Shannon Hawkes

Background and Experience

Shannon is a registered Psychologist and Clinical Neuropsychology Registrar. She completed her undergraduate and Honours in Psychology, before completing a Master of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) at the University of Melbourne. She has clinical experience with both children and adults, providing neuropsychological assessments and support to those with a range of complex medical, neurological, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Throughout her Master’s research, Shannon focused on understanding the lived experiences of adults with ADHD, including their experiences of hyperfocus and hyperfixation. Shannon’s background also extends to university teaching, having tutored across a range of psychology and neuropsychology undergraduate units.

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Clinical Interests

Shannon’s clinical interests include providing neuropsychological assessment and support to children and young adults with neurodevelopmental disorders, including Autism, ADHD, Intellectual Disabilities and Learning Disorders. She is particularly interested in how these disorders may vary in presentation when they occur together. She enjoys working with people of all ages, gaining an understanding of their unique experiences and developing recommendations to best support their day-to-day functioning.

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Research Interests

Shannon’s Masters research focused on the lived experiences of adults with ADHD, conducting one-on-one interviews to explore experiences of attention, behaviour and emotions in everyday life. Specifically, her research has focused upon experiences of hyperfocus, hyperfixation, sleep-related difficulties, and attention functioning during routine daily activities. Her research supports a broader project seeking to develop a comprehensive adult ADHD assessment tool utilising both research and lived experience understandings of the disorder.

 

Practice Philosophies

Shannon values a compassionate and collaborative approach, working with individuals and their families to support their understanding of how differences in brain development and experiences may impact upon their child’s cognitive/thinking skills, learning, social-emotional functioning, and behaviour. She adopts a flexible approach, prioritising a safe and supportive environment to best understand the unique challenges and experiences each individual faces. Her goal is to use this understanding to develop collaborative, individualised recommendations to support an individual’s difficulties while maximising their strengths.

 

Extra About Me

Outside of work, Shannon enjoys spending time with friends and family, going to the gym, and tending to her small jungle worth of house plants. She likes to unwind by watching new shows, playing games and solving puzzles. Her family are from New Zealand and she is an avid rugby union fan, cheering on the Crusaders and the All Blacks.