Leading with heart: What it means to grow at Therapy Focus

Team Leader and Physiotherapist Lucie Abadi and recent Graduate Occupational Therapist Kaitlyn Halls share what makes the Mirrabooka team something special.

Some workplaces talk about culture. At Therapy Focus’ Mirrabooka office, you hear it in the way people describe their team — the check-ins, the office memes, the sweet treats, and the genuine sense that everyone has everyone’s back.

Lucie Abadi has been part of that culture for over seven years. Kaitlyn Halls arrived in February 2025 as a fresh graduate, having completed her student placement at the very same office. Two different points in a career. One very consistent story.

Lucie’s journey: From rural physio to team leader

Lucie didn’t arrive at Therapy Focus on a planned trajectory. After years working as a physiotherapist up North in Karratha and later returning to Perth to work in large hospitals, she was recommended to Therapy Focus by someone who knew the organisation well. She arrived with four years of experience, but felt like a graduate all over again.

“I knew physiotherapy,” she says. “But disability was a different world. I had clinical supervisors around me and a team that supported me to find my feet. I’d never worked anywhere so supportive in my life.”

“Therapy Focus values you for your unique set of skills. When I started, I genuinely didn’t think leadership was a possibility for me. I went from junior physiotherapist to senior physiotherapist to team leader. If you want it, the pathway is there.”

Five years into her Team Leader role, Lucie now supports around 20 allied health therapists and guides their growth, their wellbeing, and their development as clinicians.

What being a team leader really means

For Lucie, leadership isn’t about performance management. It’s about people.

“A good leader sees everyone as a person first,” she says. “They bring who they are to work, and it’s my job to make space for that. My door is always open. Sometimes people just need to be heard.”

Her approach is grounded in flexibility, presence, and genuine care. No two days look the same in her role, and that’s exactly how she likes it.

When it comes to graduates specifically, Lucie has a clear view of what makes them thrive.

“The best graduates are excited, they’re keen, and they genuinely want to help people with disability. They’re team players. And almost every graduate I have supported has reached their potential because they came here with the right drive.”

Kaitlyn’s story: backing yourself from day one

Kaitlyn Halls knows the Mirrabooka office well. She completed her student placement there before joining as a graduate Occupational Therapist in early 2025 so when she walked in on her first day, the faces were familiar. What surprised her was how fully she was embraced from the start.

“The team culture here is unlike anything I expected,” she says. “Everyone supports each other. There’s always someone to talk to, always someone checking in. The energy is genuinely high, and the memes around the office and sweet treats don’t hurt either.”

Her graduate year hasn’t been without challenge. Working with families navigating complex circumstances, managing caregiver burnout, and learning to protect her own wellbeing have all been part of the journey. But the support around her has made those moments manageable.

“I was afraid of things not going to plan when I started. But you realise very quickly, having a perfect plan doesn’t matter if you can’t pivot when the session goes in a different direction. And learning to pivot, that’s the actual skill.”

The advice she’d give her earlier self

Asked what she wishes someone had told her before she started, Kaitlyn doesn’t hesitate.

“It’s ok not to have all of the answers in the first six months. You’re always going to be learning and your confidence will continue to grow…. Back yourself!”

It’s the kind of advice that comes from experience, even a short one. And it reflects something broader about the Therapy Focus graduate program: the regular check-ins, the micro-training, the steady upskilling across the first six months and gradually building caseload. It’s all designed to build confidence as much as capability.

What Lucie sees in Kaitlyn

The respect between Lucie and Kaitlyn is mutual and evident.

“Kaitlyn is a bright spark. She goes above and beyond, she shows genuine care, and from day one she has been enthusiastic in a way that inspires everyone around her. She encourages others to give their fullest and that’s a rare quality.”

It’s exactly the kind of relationship the Therapy Focus model is built on – leaders who invest in people, and graduates who rise to the challenge and take the opportunity.

A multidisciplinary environment, real career pathways, and a genuine commitment to the people who work here.

Whether you’re just starting out or ready for something more, there is a place for you here. “Give us a go,” Lucie says simply. “It’s a unique culture. I love my job.”