Our Team

Alannah is passionate about working with children and their families and has worked in the Pediatric field of Occupational Therapy for several years. In particular, she has specialised in early intervention with children who have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Global Developmental Delay, and those with a variety of occupational performance issues including sensory processing and regulation, sensory-motor development, social-emotional regulation, engagement, play and communication, and building independence in a range of functional goals and activities of daily living. She works with children throughout a wide range of ages, including pre-school and school-age, with a high emphasis on the periods of transition for children moving into new stages of their life. Alannah is passionate about advocating for inclusion, equal access and equal opportunities for all children.

Alix is a registered occupational therapist with 5 years clinical experience working with individuals across the life span who are experiencing difficulties with independence in their daily activities and reduced social participation. This experience has been gained through working in private practice, schools, home environments and public hospitals. Alix is experienced and passionate about providing assessment and intervention to children who are autistic and have developmental delays. She uses a relationship-based framework to deliver intervention and enjoys making sessions, fun, playful and engaging.

Prior to working as an occupational therapist, Alix spent 10 years working in the disability sector as an inclusive drama and dance instructor. Alix lives on the beautiful central coast of New South Wales with her husband and fur babies. In her spare time, she is practising yoga, dancing and bushwalking.

Andrew is an occupational therapist with 3 years of experience predominantly in paediatrics and early intervention in clinic and at home based therapy. Andrew is skilled in building relationships with clients and families having worked in health care for over 12 years as a support worker and a sleep technician.

Andrew enjoys working with children, particularly those who are neurodiverse & amp; or have developmental delays. Andrew ensures an individual approach for each client and family to allow them to achieve their goals and independence. He is a strong advocate for clients due to his knowledge and understanding of the NDIS and endeavours to help families access the services and supports they need.

He enjoys playing with his dog at the beach or taking him on hikes. Andrew also loves video games, anime and the gym.

Annie comes to Therapy Connect with a Bachelor of Health Science (Rehabilitation Counselling [Honours]) and a Master of Occupational Therapy Practice. Annie has experience working as a therapist in both private practice and schooling systems, working with children from varying backgrounds, aged 2-18 years. Annie has experience supporting children and their families with a variety of diagnosis’ and has a special interest in, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Delays, Intellectual Disability, Developmental Coordination Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Anxiety, Gender Dysphoria and Rare Congenital Disorders. Outside of her clinical Occupational Therapy practice, Annie has worked in public health and art therapy research as well as teaching university students. Annie is a super enthusiastic and fun-loving therapist and has a keen interest in evidence based practice, supporting children and their families in all day-to-day occupations, including play, social-skills, self-care, fine and gross motor skills and self-regulation. She loves collaborating with families to achieve great outcomes for children and their loved ones.

Anvee is a registered Occupational Therapist with 20 years’ experience working in India and Australia, within a range of NGO’s and private settings providing clinic and community-based interventions. Anvee has a vast experience in working with different age groups from early intervention through to adolescence, with a special interest in the areas of autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing, emotional regulation and managing anxiety. She is passionate about following the child’s lead, using a collaborative approach with the families and caregivers, recommending individualised strategies and using a holistic approach to achieve meaningful outcomes for her clients. Anvee is a mother to two young children and understands the challenges in raising children. She values utilising everyday resources and using tailored strategies to meet client goals through purposeful activities that are engaging, fun and meaningful for children.

Bridgitte lives on a broadacre farm at the  tip of the Northern wheatbelt growing region of WA. She has three free range bush kids which keep her on her toes. She is passionate about rural and remote health and having a deep understanding for clients who live in isolation and having difficulties accessing healthcare. Understanding the person and what is important to them is at the centre of Bridgitte’s therapy. Bridgitte is also passionate about Aboriginal health, having worked in remote communities and implemented cultural awareness training in previous roles. Bridgitte is also a community volunteer in various roles including the local agricultural society, CWA and Playgroup.

Qualifications:
Bachelor of Science (Occupational Therapy) from Curtin University, Western Australia.

Christy is a registered Occupational Therapist with over 15 years of experience in a range of private, government and not-for-profit settings in regional and rural Queensland. She has worked primarily in paediatrics including early intervention, school and clinic-based services. Having lived and worked in rural Queensland, Christy has a deep understanding of the unique challenges and needs of rural and remote families and the way in which telehealth can provide access to support, despite distance or limited access to local services. Christy believes in using a holistic approach to working collaboratively with children and their families in a child focused and family centred approach. Christy’s interests are in the areas of sensory processing, nature as a therapeutic intervention, self-regulation, activities of daily living and parent coaching. Christy is a mother to 3 children and enjoys spending time outdoors.

Claire is a registered Occupational Therapist with several years’ experience in Paediatrics. Claire is passionate about helping others achieve their goals, increase their self-confidence, and build independence. Claire has experience across a wide variety of settings (clinics, schools, home and within the community) and has helped people aged 0-21 years with Developmental Delays, ADHD, ADD, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, hypermobility, Developmental Coordination Disorder, emotional regulation, fine/gross motor skills, school readiness, social skills and more. Claire also has experience in teacher, parent and carer consultations and will work alongside you and your family to make tasks achievable and individualised. Claire places high value on making therapy fun and engaging and understands the importance of client-centred and evidence-based practice in achieving outcomes.

Prior to completing her Occupational Therapy degree, Claire worked in disability support and swim teaching for children with special needs. Claire is also a triathlete who loves the outdoors and travelling in her van! Claire thrives off watching others succeed and can’t wait to help you or your child achieve their goals, no matter how big or small!

David is a registered Occupational Therapist (OT), with 8 years’ experience working within a range of clinical, community, and educational environments with children and young persons aged between 0 and 25 years old. David’s journey towards becoming a therapist was born following 5 years coordinating inclusive camp programs for children in the USA. David has a strong passion, energy and drive for creating systemic, robust and sustainable change in working with individuals as well as marginalised community groups. David has spent time working as a qualified OT across Ireland, UK, New Zealand and Australia offering a diverse cultural lens, as well as a trauma informed, holistic, and integrative approach to therapy. David’s experience has been largely within the paediatric landscape, specialising in sensory integration, child development and supporting a range of neurodiverse conditions. The past few years has enabled David to place focus on parent coaching, and mentoring; he places emphasis on integrating mind, body and environment with both children/young persons as well as parents.

Derek is an energetic and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist with multiple years working within the NDIS space including paediatrics right through the lifespan. Derek strongly believes in having a holistic approach to helping individuals achieve their goals and live the most meaningful lives they can. Derek believes in making his sessions fun and enjoyable for everyone and has a unique approach to his services and endeavours to incorporate this into all of his practices. In his spare time, you will find Derek rock climbing, at the beach, spending time with his dogs (Maple and Waffles) or gardening.

Elisa is an occupational therapist with over 25 years’ experience working in a range of public and private settings, including paediatric, early intervention and adult rehabilitation settings. She has worked for 20years in the school environment, supporting kinder, primary and high school children with disabilities, behaviour and learning difficulties to access and participate to their maximum potential within their learning environment. She is experienced at working in teams, using coaching and collaborative frameworks and has a wide range of assessment and intervention skills. Elisa is passionate about helping children to fully participate and engage within their school and home communities. She is a strong advocate in supporting children to develop their own resilience skills, ensuring that their strengths are harnessed, maximised and celebrated.

Elisa also has 7 years’ experience working with adults with disabilities in their home and community environments. She is experienced at providing care needassessments, prescribing minor and major home modifications and providing adaptive equipment with the goal of maximising safety and independence. Within a private capacity, she has worked closely with DVA and a range of insurance companies.

Emily is a registered occupational therapist with 5 years experience working in private paediatric settings. Within this she has spent time working with children  ranging from ages 3-18 with various diagnosis including Autism, ADHD and developmental delays. She is passionate about working with children and their families in order to support their desired goals in engaging, fun, and evidence
based. She loves being creative in how therapy is delivered and watching children reach their goals. Emily has spent a lot of time working within schools where she has been able to observe and support children and work closely with teachers within their learning environments. Emily is collaborative in her approach to therapy to ensure holistic care is achieved. Emily is also a mother to two young
children who keep her days very busy. It means she understands the joy but also the challenges that come with raising children. Emily loves spending time at the beach and makes the most of teaching her children to enjoy and appreciate all that nature has to offer.

Emma is a registered occupational therapist with five years’ experienceworking across a wide range of clinical settings in both Ireland andAustralia. Emma has most experience in children’s disability services withearly intervention and school age children. Emma is passionate abouthelping children and their families achieve meaningful goals and reachtheir full potential.

Felicity is an occupational therapist with over 20 years’ experienceworking alongside people to enable participation in activities that aremeaningful to them. She has experience of working in NDIS, disability,community, private and public mental health, emergency department and othersettings. She works with older children, adolescents and adults using avariety of approaches. She has experience with ASD, ADHD, various forms ofIntellectual and Learning Disability, Psychosocial Disability and any othercondition impacting on participation. She is passionate about assessmentand intervention that is occupationally relevant, occupation based*,inclusive, respectful of diversity, trauma informed and dignity affirming.She is a strong sensory seeker and “practices what she preaches” throughcreativity, nature, being active and valuing kindness.(*Occupations are the activities we want, need and are expected to do whileliving).

Gauri is a paediatric and mental health Occupational Therapist with over 25 years of experience working across various settings including community, private and hospitals. She has worked in paediatrics and child and youth mental health. Her passion and predominant experience has been in working with school-aged children and early intervention. Gauri is passionate about empowering & educating the families she works with. She is also highly experienced in running parenting and emotional coaching workshops.Gauri is enthusiastic and fun-loving and takes on a holistic approach with the families she works with. She is very adaptable & flexible and supports families to achieve their therapy goals by making learning fun-based and engaging.

Heidi is an Occupational Therapist who works from South West Victoria. With over 15 years’ experience, Heidi is passionate about assisting people gain a greater understanding of themselves and their strengths to achieve success in all the things they need and love to do!

Specialties areas include:

• Sensory assessments of all ages including for those with autism, adhd or similar
• Helping adults and children with improving their attention, planning , organisation, time management, task initiation and working memory
• Getting little and big hands and bodies ready for writing, using scissors, tying shoe laces , opening lunch boxes – to help build confidence at school, in the playground and beyond.
• Getting adult hands and fingers moving again with strengthening and home exercise programs after stroke or as a result of a disability
• Energy conservation and fatigue management programmes for those with chronic or progressive illness, including prescription of adaptive equipment, temperature controlling devices and small aids
• Falls risk screening and falls prevention education and strategies
• Functional capacity assessment
• Ergonomic assessments of workstations
• Personal Alarm/ falls detection device assessment and recommendations

Isabel graduated with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours), from the University of the Sunshine Coast. Isabel has worked in a wide range of settings including community, rural hospitals, aquatics and schools.

Having a passion for paediatrics, Isabel is committed to assisting children with regulation through sensory input and offering practical parent coaching. Isabel has experience with children ages 2- 18, with neurodiverse conditions (such
as ASD and ADHD). Using warmth, creativity and commitment she supports her families to exceed their goals.

Outside of therapy, Isabel has a special interest in Auslan (Australian Sign Language) and visiting the beach.

Jayne is a registered Occupational Therapist with over 15 year’s experience working public and private settings. Jayne has worked in Early Childhood Intervention services, public hospitals, and private practice. She is experienced in providing assessment and interventions with children who have a range of developmental concerns including Autism, developmental delays, ADHD and social / emotional challenges. Jayne is passionate about identifying children’s interests and strengths and using these to work towards achieving their goals. Jayne aims to make therapy sessions enjoyable and engaging for the child, and also endeavours to work closely with caregivers and families to help develop strategies for supporting their child’s development. Jayne has three school aged children and understands the practicalities of implementing strategies into everyday family life.

Jessica Welsby profile – Jessica is a registered occupational therapist with nearly 15 years’ clinical experience working in a range of public and private settings, particularly within the paediatric setting. Jessica is passionate about working with children and their families to develop and support function and independence. She loves to make therapy fun and often reflects on the joy of seeing children actively participate in goal-specific therapy interventions without even realising it. Jessica is a mother to two primary school-aged children, which she feels adds an extra layer of personal experience to her clinical expertise.

Kate has experience working with adult and older adult populations within the community and NDIS sectors of the Sunshine Coast and Fraser Coast Regions of South East Queensland. She enjoys assistive technology (AT) prescription including seating and wheelchairs, along with ADL retraining, pressure care, and home modifications.

Areas of Interests

• Home modifications (minor and complex)
• Equipment prescription
• Functional capacity assessment – SIL and SDA
• Physical disability
• Neurology

Kellie is a registered occupational therapist with 5 years experience working in a range of public and private settings including paediatrics and early intervention services. She has experience sharing knowledge and education in behaviour, emotional regulation, sensory processing. She is passionate about supporting families’ confidence to enable their children’s everyday independence and supporting in play. Kelly provides goal based information, strategies and coaching interventions in her therapy sessions.

Keren is a compassionate, enthusiastic and dedicated Occupational Therapist. She has a passion for working with children. Her friendly and calm approach ensures positive therapeutic relationships. She is focused on working with families to achieve client centred goals. Her experience working in the disability and public health sector has given her a sound knowledge of disability and illness and its impact on occupational health and wellbeing.

Keren graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from Curtin University, Western Australia in 2009. She is a registered Occupational Therapist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). She has had experience working with both adults and children across a range of different areas including rehabilitation, acute care and community (disability). She has a special interest in neurological rehabilitation. She has been responsible for providing parents and educators with the skills and knowledge to support children with special needs to achieve their occupational goals. She has also facilitated the transition to school for children with learning difficulties and physical disability. She enjoys working together with parents, teachers and other health professionals to facilitate positive outcomes. While working at a not-for-profit she provided Occupational Therapy services to children presenting with Developmental Delay, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, AutismSpectrum Disorder and other genetic conditions.

Keren is committed to providing evidence based therapy, while creating a fun and engaging therapeutic environment. She is a strong believer in early intervention to maximise future outcomes. She has a holistic approach and values each child’s individuality.

Laura Ponton is a registered Occupational Therapist who has an extensive background working in the area of paediatrics. Laura has been working in private practice and for the Child Development Services for 5 years. She has been providing individual and group therapy in schools, homes, daycares and in therapy centers, as well as running parent workshops.  Laura enjoys supporting children and their families to achieve their movement, self-care, school based and sensory processing goals. Laura believes therapy should be fun and she enjoys working from a strength based and Individualised approach. Her particular areas of interest include mealtimes, fine and gross motor development, rehabilitation and self and emotional regulation. Laura has substantial knowledge and skills supporting families with children who have a significant medical history and diagnoses.

In her spare time, Laura enjoys gardening, doing home projects and being outdoors. She loves being around animals and has an energetic border collie named Archie. Previously, Laura trained as a veterinary nurse. She spends Saturday mornings at her local wildlife shelter caring for a range of animals, including owls, bandicoots, pelicans and bobtails.

I see my role as a Pediatric OT as assisting people to work on their strengths to overcome their challenges, in order to help them to learn more about what is happening in their body so that they feel empowered and able to live a full, purposeful and meaningful life. I strive to achieve better for every child and their families I work with and the service I provide. I am wholly committed and passionate about serving the children and the families I work with as best I can.

Malar is a registered Occupational therapist having of 10 yrs in the field of Paediatrics. She has extensive experience in handling neurodivergent kids (autism, ADHD),children with Learning disabilities, CP, Down’s syndrome and Intellectual disability. She believes in building up skills in children in their natural environment through assessment and intervention. She is passionate about working in the areas of social skills, executive functions ,emotional regulation and handwriting. Being a group player she also feels that group therapies are excellent for growth in kids and adults. Her Mantra for success is ‘Trust, Share and Care’.

Naomi is a registered occupational therapist with 7 years’ experience working in private, government and non-for-profit settings including paediatric and early intervention services. Naomi is experienced and passionate about providing therapy for children and has worked with a variety of diagnosis and conditions including autism, developmental delays, ADHD and sensory processing challenges. She is passionate about “supporting children’s participation in their primary roles as players, learners and family members by providing goal-based information, strategies and coaching interventions. Naomi lives in rural Queensland and is a mother to five children. She well understands the joy and challenges of raising children and the importance of being able to access necessary services.

Nina is a registered occupational therapist with over 9 years’ experience working with children in schools, private practice and not-for-profit organisations. Nina is passionate about empowering children to achieve their goals and reach their full potential, in all activities they want and need to do. Nina believes strongly in building relationships and working alongside the child and their family to achieve family-centred goals.

Nina enjoys getting to know children and their families, she believes that enjoyment and engagement are key to successful outcomes and utilises a fun, strengths-based approach in sessions.

Nina works with children and young adults from 0-25 years of age. Nina particularly enjoys working with clients who are neurodiverse (autism, ADHD),have Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and developmental delays. Nina has postgraduate training and is particularly passionate about working with individuals with goals in the areas of feeding, sensory processing and self-regulation, development of play skills, activities of daily living, infant development and toileting. Nina works hard to ensure outstanding client outcomes; she is highly passionate about keeping up to date with current research and continuing to develop her clinical skills and knowledge.

Oriane has been working as an Occupational Therapist since 2015. Over this time she has worked in early intervention, private practice, schools, telepractice and under the NDIS. She has a strong passion for child development, communication, connection and creativity. Oriane believes in empowering children and their families to develop the tools to support their own unique needs. She believes that this process can be made fun through flexible, playful and creative therapy sessions. This method of thinking is supported through her extensive training inprograms dedicated towards child development, sensory processing, play, DIR floor time and trauma. Outside of work Oriane can be found travelling, bushwalking, camping, singing, doing yoga and reading.

Ruth is an Occupational Therapist with a passion for working with children and their families. She strongly believes in working with each individual’s strengths and enjoys getting to know her clients and their families to better understand their world. Ruth has experience working with children and adolescents with a diverse range of neuro-developmental and physical differences including individuals with cerebral palsy, ASD and sensory processing difficulties. She believes in the power of a therapeutic partnership with a family/support network and is passionate about creatively incorporating therapy into play and daily routines. Ruth is passionate about learning from neurodivergent and marginalized communities and continually adapting her practice to promote inclusion and advocacy.

Sabrina is passionate towards helping individuals with disability live their lives more meaningfully. Sabrina previously worked as a rehabilitation consultant where she supported injured workers on a safe return to work, or in finding new employment when their return to work is no longer achievable. She also has experience and enjoys working with clients with neurological conditions, including Multiple Sclerosis, Intellectual Disability, Autism, Poliomyelitis, Spinal Cord Injuries etc.

Areas of interest:

• Neurology
• Intellectual Disability
• Physical Disability
• Functional Assessments
• Ergonomic Assessments

Sarah obtained her Occupational Therapy degree in 2004 in Scotland, with her honours research project being in the area of paediatric palliative care. Sarah has a wide range of experience, including community OT (which included equipment provision, minor and major modifications), palliative care, stroke rehabilitation and also paediatrics. Sarah loves to work with children and has 2 young children of her own. Her special areas of interest include autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing, emotional regulation and managing anxiety. She has experience in utilising the Alert Program, Social Thinking curriculum and creating sensory diets.Sarah is passionate about supporting families to build their confidence in understanding their child and uses a collaborative approach, working closely with parents/caregivers to ensure that the recommendations and strategies are tailored specifically to her clients needs and ensuring they can be transferred out of therapy and into daily life. Sarah is also a qualified children’s yoga instructor and uses’ creative ways to engage her clients and ensures the sessions are fun and meaningful. Sarah moved to Australia around 10 years ago and her family currently live on a remote island in the Torres Strait.

Surleen is a committed and passionate Occupational Therapist who has beenpracticing for a few years. She believes every individual has strengths tobe able to achieve their goals and to live a meaningful life. She hasexperience working in paediatrics and mental health within communitysettings managing diverse caseloads. Surleen enjoys empowering parentsusing a coaching approach to help foster healthy relationships and to takea step to reduce mental health stigma for the younger generation. She hastraining in the Alert Program, Trauma-Informed Practice, CognitiveBehavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Brief-SolutionsFocused Therapy, and Family- Based Therapy. Surleen applies aneurodevelopmental and psychosocial approach during the assessment processfor individuals while ensuring there is collaborative care planning todevelop holistic goals during the therapeutic journey. Surleen enjoys beingoutdoors doing activities such as hiking and spending time with her dog.

Sue is a registered occupational therapist with over 25 years experience working in a range of public and private settings. She has recent paediatric experience with children and adolescents with a range of disabilities including neurodivergence (autism, ADHD). A mother of two ‘children’ herself (now young adults) she is realistic and practical – seeking to set meaningful goals that are achievable within the demands of busy family life. Sue is passionate about the importance of acceptance and encouragement – seeking to recognise and foster the unique strengths of each child and family to bring about growth and change.Sue loves colour and all things creative, and has an unhealthy obsession with op-shopping.

Tina is a registered Occupational Therapist with extensive experience across a range of settings including public hospital based acute care, inpatient and outpatient neurological rehabilitation, community, and NDIS settings. She has experience in creatively using telehealth practice to deliver quality occupational therapy services to clients in rural and remote areas who traditionally would have limited access. She uses telehealth as a powerful tool in supporting her clients to access their therapy needs and achieve their goals in their natural environments.

Prior to completing her Masters in Occupational Therapy in 2014 Tina completed a Bachelor of Applied Science (Disability Studies) and worked for 10 years with adults and children in the community and disability sectors in a range of case management, life skills development and behaviour support roles.

She enjoys working with both adults and children from diverse cultural backgrounds and with a wide variety of disabilities and challenges, including but not limited to neurological disabilities, intellectual disabilities, developmental delay, and those on the autism spectrum.

Tina is a passionate and engaging clinician who strongly values taking an individualised person and family centred approach. Tina uses thorough assessment, coaching, education and evidence-based interventions with her clients and their families to empower them to achieve their personalised goals and reach their potential.

Yael is an Occupational Therapist with over 10 years of experience, after gaining her degree from The University of Sydney. She is also a Mum to two busy, young children. Yael has experience working with children across a range of settings including not-for-profit early intervention services, private practice and the government disability sector. She has worked with a variety of different children in their homes, schools/childcare settings, therapy clinics, and within the broader community. Yael is passionate about working from a family centered framework and values working collaboratively with each child’s family/caregivers, teachers, and other health professionals involved in their care. She enjoys helping families achieve realistic goals and loves sharing their ‘wins’ no matter how big or small. She strives to make therapy sessions engaging, creative, motivating, productive, informative and rewarding. Through her evidence-based interventions, she delivers quality Occupational Therapy which aims to support families and enable children to maximise their full potential.