Monica Reeves
Clinical Nurse Consultant · Registered Nurse · Founder of Bright Lives
Continence specialist for people with disability, of all ages, with specialist expertise in autism and neurodivergence.
Hi, I'm Monica
Thank you for taking the time to get to know me a little before we work together.
I've been a registered nurse for 26 years. In that time I've worked in remote Aboriginal communities, the prison system, community health, and now disability and autism. Every one of those places taught me the same thing. People do so much better when they're met with genuine care rather than processed as a case number.
I'm also a mum to an autistic son. So I know what it's like to sit on the other side of the table, worried, exhausted, and not sure who to call next.
That's why I started Bright Lives.
What I do
I support people with disability of all ages with their continence. Children, teenagers and adults. I work with individuals, families, carers, support coordinators and allied health professionals, by telehealth, right across Australia.
I also have specialist training in autism and neurodivergence, and that lens shapes how I work with everyone. Because so often, what looks like a continence problem is really about body signals, sensory processing, communication or anxiety.
Most of the people I see have already tried a lot. Generic continence programs. Products recommended without a proper assessment. Strategies that didn't fit the person or the way they experience the world.
What I bring is the combination. Continence nursing, disability and autism expertise, and a clear understanding of how all of these pieces connect.
Continence is never just toileting.
How I think about continence
When someone is having accidents, it's easy to reach for labels like lazy, deliberate, or "just part of their disability". I don't start there.
I start with three questions:
- What is the body telling us, and is that signal being heard?
- What can this person already do, and when?
- What's getting in the way, and what would make it easier?
Sometimes the answer is sensory. Sometimes it's regulation, communication, mobility or the environment. And sometimes it's medical, which is why I always keep constipation, infections and other physical causes on the table, and work closely with GPs and specialists when a closer look is needed.
Qualifications and experience
- Registered Nurse since 2000, with 26 years of clinical experience
- Clinical Nurse Consultant
- Postgraduate qualification in autism, Griffith University
- Accredited in clinical hypnotherapy and psychotherapy, used where appropriate to support anxiety alongside continence
- Former Clinical Nurse Educator
- Experience across remote Aboriginal health, correctional health, community health, and disability
- AHPRA registration: NMW0000950079
Working together
I believe in collaboration, not competition. Families, support coordinators, GPs, paediatricians, urologists, OTs and speech pathologists all hold a piece of the picture. My job is to bring the continence piece in clearly, and work alongside everyone else.
If you're a clinician looking to refer, I'd love to hear from you. And if you're a parent wondering whether this is the right fit, let's have a chat.