfolio showcases my skills, experiences, and professional development throughout my studies and work, highlighting my readiness for diverse roles in psychology, disability support, youth services, and mental health. It also includes my LinkedIn profile, career plan, and examples of professional achievements.
Who am i?
Values, Philosophy, and Career Goals
My work sits on a simple foundation: I value empathy, integrity, respect, reliability, and lifelong learning. These are not words I throw around lightly; they shape how I interact with clients, handle complex situations, and hold myself accountable in both support work and psychology.
My professional philosophy is grounded in person-centred care, reflective practice, and evidence-informed decision-making. I aim to provide care that fits the unique needs of each individual, continually reflecting on what works and what can be improved. I rely on psychological theory and research rather than assumptions, ensuring every action I take is informed and purposeful.
My Career Goals
Short Term
Right now my focus is on sharpening my skills where they matter most: disability support, youth work, and mental health. I want to work across diverse cases and placements so I’m not just learning theory but applying it in real situations. This stage is about building confidence in behaviour support, improving my communication strategies, and tightening my case documentation so my work is clear, accurate and useful for everyone involved.
Medium turn
Once I’ve built a solid foundation, I plan to move into deeper work by specialising in behaviour support or mental health. I want to take on complex cases, understand them properly, and be trusted to assess, plan and deliver interventions that actually create change. This is the stage where I refine my professional identity and become someone clients and colleagues rely on for strong, informed judgment.
Long Term
My long-term goal is bigger than just a job. I want to open a clinic in Egypt that offers accessible psychological support and practical services for people with disabilities, young people in the child safety system, and survivors of domestic violence. The service would be built on evidence-based practice, cultural awareness, and genuine community support. The aim is simple: create a safe place where people can rebuild their lives with dignity, respect, and real opportunity.
My Education
I have chosen this pathway to combine my passion for human behaviour with my commitment to providing practical, supportive care to vulnerable populations
Work Experience
Aged Care Worker – Retirement Home
- Supported older adults with daily living activities, medication, and social engagement.
- Developed strong communication and empathy skills, and practised reflective care strategies.
Disability and Youth Support Worker
- Provide person centered support to children in the child safety system and adults with disabilities.
- Assist with behaviour support, case documentation, and skill building activities.
- Deliver empathetic, evidence-informed interventions tailored to each client’s needs.
Core Competencies
My skills come from real work, real people and real situations. I’ve learned to pay attention, think critically and respond with purpose instead of reacting on autopilot. These are the areas where I’m strongest:
Building Trust in Minutes
Clients open up quickly because I listen, adapt, and show I genuinely care. It’s about creating safety, not just following a routine.
Reading between the lines
I notice what isn’t being said; body language, tone, small behaviours and use it to respond before small issues become big ones.
Calm in the storm
Emotional outbursts, crisis moments, and unexpected challenges don’t rattle me. I stay level headed, make clear decisions, and guide others through the chaos.
Career Action Plan
Be self aware
What actions can you take to really understand your interests, values, skills, personality and strengths?
To understand myself as a developing professional, I’m taking a deliberate and ongoing approach instead of guessing who I am at work. I will complete weekly reflections on my shifts across disability, youth and aged care, paying attention to what situations I handle well, which ones push my limits and where my natural instincts seem strongest. I’ll use structured tools like strengths assessments and personality frameworks to keep myself honest rather than relying on bias or comfort zones. I’ll also ask for direct feedback from supervisors, families and clients because they see how I behave when things are messy, time sensitive or emotionally charged. Their insights help me recognise strengths I don’t always see in myself. I’ll capture all of this in my ePortfolio so I can track clear changes in my communication, behaviour support and decision making as I move toward my long term goal of opening a clinic in Egypt for survivors of domestic violence.
Explore your options
What do you need to research to be clear about your options What could you do to learn more about career options in your areas of interest
To properly understand my future options, I need to go beyond generic job descriptions. I’ll research career paths across psychology, mental health, behaviour support and disability practice to see exactly what skills, qualifications and experience employers prioritise. I’ll compare postgraduate pathways to understand which ones align with specialising in behaviour support or mental health. I’ll also research the Egyptian mental health system and its regulatory requirements so my long term clinic goal is based on reality, not assumptions. To deepen this, I’ll speak directly with professionals in the industry, attend Griffith career sessions and join webinars focused on trauma, youth work and disability practice. Every insight will help refine my direction and will be added to my ePortfolio so I can revisit and reassess as I grow.
Gain experience and insight
What actions could you take to help you learn more about your industry or find opportunities to develop your skills or find work experience opportunities
Experience is the quickest way to understand what type of practitioner I want to become. I will seek roles and placements that expose me to a mix of behaviour support, trauma informed practice, crisis communication and client advocacy. Shadowing experienced workers will help me see how they approach complex behaviour, maintain boundaries and build trust with children, older adults and people with disabilities. I will also volunteer with community programs to build insight into service gaps and client needs. After every placement, shift or training session, I’ll write a short reflection on what I learned, what I need to sharpen and how each experience moves me closer to being capable of running a clinic that genuinely serves vulnerable clients.
Evidence your skills knowledge skills and attributes
What action can you take to find out more about what skills you might need to develop in your future career How might you document or record these
I’ll analyse professional standards such as NDIS Practice Standards, behaviour support capability frameworks and APAC requirements to understand exactly what skills are non negotiable in my future career. Once I know the benchmarks, I can compare them with my current skill set and create a realistic development plan. I’ll document my progress by building a skills portfolio that includes certificates, training summaries, supervisor feedback and real world examples of situations where I demonstrated critical skills like communication, de escalation and ethical decision making. This will all be stored in my ePortfolio to clearly show how my abilities evolve over time.
Develop networks
List three things you could do to start building your professional networks
- Build a strong LinkedIn presence by posting insights from my shifts, placements and psychology studies so professionals see how I think, not just what I’ve done.
- Attend Griffith career events, psychology seminars and industry workshops to meet people who can offer advice, mentorship and opportunities.
- Join professional groups and online communities in psychology, disability and youth work where I can learn from experienced practitioners and contribute to discussions.
STARK P Reflection
Situation
I was supporting a young person under child safety who became distressed during a routine transition. The situation escalated quickly, and the usual strategies weren’t working. I needed to decide how to de escalate without making the client feel controlled or misunderstood.
Task
My responsibility was to keep the client safe, reduce the intensity of the moment and re establish trust while maintaining professional boundaries.
Action
I lowered my voice, stepped back to give them space and used simple, grounded language instead of trying to problem solve immediately. I matched my pace to theirs, let them talk without interruption and avoided pushing for compliance. I also checked in with the environment, removed unnecessary noise and used a familiar grounding technique we’d practiced before.
Result
The client calmed down within minutes. They told me later that they didn’t feel judged or pressured, which is why they were able to regulate faster. The shift ended on a positive note, and the support plan was updated with strategies that actually worked in real time.
Knowledge
This incident reinforced how much emotional environments matter. It wasn’t the strategy itself that made the difference but the delivery. It also reminded me that clients respond to how we show up, not how many theoretical tools we know.
Professional Insight
This moment strengthened my confidence in trauma informed practice. It showed me I can stay grounded when things escalate and that I read emotional cues well. It also highlighted where I need to grow: documenting incidents with more precision, and practicing more advanced de escalation models. These insights directly support my goal of specialising in mental health and eventually opening a clinic in Egypt for survivors of domestic violence.
My LinkedIn profile offers a closer look at my professional journey, including my experience in disability, youth, and aged care support alongside my psychology studies. It’s where I share my growth, interests, and commitment to person-centred, evidence-informed practice.
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