Carly Coleman
Occupational Therapist and Director
Carly graduated as an Occupational Therapist in 2000 and has worked in Paediatrics ever since. She worked in multi-disciplinary teams in Australia and Ireland before starting her own private practice in 2011.
Carly has completed extensive training to become certified to the Fellowship level in DIR / Floortime model of practice and has completed many courses since then to continue to stay up to date in the areas of relationship, sensory-motor play based therapy. Carly is passionate about understanding a child's nervous system and adapting the environment and the demands to meet that child's individual needs. She is a fierce advocate for neuro-diverse children and takes time to listen and be present with each child she works with. Carly enjoys working with and partnering with parents to help them understand the individual profile of their child in order to match the environment and parenting strategies to suit that child.
In addition to DIR / Floortime certification, Carly has completed extensive training in the areas of Trauma-informed Practice, Sensory Integration, Challenging Behaviours, Polyvagal Theory, Assistive and Augmentive Communication and has completed Levels 1 and 2 Introductory to Auslan (sign language). She is a certified Safe and Sound Protocol provider. Carly is a registered Medicare Mental Health provider.
Carly has vast experience working with children of all ages however has a passion for working in the field of Early Intervention working with children who have complex needs.
In her spare time Carly loves spending time with her husband and three teenage children walking and swimming at the beach and hanging with her two dogs.
Carly Ritchie
Occupational Therapist
Carly grew up in Sydney’s Northern beaches and is a Registered Occupational Therapist graduating with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (honours) at the University of Newcastle. Carly has extensive experience in the disability field working with children of all ages.
Carly has a particular passion for working with children and their families to support them to reach their optimal abilities. Carly has experience working with individuals across a range of diagnoses including ADHD, autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, neurological disorders and developmental delay.
Carly is an energetic, playful therapist who has the ability to make every child feel seen and heard. Carly has a special interest in children with complex needs and is being supervised by Carly Coleman to implement Floortime in all of her sessions. She is a certified Safe and Sound provider and has additional training in Praxis, Executive Functioning and Sensory Modulation.
Vanessa Maruca
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Vanessa is an Early Childhood trained teacher with over 10 years experience. She has worked in long day care services and was also a service coordinator for a local family day care scheme. Vanessa is completing her Occupational Therapy Assistant course and is hoping to study further to become an occupational therapist.
Vanessa is bubbly, playful, observant and enthusiastic. She has a strong belief in providing a safe and secure environment in which children may flourish and develop their individuality to their greatest potential and believes in the power of play. Vanessa gets immense satisfaction from seeing children overcome challenging tasks and achieve their potential.
Vanessa is married with two children. She loves spending time with her family, cooking, going to the beach, listening to music and going to the gym.
Dani McKerrel
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Dani is an Early Childhood trained teacher with over 18 years of experience working with children all over Australia. She is also a trained yoga teacher and shiatsu therapist. Dani is loving working with children on an individual level at Northern Beaches Children's OT as a Therapy Assistant.
Dani is intuitive, observant and playful. She focuses on building connection through respect and attentiveness to the needs of each child. Dani seeks to really understand how each child thinks, feels, perceives and experiences the world. She believes that this helps children feel seen, safe and supported, and from this evolving perspective assists them in meeting their goals.
Bianca Protze
Administrator
Bianca is our remote administrator with over 10 years of experience within the medical field. She embodies compassion and patience, always ready to lend a listening ear and offer support to patients and colleagues alike. Her gentle demeanour and empathetic nature create a soothing and reassuring presence within our practice.
Born in Germany, Bianca now loves living between our serene beaches and nature here in the Northern Beaches. Beyond her work, she has two boys and a range of animals she cares for, including dogs, cats and Dave the Bearded Dragon. She finds joy and creativity in the kitchen, and she takes delight in crafting cakes and cupcakes which impress at birthday partys.
Please message her for any questions you might have, big or small.