About My Therapy Space

Our company first started with a single Speech Pathologist working on the Gold Coast in 2001. As the business grew more Speech Pathologists were added to the team. We then rebranded to “Communicate; Speech Pathology Gold Coast” in 2011, supporting children and teenagers with speech and communication difficulties across the Gold Coast region.

In 2018 our dream came true when we expanded again, and were able to create our own multidisciplinary team with some of our close colleagues that we had worked with for over a decade at Disability Services Queensland. Our team was then renamed “ My Therapy Space”, to reflect the diverse range of therapy services we could now offer to families.

My Therapy Space is a multidisciplinary allied health team supporting clients on the Gold Coast. We believe in a team approach, which is family-friendly, family-centred, holistic and provides a home-away-from-home but professional experience to all our clients and caregivers. We value openness, inclusivity and we welcome diversity. We provide one on one Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Dietetics and Psychology, at our Burleigh Waters and Hope Island clinics and by telehealth, plus our Therapy Assistant Program. All our Speech Pathologists are Certified Practising, and our team includes two Dietitians and a Psychologist.

We also run several workshops per year to support, empower and nurture our clients including our signature specialty areas of developmental sign language (our team are certified Key Word Sign instructors, nationally recognised, and run our fun, educational Accredited Key Word Sign Workshops), social explorers camp and Cooking with Communication classes in our custom built kitchen. We pride ourselves on our spacious, inviting and well-resourced therapy rooms, kitchen and gym. We value our long-term connections with other health providers and specialists in the local area, our wonderful friendliness and inclusivity. Our pro-active approach empowers parents and clients to engage in their own goal setting and to enjoy reaching their milestones with our professional and caring guidance.

Our therapists are very experienced and we have worked together for many years. You won’t have high staff turnover. You will be seen by a dedicated therapist operating within a team approach who are all together onsite. A high level of in-house mentoring is provided to all staff with a dedicated focus on maintaining professional development.

How we work: a family-centred approach

A medical model has the professionals identify all the deficits to “fix”. We are different in that we follow a family centred approach, with our “Individual Family Support Plan” as a very important part of our service. This is where every family sets the goals that they want for their child and family to achieve, and then we work out how therapy support can help you to achieve these goals. We recognise that the family is the most important part of a child’s life. Therefore our therapy service is there to work WITH families to support them to understand their child’s skills, to provide ideas to try, to brainstorm together what works and what doesn’t. We know that a child just attending therapy for 1-2 hours a week won’t make the change- it’s the practising new skills in everyday routines that will work. For this reason, parents are always involved in the session, particularly for all children under the age of 8. Once children are older we may sometimes have sessions without the parents, however we continue to work closely together with parents to ensure that the support being provided is what’s needed. If you are looking for a service where you drop your child off for therapy, we are probably not the place for you.

Cultural Values

As a values based company, each and every decision we make at My Therapy Space is done considering our strong cultural values of “Commitment and Wholeheartedness” along with “Excellence and Growth”.

Team Approach

We all work under the one roof. We use the same forms and booking system, so you do not have to retell your story repeatedly. Our therapists offer individual sessions, or shared sessions depending on what would best suit you eg: joint OT/Speech Therapy sessions. Shared sessions are an amazing way to have several professionals all provide information and support at the same time.

Play Based

The My Therapy Space team works in a play based model with fun being at the centre of all we do. Sometimes it might not look like we are “working”- but we are all practised in including our therapy goals into games, movement, and activities such as cooking, dancing, yoga or obstacle courses. Some families really want their child to sit at the table and work- but the table is not the only place that goals can be achieved. We have 11 purpose built, spacious therapy rooms including a large gym, and a group therapy room with a full kitchen. We love showing how we can incorporate therapy goals into any activity and routine that children do.

Flexible

We are mainly a clinic based service as we are passionate about working with families and carers to see real change. We do provide some school, childcare or home visits where possible and clinically suitable. Again this is only if we also continue to work closely with the family. We also have our therapy assistants who work more in childcares, schools and homes to practise the therapy skills in more natural environments.

Neurodiversity Affirming

“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” – Alexander Den Heijer Since 2022, the My Therapy Space team has been learning and building our skills in neurodiversity affirming practice. This means we embrace the idea that all individuals have different abilities and ways to interact with the world. These differences don’t need to be viewed as deficits to be “fixed”. We have listened to the voices of autistic people and other disabled voices and continue to learn from them daily. Our aim is NOT to change the child- we aim to change the environment, to support our children with any resources and skills they may need and to educate the people around your child to accept and embrace your child’s differences. We love to remember “the world needs all kinds of minds” and these differences make our community more diverse.

What Makes Us Different?

Our Directors, Lisa and Trish, have worked together since December 1999. Today we are a growing team of 21 therapists, and five of our clinicians have between 15 and 30 years of experience each. Our whole team genuinely care for and respect each other. With such a close team, comes a close community for your child and family to become a part of. Our company is truly committed to our core cultural values of “Wholeheartedness and commitment as well as excellence and growth” and this will show in the service each family receive.

Our Clinic Space Burleigh Waters

Our multidisciplinary team all work under the one roof. We have purpose built our office space to suit our needs. We have 11 therapy rooms including a large gym, and a group therapy room with a full kitchen. We are located opposite Treetops Plaza at Burleigh Waters, in Suite 3AB, Treetops Square, 2 Classic Way, Burleigh Waters.

Our Clinic Space Hope Island

Our Hope Island clinic is at 8 Halcyon Way, Hope Island. It is a single-storey building with step-free entry and a large sign at the front, six therapy rooms full of natural light, and plenty of free parking. It offers Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy and the Therapy Assistant Program.