Passion. Experience. Diligence.

A friend of mine suffered a severe stroke at 23 years of age, resulting in significant communication difficulties. This was the catalyst for my decision to become a Speech and Language Therapist. I completed a Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy with Honours degree in 2006 followed by a Master of Speech and Language Therapy with Distinction in 2007 at the University of Canterbury.

I began working at Waikato Hospital in 2008 and gained a wide variety of experience with both adults and children. I then moved to the Kapiti Coast in 2012, where I worked for Capital Coast District Health Board in the community rehabilitation team and at Kenepuru Hospital. The desire for a more flexible lifestyle prompted my move into private practice and I am thoroughly enjoying the ability to provide this service to clients on the Kapiti Coast.

Over the course of my career, I have found my passion firmly established in the area of acquired brain injury, particularly aphasia rehabilitation post-stroke. I have also gained significant experience working with Parkinson’s Disease, including becoming certified in delivering LSVT Loud and facilitating follow-up maintenance groups. I have also spent a significant amount of time working in rest homes and dementia care facilities, seeking to optimise quality of life for people experiencing communication and swallowing difficulties in the late stages of their lives. This has also included staff education regarding communication strategies and safe swallowing protocols.

It brings me great satisfaction to work together with motivated clients to achieve their communication goals, a result we can both be proud of!

I am always interested in learning about new research in all areas of my work and how I can apply this in my practice. I endeavour to attend professional development events and participate in online learning as much as I am able to.

I am a registered member of the New Zealand Speech-language Therapists’ Association (NZSTA).