Professional Development & Capacity Building

As a paediatric occupational therapist and university lecturer, I see strong value in building the capacity of caregivers, educators, and support staff who play a critical role in supporting children to grow and reach their full potential. I bring together extensive clinical experience with expertise in delivering high-quality, evidence-based, and engaging professional learning sessions for early childhood and school settings.

I believe that meaningful and lasting change for children occurs when caregivers, educators, and associated support staff feel confident in their understanding of child development and how to support children with a range of additional support needs.

Each presentation provides a clear introduction to the selected topic, audience-appropriate background information, and practical, evidence-informed strategies that can be implemented immediately within everyday routines and learning environments.

I understand the complex and demanding nature of early childhood and school-based education, including the competing priorities, time pressures, and diverse needs educators manage each day. My presentations are intentionally designed to support educators within their real teaching environments, rather than adding to their workload. Strategies shared are practical, evidence-informed, and achievable within existing routines, resources, and curriculum demands. The focus is on supporting educators to feel confident applying strategies in meaningful ways that enhance participation, learning, and wellbeing for all children.

All presentations will recognise the importance of implementing Universal Design for Learning and using a neurodivergent affirming approach when supporting children who are neurodivergent.

Presentations will be individually designed in partnership with the presentation host to ensure that it meets the needs of each audience. An initial phone call to plan the presentation and tailor the content to your organisation can be arranged.

Post-presentation support is included, with attendees welcome to contact me for follow-up questions, clarification, or guidance to support implementation in their setting.

Presentations can be delivered in a format that best suits your organisation needs. Presentations can be adapted for whole-staff professional learning, small teams, or targeted groups (e.g. wellbeing team, learning support staff), and caregivers.

Presentation delivery options are flexible and can be adapted to suit your organisation’s needs. The content and timing can be adjusted to align with staff meetings, professional learning days, or parent education evenings.

Presentations are interactive, practical, and grounded in real-world examples from early childhood and school settings. Content is delivered in an accessible, strengths-based manner, with opportunities for reflection, discussion, and questions. Care is taken to ensure sessions are respectful, inclusive, and relevant to the day-to-day realities of educators and support staff.

Visual supports and clear slides are used during each presentation to support audience engagement and learning.

I am happy to create and provide advertising materials to support promotion of presentations. This may include printable posters for on-site display (e.g. at the kindergarten or school) and digital materials suitable for email distribution or social media.