Hills District Speech Therapy

Get to know Hills District Speech Therapy

From Hills District Speech Therapy's website.

• Our approach

  Therapy at Hills District Speech Therapy is grounded in evidence-based practice and focuses on building strong relationships with families and the community. The clinic offers individual, paired peer, and group-based intervention sessions across multiple settings including the clinic, schools, preschools, homes, and telehealth. For occupational therapy, a top-down approach is used, where the therapist evaluates functional status in relation to daily occupations and develops treatment plans based on the client's ability to participate in meaningful everyday activities. Sessions include face-to-face therapy time, tailored materials preparation, detailed progress reviews, and close collaboration with the client's broader support team including educators, doctors, and other allied health professionals. The team is dedicated to ensuring therapy integrates with the client's real-world participation and goals.

• Working with families

  Families are central to the therapy approach, with the clinic building close relationships and working collaboratively with parents and carers. The therapist communicates regularly with families about goals and progress through calls and emails, and the administration team sends confirmation messages prior to each session. The clinic works closely with the client's broader support network including educators, teachers, general practitioners, paediatricians, and other allied health professionals, keeping families informed about how therapy integrates with school and home. The intake team encourages families to call directly to discuss their communication needs and individual circumstances so that the most appropriate therapy schedule and approach can be selected. Therapy is designed to be family-centred, with the therapist getting to know clients and integrating their interests and real-world contexts into sessions.

• Meet the team

  The team is led by two Directors and Senior Speech Language Pathologists, Yasemin Burmin and Alana Adolphs, who founded the clinic in 2011 and have over a decade of experience each. They are supported by Clinic Managers and Senior Supervising Speech Language Pathologists including Reta van Rensburg (with over 25 years' experience across special schools and private practice) and Katrina Clarke-Bruce (with expertise in early literacy and speech sound development). All therapists are certified members of their respective registration bodies including Speech Pathology Australia, Occupational Therapy Australia, and the Australian Music Therapy Association. The team also includes music therapists, occupational therapists, allied health assistants, and administration staff. The clinic is culturally and linguistically diverse, with staff speaking languages beyond English, and the directors are committed to ongoing professional development and ensuring staff are well-trained in the latest evidence-based practices.