Donald is our company secretary and so very much more! Donald has run Martell Consultants for the past 18+ years and is a highly experienced management consultant specialising in Strategy, Innovation and Change.

He is also an experienced coach and mentor, is MSP and Prince2 accredited and has an MA in Leading Innovation and Change.

Donald Martin | Company Secretary

I started as a support worker in a single occupancy service for a gentleman with learning disabilities and autism whose behaviour was described as extremely challenging. During this time I also worked with adults reintegrating into the community from mental health hospitals. From here I went to work for a small family run business providing support to people whose behaviour was described as challenging. I started as a trainee PBS practitioner and eventually became the manager of the team and subsequently took up a role on the Senior Management Team. Prior to co-founding PBS uk with Tia, I set up and managed a PBS team of consultants and practitioners operating across the UK for a large health and social care provider.

Along the way I have been fortunate enough to pick up a BSc in intellectual and developmental disabilities from the Tizard centre (Kent) and a Msc in Applied Behaviour Analysis from Bangor (Wales). I’ve been a consultant for BILD’s Centre for the Advancement of PBS. I’m an active member of the Newman trust charity (https://www.newmantrust.org/) and the UKSBA’s Positive Behaviour Support special interest group. I have also been a principle instructor for PROACT SCIPr-uk ® for a number of years and hold a PRIINCE 2 project management qualification.

We set up PBS uk in the summer of 2016 and we haven’t looked back since. We have worked with such a wide range of amazing people, adults and children, across such a wide range of settings. It hasn’t always been easy (in fact far from it at times), but that was the point of setting up the business, we wanted to help those with complex needs to flourish.

Paddy Behan | Co-Founder Director

I first learned about behaviour analysis whilst working on a summer camp in New York. I was a law student at the time but after that summer I knew my real passion was working with people with autism. I graduated (mostly out of stubbornness) in 2009 and went to work for a supported living provider to gain experience in the social care sector. It was a service supporting individuals with learning disabilities and mental health issues and I was lucky to have a manager who knew how to encourage her staff! She pushed me go on to further study.

In 2010 I moved to Stirling to complete my MSc in Developmental Psychology and began to work as a behaviour therapist on a home-based early intervention programme with two incredible twin boys that I admire to this day. Every day was a learning experience and I knew I was on the right track. I continued to work with the twins whilst going on to do my MSc in Autism with the University of Strathclyde. In 2012, I moved to Belfast to start a PhD under the tutelage of Prof Karola Dillenburger. I knew I wanted to focus on Applied Behaviour Analysis but I wanted to do something out of the box! I ended up focussing on issue of behavioural safety, specifically behaviour-based water safety and spent much of the following six years developing strategies (and ultimately a curriculum) to teach water-safety using behaviour analytic methods.

I continued to work throughout my PhD, operating as the National Autism Advisor for a large social care provider, the manager of a PBS team operating across Scotland and the North of England, and now as a founding director of PBS UK. I particularly love the variety of the work we get – sometimes children, sometimes adults, sometimes schools etc., but always a privilege. I believe that by working together we can achieve better things for these individuals and there are few things that give me greater satisfaction – except perhaps my lovely family, and my incredibly gorgeous Frenchie, ‘Odin’. :)

Tia Martin | Co-Founder Director

I have worked in the field of psychology for over 10 years, mainly within the NHS, predominantly in adult mental health, long-term health conditions, learning disabilities and neurodiversity.

have worked in the field of PBS for 5 years, gaining my BTEC Level 5 in PBS (2022), which builds on my MSc Foundations of Clinical Psychology (2012) and BSc Psychology and Statistics. More recently I also completed my PG Cert in Low Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (2023).

I have been a keen advocate and leader for those in very challenging situations throughout my career and I aspire to create hope and generate solutions in very demanding circumstances.  Prior to working in the field of psychology, I served in the British Army as an Army Officer. During this time, I did various leadership and management roles both in the UK, Germany and on Operations, including Iraq, Cyprus with the United Nations and running a Fire Station during the Fireman Strikes.  These experiences have help me support large staff teams within the NHS to implement PBS in very challenging situations and work alongside children, adults with learning difficulties, families, and staff compassionately to produce meaningful outcomes.

I also have a keen interest in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and mindfulness having completed training in the past, weaving elements into my practice to support clients as needed.

Outside of work, when not an Uber driver to my 2 teenagers, I can be found at Crossfit, yoga or enjoying nature with my Labrador.

Anna Knight | PBS Practitioner

After serving in the Armed Forces I left and later developed some mental health problems, I received excellent support that helped me recover enough to transition successfully into civilian life and this encouraged me to become involved in the therapeutic support of other people who were experiencing similar problems such as anxiety, depression other mental health issues and the difficulties adjusting to the transitional change to civilian life. I worked as a therapeutic support worker for a couple of years engaging and supporting veterans, helping them to overcome the barriers they faced, also helping them transition to civilian lives successfully. I am still involved on a volunteer basis where I give talks to veterans, presently at a local hospice where, with my wife, we help champion the support offered to veterans for those services provided by the hospice both on site and in outreach programs.

My eldest son Fabian was born shortly after I left the army and was diagnosed with Autism, ADHD and dyspraxia at the age of 5. I wanted to learn how to best support my son so embarked on self-education and wanted first-hand experience of supporting children with similar diagnoses. I changed my job to work with children in a child development centre which specialised in assessment of children with difficulties, specifically autism. I learned a lot through my experience working there and as my son grew older and I used the skills and experience gained to support him to navigate and make sense of the neurotypical world around him he has thrived successfully. He has managed to gain placement in college and is studying to be an electric car technician.

I became more interested in how to support him as an adult and decided to change my job to work with adults with Autism and Learning Disability where I worked in secure hospitals gaining many years’ experience of not just Autism and Learning Disability but also a variety of mental health conditions. This is where I was introduced to Positive Behaviour Support and the massive benefits and improvements it brings to individuals lives which sparked an intense interest with me.

I became a PBS practitioner and during this time I worked with PBSUK, both Paddy and Tia, where they were involved in supporting our PBS development program into the hospital environment and through their support and involvement this was successfully achieved. I left there to gain experience in community services, interested in supporting transitions from hospitals into a community life, specifically focusing on ensuring quality of life for those individuals in my role as a PBS Practitioner.

I then had the good fortune to work with PBSUK  again during a transition I was doing, and as I had been very impressed by their knowledge, approach and attitude to PBS previously, (as well as them being amazing people!) I was very generously offered a role with PBSUK. As a new member of the team, I feel super privileged to be surrounded by such an incredible bunch of knowledgeable, positive and enthusiastic people. The best way I can express my attitude in my job now is....” Best job ever!”

I am a bit of a nerd in my personal life and enjoy playing board games and role-playing games with friends and playing games on my Xbox. I’m also a wee bit active and enjoy cycling, fitness training and walking with my wife.

Iain Thomson | PBS Practitioner

I started working at an ABA school for children with autism during a placement year as part of my psychology degree. Once I graduated, I returned to the school where I completed a Masters of Education through Nicholls State University. I spent most of my time working there supporting the older students, as I particularly enjoyed teaching them daily living skills to support them to become more independent. Following this, I started to work for an adult social care charity, working with adults in supported living and residential homes. I was also involved in projects which were aimed at helping individuals to move from secure hospital settings into their own home. From there, I was lucky to join the team at PBSUK, where it is fantastic to be working with such a passionate and knowledgeable team.

Outside of work, I like to spend time growing vegetables on my allotment, attempting pub quizzes (with mixed success!) and going away in my campervan.

Kate Barker | PBS Practitioner

I'm from Lisbon, Portugal - here I studied Arts and explored my creative side. The UK has been my home since 2014, I relocated for personal & professional growth. And what a journey!

My experience working with vulnerable people, started in a psychiatric hospital with CAMHS in East Sussex - here I found my passion for Mental Health. Afterwards I moved to beautiful Wales and completed a Forest School course to teach in a PRU - here I worked with SEN, with children and young people who suffer from social, emotional and behaviour difficulties. My lessons would be based in encouraging and promoting well-being between pupils and staff, developing life skills and coping mechanisms, self-esteem and confidence. I’ve briefly worked in an ASD residential during my time in the Wales.

I try to balance my well-being with a lot of outdoorsy quality time! A few of my hobbies are foraging, painting, embroidery, carving and anything creative really, where I can express myself and connect with different people. 

I’m grateful to be working with PBS UK, learning different approaches and developing my skills and knowledge with an amazing team by my side. My goal is to be able to hold the space for people to be vulnerable and create a safe space for them to achieve who they truly are.

Ana Oliveira | PBS Technician

I started working in Health & Social Care as a support worker in 2010. I started as a support worker and worked my way up the ladder into management. I then focused my efforts on helping people move out of inappropriate settings such as inpatient services when they don’t need to be there and back into the community with bespoke support packages that work for the individual.

During this time, I gained my QCF Lvl2 in Health & Social Care and QCF Lvl5 in Management in Health & Social Care. I also gained my PBS Couches Certificate with BILD and became a PROACT SCIP UKr instructor. I have always been massively passionate that people be heard and supporting them to get the best quality of life that they can, I believe the best way to achieve this is using the PBS model/framework as it gives clear guidance and focuses on helping the person and quality of life rather than a label or a behaviour someone is displaying.

In my free time I enjoy spending time with friends and family and I love to be outdoors in nature. I feel very fortunate to have been given this opportunity and to be a part of such a wonderful team who are so enthusiastic about PBS. As a Technician I feel very lucky to be on this journey which enables me to see the positive impact PBS has on the individual, family and support providers.

Jonathan Shield | PBS Technician