Specialising in Paediatric Occupational Therapy Services
Giving your child the skills to Play, Learn, Grow & Thrive
At Thrive Paediatric Occupational Therapy our aim is to provide a service that supports children and their families to grow and develop so that they prosper in their respective environments.
Thrive is located in Shepparton within the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria. Thrive provides a rural service for children and adolescents from birth through to adulthood.
Play
Learn
Grow
Thrive
Annie Seccull
Director and Occupational Therapist
Annie graduated from the Australian Catholic University with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy. Annie is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and is a current member of Occupational Therapy Australia.
Annie has had extensive experience working as an Occupational Therapist in Melbourne working for both the Department of Education within a Special Development School and a highly reputable paediatric private practice. During this period, Annie has had the opportunity to work with a diverse range of children with complex needs including children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Global Developmental Delay, Intellectual disabilities and social and behavioural difficulties.
Annie has also undertaken professional development in a range of occupational therapy approaches, including specialised training in the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach to feeding.
Annie has always had a passion for working with children and their families to support and guide them to thrive in their respective environments. Annie is excited to bring her knowledge and expertise in Paediatric Occupational Therapy to the Goulburn Valley.
Angela Robertson
Occupational Therapist
Angela graduated from La Trobe University with a Masters in Occupational Therapy Practice. Angela is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and is a current member of Occupational Therapy Australia.
Since graduating Angela has worked at a well-respected company in Melbourne, working with children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual disabilities, and social and behavioural difficulties.
Angela is a compassionate and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist who is passionate about supporting children and their families to achieve their individual goals. Angela enjoys creating a playful and fun learning environment so that she can support the child and their family to develop and hone new skills.
Angela is thrilled to continue her career in the Goulburn Valley and excited to share her knowledge and expertise with all of the Thrive families.
Angela loves to spend her spare time hiking with her dog Louie and is a passionate gardener.
Angela works Monday to Friday with Thrive. You will find her in the clinic as well in some of the local kindergartens where she is supporting children to develop their readiness for school.
Olivia Pennisi
Occupational Therapist
Olivia graduated from Deakin University with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours). Olivia is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and is a current member of Occupational Therapy Australia.
Olivia has experience working in a well-respected private practice in Geelong, having worked with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Intellectual Disabilities, Global Developmental Delay, social and behavioural difficulties. She has a particular interest in developing children’s fine motor, social and pretend play skills, having completed further research in the assessment of pretend play. Olivia is also undertaking her Masters in Child Play Therapy at Deakin University to further her knowledge.
Olivia has a passion for collaborating with children and their families to reach their full potential and increase their participation in meaningful activities. Olivia aims to ensure that all her sessions are fun and engaging, whilst developing children’s physical, sensory, emotional, play and social skills, to assist with achieving their functional goals.
Outside of work Olivia enjoys cooking/baking, spending time with her family and friends, playing tennis, travelling and exploring new environments.
Taylor Rokahr
Occupational Therapist
Taylor graduated from RMIT University with a Bachelor in Exercise and Sport Science and graduated from La Trobe University with a Masters of Occupational Therapy Practice. Taylor is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and is a current member of Occupational Therapy Australia.
Since graduating Taylor has gained knowledge and experience working in a respected private practice in Melbourne with a diverse range of clients including both children and adults. Taylor has had the opportunity to work with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Intellectual disabilities and social and behavioural difficulties.
Taylor is a wonderful and engaging Occupational Therapist who decided to bring her knowledge and skills back to her hometown in Shepparton to support children and their families in achieving their goals.
Taylor loves to spend her spare time in the outdoors and being active. She also values quality time spent with friends and family.
Emma Roberts
Occupational Therapist
Emma completed her Masters of Occupational Therapy at La Trobe University in Bendigo. Emma is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and is a current member of Occupational Therapy Australia.
Emma grew up in the local area and since finishing University, has moved back to her hometown in the Goulburn Valley and is looking forward to establishing herself as a clinician in the area.
Emma has a keen interest in working with children to support their development in all areas of their life including play skills, fine motor development and self care. Emma is looking forward to supporting children and their families in her broader community and can't wait to further develop her skills as a paediatric occupational therapist at Thrive.
In her spare time, Emma loves to bake, play cricket, go on camping trips and be around her family and friends!
Alley DeLuca
Occupational Therapist
Alley completed her Masters of Occupational Therapy at La Trobe University in Bendigo and is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and a current member of Occupational Therapy Australia.
Since graduating Alley has worked at a well-respected company in Bendigo, working with children and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Intellectual Disabilities, and social and behavioural difficulties.
Alley is passionate about supporting children and their families to develop their skills in all areas and increase their participation in meaningful activities of everyday life.
Alley's aim is to focus on open communication as well as researching and problem-solving what will work best for families. Alley enjoy's maintaining the fun in therapy, and designing sessions that build confidence, resilience, self-esteem, and positivity.
In her spare time, Alley loves to cook, spend time in the sun and take trips back home to be around my family and friends!
Danae Bennett
Occupational Therapist
Danae completed her Masters/ Bachelor of Occupational Therapy at Deakin University in Geelong and is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and a current member of Occupational Therapy Australia.
Danae has previously worked in a private paediatric occupational therapy clinic in Darwin where she worked with children, families, schools and Kinders to empower them to develop social, emotional, motor and play skills.
Danae has a strong passion for working with children and those within their environments.
Danae grew up in Shepparton and has recently returned from Darwin and is looking forward to spending her spare time with family and friends.
Keeley O'Dwyer
Allied Health Trainee
Keeley graduated from St Mary's of the Angels Secondary College last year completing her VCE studies. Keeley is currently undertaking an internship at Thrive where she is undertaking further study to become a qualified Allied Health Assistant. Next year, Keeley looks forward to studying Occupational Therapy.
Keeley is passionate about working with children of all ages to assist with their growth, whilst gaining invaluable experience from working alongside our Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy teams.
Outside of work, Keeley enjoys spending time with her family and friends as well as playing netball.
Occupational therapy aims to help children be independent in their everyday lives and everything that they set out to achieve.
An occupational therapist specialising in paediatrics supports children to develop skills to perform activities that are meaningful to them.
Thrive provides assessment and intervention within our clinic in Shepparton and in the child’s kindergarten or school.
Gross motor skills
Gross motor skills involve the larger muscles of the body (e.g. arms and legs) that help us to perform daily tasks (e.g. sitting, standing, walking, running, jumping). Gross motor skills allow children to learn new movements that enable them to participate in physical activities. Children learn how to control the larger muscles of their body before they can control the smaller muscles of the body, thus gross motor skills being the foundations for many aspects of skill development.
Fine motor skills
Fine motor skills involve the use of the hands and fingers. The more complex the movement the more the smaller muscles in the hand have to work together to perform precise movements. Fine motor skills allow children to complete important self-care tasks (e.g. dressing, brushing teeth, using utensils, opening food containers), academic work (e.g. cutting, pasting, drawing, writing) as well as leisure activities (e.g. playing games).
Handwriting
Handwriting is the physical ability to put pencil/ pen to paper to record words. It is a complex integration of many skills, coupled with the thought processing of what to write (content) and how (spelling, grammar). The extent to which a child is able to demonstrate their academic ability is significantly reliant upon their ability to share their thoughts in written communication.
Self care
Self care skills are tasks that we do to get ourselves ready for the day. These include but are not limited to getting dressed, brushing teeth, having a shower/ bath and eating. These activities are typically supported by adults in younger children, however it is expected that children develop independence in these skills as they get older. When children start practicing independence in these skills they begin to gain a sense of accomplishment.
Social skills
Social skills are skills that we use everyday to interact and communicate with others.
Social skills are vital in enabling an individual to have and maintain positive interactions with others. Many of these skills are crucial in making and maintaining friendships.
Play skills
Play is the ability to engage in pretend or imaginary, constructive, playing with others, or playing on your own. Play skills are vitally important in early stages of development as it allows children to learn about the environment, their bodies and their place in the world around them.
Attention and concentration
Attention and concentration is what allows children to focus their thinking on one thing at a time and block out irrelevant stimuli and information. Having good attention allows children to be alert, resist distractions in their environment and engage in a task for long enough to repeatedly practice it.
Sensory processing
Sensory processing is the ability to interpret and use information we receive through our senses to understand who we are, where we are and what is going on around us. When children are efficient in processing sensory information they are able to produce appropriate responses to the stimuli that their brain receives from the environment around them.
Self-regulation
Self-regulation is the ability to adjust and control energy levels, emotions, behaviours and attention. It helps children to manage events and activities that may occur throughout the day. Children learn to understand what they “need” to manage their reactions to feelings that they may have in relation to things (events/ situations/ people) that happen around them.
Challenging behaviour
Challenging behaviour is a persistent action that limits a person’s ability to engage in any given activity. Examples of challenging behaviour include withdrawn behaviours (social isolation, anxiety), disruptive behaviours (swearing, refusing to follow instructions), violent and/ or unsafe behaviours (kicking, hitting, biting), inappropriate social behaviours (inappropriate touching).
Occupational therapy aims to help children be independent in their everyday lives and everything that they set out to achieve.
An occupational therapist specialising in paediatrics supports children to develop skills to perform activities that are meaningful to them.
Thrive provides assessment and intervention within our clinic in Shepparton and in the child’s home, kindergarten or school.
Gross motor skills
Gross motor skills involve the larger muscles of the body (e.g. arms and legs) that help us to perform daily tasks (e.g. sitting, standing, walking, running, jumping). Gross motor skills allow children to learn new movements that enable them to participate in physical activities. Children learn how to control the larger muscles of their body before they can control the smaller muscles of the body, thus gross motor skills being the foundations for many aspects of skill development.
Fine motor skills
Fine motor skills involve the use of the hands and fingers. The more complex the movement the more the smaller muscles in the hand have to work together to perform precise movements. Fine motor skills allow children to complete important self-care tasks (e.g. dressing, brushing teeth, using utensils, opening food containers), academic work (e.g. cutting, pasting, drawing, writing) as well as leisure activities (e.g. playing games).
Handwriting
Handwriting is the physical ability to put pencil/ pen to paper to record words. It is a complex integration of many skills, coupled with the thought processing of what to write (content) and how (spelling, grammar). The extent to which a child is able to demonstrate their academic ability is significantly reliant upon their ability to share their thoughts in written communication.
Self-care
Self care skills are tasks that we do to get ourselves ready for the day. These include but are not limited to getting dressed, brushing teeth, having a shower/ bath and eating. These activities are typically supported by adults in younger children, however it is expected that children develop independence in these skills as they get older. When children start practicing independence in these skills they begin to gain a sense of accomplishment.
Social skills
Social skills are skills that we use everyday to interact and communicate with others. Social skills are vital in enabling an individual to have and maintain positive interactions with others. Many of these skills are crucial in making and maintaining friendships.
Play skills
Play is the ability to engage in pretend or imaginary, constructive, playing with others, or playing on your own. Play skills are vitally important in early stages of development as it allows children to learn about the environment, their bodies and their place in the world around them.
Attention and concentration
Attention and concentration is what allows children to focus their thinking on one thing at a time and block out irrelevant stimuli and information. Having good attention allows children to be alert, resist distractions in their environment and engage in a task for long enough to repeatedly practice it.
Sensory processing
Sensory processing is the ability to interpret and use information we receive through our senses to understand who we are, where we are and what is going on around us. When children are efficient in processing sensory information their they are able to produce appropriate responses to the stimuli that their brain receives from the environment around them.
Self-regulation
Self-regulation is the ability to adjust and control energy levels, emotions, behaviours and attention. It helps children to manage events and activities that may occur throughout the day. Children learn to understand what they “need” to manage their reactions to feelings that they may have in relation to things (events/ situations/ people) that happen around them.
Challenging behaviour
Challenging behaviour is a persistent action that limits a person’s ability to engage in any given activity. Examples of challenging behaviour include withdrawn behaviours (social isolation, anxiety), disruptive behaviours (swearing, refusing to follow instructions), violent and/ or unsafe behaviours (kicking, hitting, biting), inappropriate social behaviours (inappropriate touching).
At Thrive we provide services under the NDIS (Self-managed and Plan-managed), Medicare (Enhanced Primary Care Plan, Mental Health Care Plan, Better Start Initiative and Helping Children with Autism Initiative) and Private Health.
You may be eligible for financial assistance for Occupational Therapy sessions under one of the schemes listed above. Further information can be provided on request.
We’re always looking for passionate Occupational Therapist’s who wants to make a positive impact in the community.
If we don’t have the position you are looking for currently advertised, and our values resonate with you, please feel free to express your interest in joining our team by completing the contact form below. We have created positions for the right people whose values align with ours, so don’t be shy – contact us today!
Please provide your details and a short description of
the goals you hope to achieve with us.
Thrive Paediatric Occupational Therapy Services is a part of Thrive Group who is committed to providing the best support in Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley with Thrive Physiotherapy
