Our Intentions
Our intentions in forming Unique Outcomes are:
- To bring together and strengthen our professional energies and shared commitments
- To support the take-up of “Third Wave” approaches by human service workers, teams, organisations and communities
- To enable our practice and teaching to become more mutually enriching
- To contribute to the formation & development of many “communities of practice” in which like-minded colleagues are able to stimulate and support each other’s professional growth & development,
- To contribute to a greater thoughtfulness and reflexivity in the human services industry,
- To challenge dominant ideas that construct ‘professional learning & development” as something that predominantly happens at ‘events” including seminars and workshops,
- To move away from traditional formal ways of learning and construct more informal and “real” kinds of learning that have direct and obvious impacts on day to day practice.
- To contribute to the development of increasingly collaborative, optimistic and socially just approaches to human service and community work
“I am delighted that my dear friends Paul and David have joined force to offer strength based services to the wider community. They have good synergy and would certainly be my first choice if I was heading an organisation or company in need of training, supervision or staff development anywhere within reasonable reach from Brisbane.” Ben Furman, Director of the Helsinki Brief Therapy Institute and internationally renowned teacher of solution focused therapy. 
I have had the pleasure of working with David and Paul in a number of contexts over a 20 year period. They are both highly skilled facilitators, educators and counsellors who have been key players in introducing strengths based approaches.
Linda Ray, Managing Director of Neurocapability. 
“If you value working with professionals with unquestionable expertise, resolute integrity, and who approach issues with creativity, optimism, and humanity; you won’t be left wanting with David and Paul.” Gretchen Young of “Young Futures”, one of Australia’s most respected ‘Futures Thinking’ practitioners. 
“I first met Paul and David in the early 1990’s. I spent a week exploring the meaning and implications of the Strengths Approach with them and their colleagues in a new family work team. I was impressed by their passion for fairness and respect. Since those early days I have considered these guys as colleagues and follow their respective journeys from a distance, catching up whenever possible. I appreciate their therapeutic knowledge and skills, their curiosity and their ability to lead reflective conversations. I wish them all the best with this new venture. If you don’t know them, check them out.” Di O’Neil, Australian pioneer of Strengths based practice, formerly of St Luke's in Bendigo. 
Because I find the term “evidence-based practice’ has become a pretty meaningless cliché I prefer the expression “wisdom-based practice”.
To me David Lees and Paul Montgomery are leading exponents of wisdom-based practice because of their commitment to enshrining their extensive skills and knowledge within a context of respect, discernment, integrity and creativity. I am grateful to be able to count them as friends and colleagues.
Russell Deal Founder and Creative Director St Luke’s Innovative Resources. 
“What I have come to appreciate about both of you – a gentle, very personal, respectful, passionate and relentlessly curious partnering with others. It is a joy to know that you will be “out there” in an independent way, free to give full expression to your beliefs and ways of working. I have keenly felt the absence of Michael White as “beacon of faith” over the last year or so and the knowledge of your presence to join with and “unpack” the many taken-for-granted “orthodoxies” is very comforting.” Glen Guy, well known and respected for his teaching and leadership over many years as senior lecturer in the masters of counselling, Queensland University of Technology and his supervision in many counselling agencies. 
“I've known David and Paul for over 15 years and it's with unhesitating enthusiasm that I recommend their positive, innovative, thought provoking contribution to human services field. Unique Outcomes provides the opportunity to engage in meaningful, critical reflection and learning based on the inherent healing power of thought and practices rooted in the strengths approaches. David and Paul have extensive experience in this work and more importantly, consistently demonstrate a profound ability to lead in ways that promote respect and deep learning.”
Wayne McCashen, consultant, trainer and mentor in the strengths approach and author of Communities of Hope and The Strengths Approach.