Hi, my name is Louise and I’m a Multidisciplinary Team Leader and Speech Pathologist at Royal Far West (RFW), in the Schools and Early Years Services team.
What does your role involve?
I support a team of multidisciplinary clinicians to provide telehealth services and outreach to preschool and school aged children in Queensland.
How long have you been with Royal Far West?
10 years
Have you seen any changes in the sorts of issues children have during your time at Royal Far West?
I’ve seen an increase in the complexity of the needs of children that we work with, as well as the number of children who have experienced trauma.
What led you to work for RFW?
I loved that the organisation provided services to children who can’t otherwise access it, and usually miss out.
Can you describe your typical day?
I usually have leadership meetings and one to ones with team members or clinicians I supervise.
I also love to see clients for telehealth therapy sessions, and my passion for working with clients has continued in my leadership role.
What do you love about working with families from rural and remote Australia?
I love to learn about their context, their daily lives and work together to build therapy activities into their daily routines. I love seeing a child learn a new skill and have it celebrated by their families.
What do you think makes RFW unique?
Everyone is really committed to supporting the needs of country kids. In particular, the passion, dedication and skill of the clinicians here is incredible. I have learnt so much through working alongside them.
Can give us an example of a family’s positive outcomes through working with RFW?
Last year I worked with a four-year-old boy who presented with a moderate/severe speech disorder. He received weekly telehealth therapy sessions into the home over three terms. Initially he presented with very unclear speech and his mother reported he lacked confidence in social settings and was becoming more aware of his speech difficulties. He worked hard over the year and made significant improvements in his speech. His parents observed that his speech was much clearer, and his confidence had grown too. They were appreciative of the service and commented that they felt he was much more school ready, due to the support he had received.
Where’s your country? Where do you feel most connected to?
I live in Gubbi Gubbi Country, in Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast. I feel deeply connected to the sand and the waves and have recently started boogie boarding in the waves in the morning before work. There isn’t a better way to start the day!
Can you share some career highlights from your time at Royal Far West?
I was the first clinician to work with Narromine Public School, back in 2014. The school have continued to work with RFW 10 years on.
I have also championed group therapy throughout my time at RFW and this year we have managed to include this in contracts with a range of Schools, which is really exciting.
Read more about our Schools and Early Years Services here