Our Team – Beyond Words Therapy Centre

Our Team

Management

Liz Garcia

Director | Speech Pathologist

Jason Garcia

Assistant Director | Accounts Manager

Gail Wasmund

Operations Manager

Liz Garcia

Director | Speech Pathologist

Liz Garcia| Director | Speech Pathologist

I am a passionate Speech Pathologist who is committed to providing a high quality, holistic family-centred service. I believe that everyone can achieve great things and I seek to help others achieve their maximum potential. I use a combination of modern, research-based approaches when working with children and adolescence, and adapt my approach to suit each individual’s needs. I ensure my clients (and their parents) have a strong voice when it comes to therapy and establishing therapy goals, and I make sure ensure everyone's needs are heard and met. I understand and appreciate the difficulties faced by many parents and thus provide an empathetic and supportive approach to help empower my clients in every way possible.

I have enjoyed working across a number of different professional sectors, including; Private Practice, Government (Community and Disability Services), and Community Based Volunteer Services (Yellow House Children’s Services Kenya). I have experience in working with children with speech and language delays and disorders, disabilities, literacy difficulties, and stuttering. I have specialized skills and a keen interest in disabilities, particularly Autism Spectrum Disorders and Down Syndrome.

I also hold certifications in the following therapy programs and techniques:

Hanen – It Takes Two to Talk - Program for young children with language delays or who are late to talk and understand.
Hanen – More Than Words - Program for young children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) - Level 1, for people who have difficulty communicating with spoken words.
The Lidcombe Program - for early childhood stuttering (ages 2-6 years).
DIR® and DIRFloortime - An intervention approach used to promote an individual's development through a respectful, playful, joyful, and engaging process. It uses the power of relationships and human connections to promote engagement, communication, positive behaviours, and thinking. Developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan and his colleagues.

When I’m not working for Beyond Words Therapy, I can be found organising and attending events at our local C&K Playgroup where I am a volunteer Committee member as well as volunteering and supporting Yellow House Health and Outreach Services (a speech pathology, not-for-profit organisation in Kenya). In my spare time, I love to simply hang out with my husband and our two little boys - watching them grow, learn and develop is such a joy! I also love catching up with friends and family over good coffee, wine and food; gardening; cooking; and learning the piano and Spanish.

Jason Garcia

Assistant Director | Accounts Manager

Gail Wasmund

Operations Manager

Administration

Elaine Haggerty

Position available!

Elaine Haggerty

Position available!

Speech Pathologists

Susanna Runham

Kate Robertson

Emily Ford

Ryley Dahlin

Pamela Redshaw

Kate Robertson

Emily Ford

Ryley Dahlin

Pamela Redshaw

Occupational Therapists

Donna Joosten

Jamine Gardner

Bron Lucey

Alexis Crighton

Alicia Were

Donna Joosten| Occupational Therapist

I am a passionate and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist who was drawn to gaining my qualification to enable me to empower others to achieve their own potential. I completed my Bachelor of Occupational Therapy at the University of the Sunshine Coast and have worked in the area for a number of years. My professional experience has included working with individuals across the lifespan in a range of settings including school, clinic, outdoor, groups, home and adult sub-acute and slow stream inpatient rehab. I have experience in running group programs including gross motor play skills and social skills for children with autism and/or social skill challenges and hope to expand this to offer groups of adolescents and young adults. As a musician, I like to incorporate music and movement into my treatment approaches.

I have experience undertaking screens and complex assessments for early childhood, adolescents and adults, identifying challenges with and assisting with the development of strategies to address daily living skills, social skills, sensory and mobility / physical access challenges. I am experienced in performing functional capacity assessments, ADL assessments, assessment for major and minor home modification and equipment prescription, assessment of cognitive function, visual processing, NDIS SIL and SDA reporting and other assessments relevant to function across the lifespan.

I have developed experience working with individuals across a range of conditions and needs including:

Intellectual Impairment
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Neurological and Genetic Disorders
Traumatic Brain Injury (including stroke)
Spinal Cord Injury
Progressive Conditions
Sensory Processing Difficulties
School Readiness assessment
Assistive Technology and Complex Equipment Prescription

I have completed additional training in the following areas:

Mental Health
Cognitive Rehabilitation
Evidence Based Rehabilitation of Upper Limb
Mechanical Assessment Tool (MAT) Evaluation for complex wheelchair and seating prescription

When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my husband and two daughters exploring the many wonderful national parks and beaches around the hinterland and Sunshine Coast. As a Maleny local, I am excited to have the opportunity to work alongside Liz and the Beyond Words team servicing some of the many wonderful families who live in the hinterland area and beyond.

Jamine Gardner

Occupational Therapist

Jamine Gardner| Occupational Therapist

I graduated from The University of the Sunshine Coast after which I relocated to regional Queensland for a number of years. Since then I have been fortunate enough to work and gain experience within the department of education, private practice, supervising and teaching OT students at Central Queensland University and the area of childhood trauma and child protection.

I have extensive experience in a wide variety of presentations and areas of practice including:

Autism Spectrum Disorder
Developmental Delay
Physical impairment
Neuromuscular conditions
Equipment prescription
Power mobility programs
Equine therapy
Socio-emotional development
Intensive therapy model

I really love being an Occupation Therapist working in peadiatrics, and I am committed to holistic family centered practice. My approach to therapy is play based, positive and child led. I hold a strong commitment to evidence-based practice and I have completed additional accredited training in the following areas;

DIR® and DIRFloortime - An intervention approach used to promote an individual's development through a respectful, playful, joyful, and engaging process. It uses the power of relationships and human connections to promote engagement, communication, positive behaviours, and thinking. Developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan and his colleagues.

Occupational Performance coaching - (OPC) is proposed as an intervention which is family and occupation-centred, enablement-focused and research informed. OPC involves working alongside parents to achieve parents' goals for themselves, their children and/or their families

SCERTS - The SCERTS^® Model is a research-based educational approach and multidisciplinary framework that directly addresses the core challenges faced by children and persons with ASD and related disabilities, and their families. SCERTS^® focuses on building competence in Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support as the highest priorities that must be addressed in any program, and is applicable for individuals with a wide range of abilities and ages across home, school and community settings.

Therapeutic crisis intervention: The purpose of the TCI system is to provide a crisis prevention and intervention model for residential child care organizations that will assist in: preventing crises from occurring, de-escalating potential crises, effectively managing acute crises, reducing potential and actual injury to children and staff, learning constructive ways to handle stressful situations, and developing a learning circle.

Over recent years I have grown a love for multidisciplinary practice, and I believe that doing joint session with both SLP’s and PT’s yield amazing growth and development for children with additional needs. I also hold a special interest in the prescription and use of assistive technology for communication, positioning, access and mobility.

In my spare time you might find me at the beach, walking along one of the many beautiful national parks on the Sunshine Coast, playing fetch with my dog Lewie, or enjoying good food with friends. I also enjoy volunteering at my local church and in the community.

Bron Lucey

Alexis Crighton

Alicia Were

Physiotherapist

Delia Weston

Consultant Paediatrician

Dr David Nichols

Delia Weston| Physiotherapist

Delia is a physiotherapist who is passionate about assisting families to help their children realise their potential in life through movement. Delia graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2010 with a Bachelors of Pre-Clinical Health Science and then decided to follow her dream of becoming a physiotherapist by moving across the world to Australia. Where she completed her Doctor of Physiotherapy at Bond University in 2015. After graduation Delia moved to regional Central, QLD where she worked for the Department of Education and in a paediatric private practice clinic. This is where she developed her skills in working with wide range of children with disabilities from developmental delay to Cerebral Palsy and rare genetic conditions. Delia’s passion to help every family see the potential in their children, has lead her have a special interest in working with children with complex disabilities.

Delia has extensive experience in a variety of family focused treatment methods:

orthotic prescription and orthopaedic footwear (AFO’s, SMO’s, in shoe orthotics)
hydrotherapy
assistive technologies assessment and prescription- seating systems, standing frames, walking frames, hoists, car seats, adaptive trikes, etc.
wheelchair/seating assessment and prescription
post botox management
play based therapeutic treatments
theratogs and other custom made suits (SDO, second skins, SPIO)
therasuit (certified in 2019)

Delia’s therapy style is strength based and family centred. She is a big believer in doing the journey with the families and that therapy should be embedded into the child’s day through meaningful play. Over the years Delia has discovered the beauty of the multidiscipline approach to therapy and has worked closely with OT’s and SLP’s. Children are more than just their physical abilities and working together as a team allows us to treat the child holistically, resulting in amazing results.

Delia has just moved to the Sunny Coast region and is exploring all that the Sunshine Coast has to offer. She is a keen hiker, beach lover, plant mum and some might say a gym junkie.

Consultant Paediatrician