Our Story
Southern Right Therapy was founded in October 2020, and is locally owned and operated. We believe children with disabilities living in regional Victoria should be able to access quality services to achieve their best in life.
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” ~ Dr. Seuss.
Our Values
A = Aspire “to rise up, soar, attain or accomplish a particular goal”
In all we say and do, our aim is to support you in the goals that you aspire towards.
B = Best
We do our best in order to make a positive difference in the lives of the people we work with. We believe in lifelong learning, and pride ourselves in providing an effective and quality therapy service.
C = Choice “It’s all the little choices that add up to make a big difference”
We care about what is meaningful to our clients, so therapy is tailored to the individual needs and values of the people we work with. We are committed to clearly communicating choices in the services that we provide.
About the Team
Melanie
Having grown up with a sister who has special needs, Melanie has a unique insight and understanding into family life for people with disabilities. Melanie is passionate about being able to help individuals and families have the quality of life they aspire towards. This also inspired her to study Occupational Therapy – graduating in 2011, with distinction.
Since then, Mel has gained a wide variety of experience working in both public health and private sectors, with people of all ages and abilities. Melanie has provided services within the following fields:
- Early Childhood Intervention (Occupational Therapist and Key Worker roles),
- Rural and Metropolitan hospital settings,
- Community Health Services,
- Schools (Paediatric assessments),
- Chaplaincy (at a Special Development School), and
- Private Paediatric Practice.
Melanie has extensive experience working with children, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Attention Deficit Disorders, Developmental Coordination Disorder, Global Developmental Delays, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, handwriting difficulties, learning or intellectual disabilities, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, sensory processing difficulties and young people with trauma backgrounds.
Melissa
Melissa also grew up in regional Victoria. She graduated from Deakin University with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy with Distinction, in 2015. Melissa has always been interested in working in Paediatrics and started her career in working in aged care and community settings, before moving to Southern Right Therapy. Melissa has two young children of her own, and brings a wide range of skills with her. She is passionate about working collaboratively with clients and their families, as well as other professionals on the care team. Melissa is considerate of providing therapy to help clients and their family to achieve functional goals that are meaningful to their lives. Outside of work, Melissa enjoys spending time with her family and friends, baking, going to the beach and exploring new places.
Ben
Ben was born and raised in the Warrnambool area. He graduated from Deakin in 2015 and is passionate about families accessing the supports they need. This contributed to a career change in providing administration and IT supports for Southern Right Therapy, managing general enquiries, referrals and intake processes. Ben is a valued member of the team with his insights and research into quality improvement.
Ben has a strong interest in health practices and can often be found researching in books, articles or on webinars about the human body and function. When not working for Southern Right Therapy, Ben runs his own consultancy and enjoys playing ultimate frisbee and morning runs with his dog, Jock the Jack Russell.