Meet Jessie: Part of our extraordinary team

Jessie is the Communication Matters Consultancy and Assistive Technology Team Leader, a qualified Speech Pathologist. A valued member of Therapy Focus for 15 years, based at our Osborne Park office.

What inspired you to work in AAC?

When I started at Therapy Focus (a very long time ago!), I worked with children aged 0–7 through the disability services early intervention contract, well before the NDIS. I had the privilege of supporting young children and their families right at the beginning of their journey, alongside some truly brilliant therapists and mentors.

Many of these children needed a multi-modal approach to communication development, using multiple ways to communicate. This meant working on speech, building language, and supporting non-speech communication methods, such as key word sign, paper-based symbols, and the introduction of speech-generating devices.

I quickly fell in love with this approach and with using AAC with clients, because I saw the growth and transformation that happened when the doors to communication opened, when something was added to traditional speech, not replaced by it.

I still remember two little boys and their families in particular, who took off with their Accent 1000 devices using Unity. One of them was just three years old when he received his first device. He’s still a Therapy Focus client today, now a school leaver and a confident, skilled Unity user on his Accent device.

What’s the best thing about being the Team Leader of CMC and Assistive Technology?

There are so many great things about working as team leader of CMC and AT! The first is working with dedicated, passionate and gifted therapists and support staff.

My team work tirelessly to find the right AT solutions for people and I’m very proud of the work they do. I also love working within the technology space and supporting people to understand the various funding options available for assistive technology, particularly NDIS. I have a unique opportunity at Therapy Focus to be a team leader and support staff, while also managing a specialised service – I feel very fortunate!

Where can you find me in my spare time?

I have three very active kids, Daisy, Stella and Micah. So, “spare time” is not really in existence! But as a family, we like to explore nature, go hiking and we have recently started getting in to camping. We have taken the kids to a few camping spots to dip our toes in. We are novices and figuring it out as we go, but the kids LOVE it, and we now have the bug!

Do you have any hidden talents?

In a past life (before kids!!) I was a dancer, and taught ballet. I also love to sing and my husband and I have sung at many different events and weddings in our time.