Hi, I'm Clare, an Occupational Therapist with more than 10 years experience supporting children, adolescents, and their families.

Originally from Cairns, I completed my Bachelor of Occupational Therapy through Central Queensland University before beginning my career in remote communities across the Northern Territory. Working in these diverse settings gave me invaluable experience supporting children and families with a wide range of developmental, behavioural, and mental health needs, while reinforcing the importance of providing compassionate, family-centred care.

After relocating to South West Victoria, I spent five years working within the public Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, where I supported children and young people experiencing acute mental health challenges. During this time, I delivered early intervention programs in primary schools, facilitated evidence-based parenting programs including Circle of Security, and completed comprehensive Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessments as part of multidisciplinary teams.

My areas of clinical interest include Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, sensory processing, and emotional regulation. I am passionate about helping children understand themselves, build confidence, and develop the skills they need to participate fully in everyday life.

In 2025, I completed further training in infant and child sleep through the Royal Children's Hospital. Supporting families to better understand their child's sleep has become another area I am deeply passionate about, as quality sleep is fundamental to a child's development, emotional wellbeing, learning, and parent mental health and wellbeing. I enjoy working alongside parents to develop practical, evidence-based sleep strategies that are tailored to their child's individual needs.

I founded Growing Minds Therapy to create a service where children and families feel genuinely understood, supported, and empowered. I believe every child is unique, and I take a warm, strengths-based, and evidence-informed approach to therapy that focuses on the whole child, not just a diagnosis. My goal is to build meaningful relationships with families and provide practical support that helps children grow with confidence, resilience, and independence.