Pooja Saini

Pooja Saini is an endorsed Nurse Practitioner, Behaviour Support Practitioner and Clinical Director of Mind Recovery, with more than 17 years of experience across Nursing, Mental Health, Emergency Care, Clinical Education Leadership and Disability Behaviour Support Services.

Her career has included senior clinical and leadership roles across public mental health services, including Associate Nurse Unit Manager, Senior Psychiatric Triage Clinician, Clinical Nurse Educator and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Candidate within an Emergency Department. These roles developed extensive expertise in complex assessment, crisis intervention, risk management, multidisciplinary care and supporting people experiencing significant mental health and psychosocial challenges. Her previous roles included assessment and clinical management across emergency, inpatient and community mental health environments.

Pooja has been an AHPRA-endorsed Nurse Practitioner since 2017 and currently practises independently through Nurse Practitioner Melbourne.

Her clinical practice encompasses Primary Care and Mental Health, including comprehensive health assessment, diagnosis and treatment, prescribing medicines, requesting and interpreting investigations, referrals, ongoing clinical management, mental health support and psychotherapy. Her CV also documents experience supporting people with complex mental health needs, addiction and eating disorders.

Pooja became an NDIS Behaviour Support Practitioner in 2023 and is now the Clinical Director of Mind Recovery Pty Ltd.

Her work includes:

• Functional Behaviour Assessments
• Interim and Comprehensive Behaviour Support Plans
• Positive Behaviour Support interventions
• Complex risk assessment and management
• Restrictive practice reduction
• Trauma-informed and person-centred practice
• Clinical consultation and multidisciplinary collaboration
• Staff education and implementation training
• Clinical supervision and practitioner development
• Supporting participants, families, carers and service providers

Her approach emphasises understanding the function and context of behaviour, strengthening quality of life, and reducing reliance on restrictive practices through evidence-informed and person-centred strategies. Her current Mind Recovery role includes developing behaviour support plans, overseeing their clinical and NDIS compliance, risk planning, staff training and collaboration with participants, families and multidisciplinary teams.

Clinical education and supervision have been significant components of Pooja’s career. As a Clinical Nurse Educator with Eastern Health, she provided education, mentorship, supervision and professional development while contributing to clinical governance, policy development and service improvement.

This combination of Nurse Practitioner practice, mental health expertise, Positive Behaviour Support and clinical leadership enables her to work effectively with people whose needs cross traditional boundaries between health, mental health and disability services.

Alongside her Australian healthcare career, Pooja holds a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS, India) and practises as an Ayurvedic Practitioner. Her areas of interest include women’s health, reproductive wellbeing, digestive health, stress, sleep and personalised nutrition and lifestyle guidance. Read more about her Ayurveda Profile here

• Master of Nurse Practitioner (Mental Health) — Monash & La Trobe University
• AHPRA Endorsed Nurse Practitioner
• Registered Nurse
• NDIS Behaviour Support Practitioner
• Postgraduate Diploma in Mental Health
• Bachelor of Nursing
• Bachelor of Naturopathy & Herbal Medicine
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
• Additional training in CBT, Autism assessment/treatment education, Collaborative Recovery Model coaching and other areas of advanced practice.