Meet the Board
The APACS-SEA board is elected directly by our chapter members.
At present, we are a small, dedicated group of school psychology and wellbeing professionals working on the ground in schools. As we build our region’s professional community, our leadership team will need to grow alongside it.
We highly value practical, real-world experience. If you are interested in advocating for our profession and helping to shape the chapter’s future, we would love to have you involved. Members can formally nominate for a board position prior to our next election in January 2027. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to us at any time.
Rebecca Sjoevold
2026 President
Rebecca is registered psychologist working in a large Victorian government primary school. Her path to this role was uniquely shaped by time spent living overseas —experiences that instilled a deeply culturally responsive and person-centred approach to her work.
Stepping into the presidency of APACS-SEA, Rebecca holds profound respect for the wisdom and expertise of veteran practitioners. She approaches the position with humility, viewing her leadership as an act of stewardship rather than authority. Knowing that school-based work can often feel isolating, she is dedicated to building a strong, welcoming community for wellbeing professionals across the region.
Denise Hardingham
Treasurer
Denise is an AHPRA registered psychologist, clinical registrar, NDIS Behaviour Support Practitioner and NESA accredited teacher. After a career in School Counselling with the NSW Department of Education she founded The Strengths Centre providing a range of NDIS and psychological services to children, young people and families. In her work she continues to work closely with schools and remains committed to the support of professionals working to provide counselling and psychological supports to school across NSW, Victoria and the ACT.
Denise has been a proud member of APACS for almost 15 years. She has served as a committee member for APACS since 2018. Roles have included:
APACS NSW Committee- Professional Development Coordinator (Online) 2018,
IT coordinator 2019 and National APACS Representative 2019-21.
APACS National Committee: NSW Representative 2019-2021, IT Coordinator 2021-2023, Membership Secretary 2023-2024.
APACS-South Eastern Australia – Founding President 2021-2025, Treasurer/ Membership Secretary 2026~.
Denise is passionate about improving professional practice in schools and in 2018 co-presented at the International School Psychologists Association (ISPA) conference in Japan on evidence-based practices in psychotherapy delivered in schools.
Alex Wilson
Secretary
Alex is an AHPRA registered psychologist, who has worked as a school counsellor/school psychologist in NSW since 2021.
Alex loves learning and she is currently completing a Master of Educational and Developmental Psychology Advanced (part-time). Alex has been a member of APACS-SEA (previously APACS NSW) since 2020 and has been Secretary of APACS-SEA since 2026.
Living and working in regional NSW, Alex is particularly passionate about supporting psychologists, counsellors and other mental health professionals working in schools in regional and rural areas.