Fun Lab Therapy are leading providers of Occupational Therapy services for children and adolescents in the Eastern region of Melbourne, with an experienced and highly educated team. We love being a part of the community of people in your child’s life and believe in providing holistic, family centered services, in an easily accessible way.
Our team of Occupational Therapists provide therapy from our rooms in Doncaster East, as well as in children’s homes, schools or the wider community. We work in a team-based approach, liaising with you and your other allied health providers, educators, paediatricians and medical team to ensure a cohesive approach to therapy and intervention. Being co-located with a team of paediatric Speech Pathologists and Psychologists, we are well placed to work in a multi-disciplinary way to ensure you get great therapeutic results.
We believe in educating and upskilling those who will be practicing any recommendations and assist in transferring therapy into real life situations where it is meaningful and makes sense. We offer this during our therapy sessions, as well as parent groups and training for educators as needed. After all, you are the experts on your children and their needs!
Sally and the team share a wealth of clinical and practical experience in the field of occupational therapy. With all therapists registered with both the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and Occupational Therapy Australia, they are committed to providing therapeutic outcomes that are goal directed, based on current evidence and best practice principles and that focuses on what is most important you.
Founder and Director of Fun Lab Therapy, Sally is passionate about growing a high quality, occupational therapy practice to service the local community in Melbourne’s Eastern suburbs. Sally has a lifelong love of learning and sharing her knowledge and skills, as well as a passion to empower others to reach their full potential.
With a Bachelor of Health Science (Occupational Therapy), Postgraduate Certificate in Paediatrics and Master of Advanced Occupational Therapy, Sally brings 10+ years of clinical and theoretical experience to the practice. Sally has worked across multiple settings, including community health, mainstream, special and special developmental schools, early intervention, private practice and hospitals. This broad experience provides a base to ensure high quality service delivery in the clinic.
As well as managing the busy practice, Sally also provides guest lecturing services to La Trobe University. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and skills as a clinical advisor to not only the Fun Lab team, but to other external Occupational Therapists, Allied Health Assistants and to occupational therapy students.
As Sally moves into a new life stage of motherhood, she is looking forward to learning first hand all of the lived experiences that parents face and bringing these new skills into her clinical practice.
Trish graduated in 2006 from La Trobe University with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy. Since she was young, it was clear that Trish would one day work with children and brings her personal insight from parenthood into her role as an OT. This helps her able to relate to families and the busy lifestyle, finding activities to support therapy that can be done on the go, in the bath or while helping around the home.
With 12 years of dance experience, teaching child music and movement groups and being quite creative and musical personally, Trish seeks to engage all the senses when working with children. Laughter is a key component to all her sessions. Building rapport with children and their parents is the first thing Trish sets out to achieve, recognising that a team approach is essential to help a child reach their full potential.
Trish is passionate about children feeling like they physically and emotionally belong, and are keeping up with their peers. She believes that therapy should be meaningful, fun, engaging, and easy to replicate at home. With two growing children, Oliver and Jasmin, she continues to create exciting ways for her children to explore and learn; and is able to relate to the joys and challenges of parenthood.
Kath brings over 15 years’ experience in Occupational Therapy to the Fun Lab Therapy team, with over 10 of these being in the field of paediatrics. Kath is also currently completing her Master’s in Research in Occupational Therapy, in the area of inclusion for children with additional needs, into mainstream schooling. She does a great job juggling work, study and life as a busy Mum!
With a love of working with children and families, Kath brings the practical aspects of using everyday activities to enhance and promote learning and development opportunities for her clients. She loves working with children of all ages but has a special interest in working with school aged children. Kath also brings experience of working in both mental health and physical disability, including equipment prescription and home modifications.
When not working, Kath enjoys being an active part of her community in local sporting clubs and spending time with her family.
Angela comes to Fun Lab Therapy bringing experience from both a private practice and the special school setting. After a career as a secondary teacher, Angela found her passion in working with children and their families through paediatric occupational therapy, graduating with a Master of Occupational Therapy Practice in 2012 through La Trobe University. Angela has completed extensive extra training in working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Intellectual Disabilities and Motor Coordination Disorders.
Angela loves working with children to develop their fundamental skills of play, daily living skills and sensory regulation. Angela also enjoys working with children who require a high level of support to develop their skills. She enjoys supporting children to get ready for kinder or school; to socially interact with their families and peers; explore new experiences and manage their big emotions.
When Angela is not at work, she enjoys travelling, going to the theatre and visiting family in the country.
Annie comes to Fun Lab Therapy with a Bachelor of Health Science (Rehabilitation Counselling [Honours]) and a Master of Occupational Therapy Practice, with particular focus on public health and art therapy research. During her university studies, Annie also gained extensive experience working with children in schools, and teaching students at a university level.
Annie is a super enthusiastic and fun-loving therapist and has a keen interest in helping children and their families in all day-to-day occupations, including play, social-skills, self-care and self-regulation. She loves collaborating with families to achieve great outcomes for children and their loved ones.
Annie continues to follow her passion working with both pre-school and school aged children, often working in schools and kindergartens as well as in our clinic. In her spare time, Annie enjoys going on nature walks, surfing and listening to live music with families and friends.
Anoo brings a wealth of experience to the Fun Lab team, having worked as a paediatric occupational therapist for nearly 30 years. She has been working at La Trobe University, as a Lecturer and Researcher and has joined the Fun Lab Therapy team recently. Anoo completed her PhD in 2018 on Family Quality of Life of parents who have a child with disability. Dr Bhopti and Fun Lab Therapy are working on a joint research project around a parent program to help support families whose children have a recent diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, and other disabilities.
Anoo is committed to working closely with families, to achieve inclusion and participation of children with disability and follows family-centred practice, strength-based and person-first approaches. Anoo was on the steering committee with Early Childhood Intervention Australia (ECIA)and via funding through the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) collaboratively with the sector across Australia published the National Guidelines for Best Practice in Early Childhood Intervention – a significant and necessary guideline to promote evidence-based practice in early childhood intervention.
Anoo provides services for Fun Lab Therapy on a Saturday and has a special interest and extensive training in working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cerebral Palsy and with families eligible for early childhood intervention.
You will meet Yasamin at reception when visiting our clinic in Doncaster East on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Yasamin manages the billing and administrative procedures for Fun Lab Therapy and you may interact with her regarding appointments, and payment and funding related inquiries including the NDIS, Medicare and your private health insurance.
Yasamin has always had a love of working with children and holds a Bachelor of Clinical Psychology (Tehran Azad University) and has previous experience working in retail management and customer service. You may also see Yasamin supporting our therapists in group programs as our Occupational Therapy Assistant.
Yasamin is passionate about supporting our clients and enjoys interacting with our families throughout the week.
Fun Lab Therapy are always on the look-out for passionate, innovative therapists to join our team! If you love working in a professional, fun and supportive environment and are motivated to help children to reach their full potential, we’d like to hear from you. Please contact us on using the form below.
