Occupational Therapists

Clare is Happy Chatter’s Senior Occupational Therapist and our Occupational Therapy Team Lead. She is a certified practicing Occupational Therapist with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia and registered with APHRA. Clare graduated from La Trobe University in 2016 after completing her Master of Occupational Therapy. Since graduation, Clare has worked in a range of settings including the community setting, private practice, and working overseas at a camp for children with disabilities.

Clare works with a wide range of clients from the ages of 1 up until young adults. She completes 1:1 therapy sessions, non-face-to-face parent support, and group therapy. She is also the clinical supervisor for the Allied Heath Assistants (OT) at Happy Chatter. Her additinal skills and training includes: 

• CO-OP Training – Cognitive Orientations to Occupational Performance
• Traffic Jam in my brain by Sensory Tools
• Supporting People with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families
• Social thinking concepts using the We Thinkers Social Thinking program by Michelle Garcia
• The complex intersection of ADHD, Sensory Processing and Dysgraphia: Assessment and Intervention
• From Sensory Processing to Executive Functioning – Le Roux Academy
• DIR/Floortime – ICDL
• Principles of Assessment and Intervention Occupational Therapy for Children

Clare is always up for trying something new, and also enjoys staying home with her latest craft project. Clare likes to see the positive side of things and aims for herself and those around her to live life at its best.   

Emily is a certified practicing Occupational Therapist with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia and AHPRA. Emily is also a practicing member of Occupational Therapy Australia. She completed her Master of Occupational Therapy at Swinburne in 2023, and also completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences at Monash University in 2020.

Emily is enthusiastic about early intervention, specifically seeing children develop and reach their personal goals. Emily utilises play-based therapy through games, pretend play, and crafts, whilst targeting goals. She has experience working with children in schools, the community and private practice. Her caseload includes children and adolescents aged 2-18 years, many with children with diagnoses of ASD, ADHD, intellectual disability, and/or developmental delays.

She works with children to develop their social skills, fine and gross motor skills, handwriting, emotional regulation, sensory processing, self-care skills and executive functioning. Her additional training includes:

• Social thinking concepts using the We Thinkers social thinking curriculum.
• Emotional regulation through the Zones of Regulation program.
• Certificate in Trauma Informed Practice.
• Sensory processing through the Traffic Jam in My Brain course by Genevive Jereb.

Outside of work, you will find Emily in a dance studio or performing on stage in dance concerts. Emily also enjoys spending time at home with her family, friends and pets. She loves a warm and cosy day on the couch cuddling with her cats!