
Meet the Team
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Christine Siepmann
DIRECTOR | PRINCIPAL SPEECH PATHOLOGIST
Christine Siepmann is the Director of Communiskills and Principal Speech Pathologist. She is a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist and a member of Speech Pathology Australia, with over 40 years of clinical and management experience in Speech Pathology. Qualifying in 1985 with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Speech Pathology) and becoming a Licentiate of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (UK) in 1990, Christine has made a positive difference to the lives of a multitude of children, adults and their families over the years.
She established her private practice in the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne in 1994 after returning to Australia from the UK and has developed Communiskills to the thriving allied health practice it is today. Known for her caring and dedicated approach, Christine has a passion for working with both children and adults needing support for their communication, literacy, cognitive, social communication or swallowing difficulties. During her career she has worked in many settings including acute hospital, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, specialist tertiary neurological hospital, community paediatric services and in her own private practice. Her areas of clinical interest include Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, social communication, complex cognitive-communication impairments following acquired brain injury in adults and children, as well as Childhood Apraxia of Speech and she is a PROMPT-trained therapist.
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Zoe Vodden
SPEECH PATHOLOGIST
Zoe is a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist and a Member of Speech Pathology Australia with a Bachelor of Applied Science - Masters of Speech Pathology from La Trobe University. She has experience in clinical assessment and intervention with both children and adults across a wide range of settings including special developmental school, private practice, community rehabilitation, early childhood intervention, inpatient neurological rehabilitation, and regional community health settings.
Zoe is passionate about delivering effective and compassionate therapy, aiming to empower children, adults and their families while demonstrating kindness, warmth and fun. She uses a strengths-based approach relevant to her clients’ needs and functional goals, striving to ensure her therapy involves collaboration in order to achieve functional progress. Zoe has experience in supporting clients with communication, social, literacy, cognitive and swallowing difficulties.
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Bella Clohesy
THERAPY ASSISTANT
Bella is a final year Speech Pathology student providing individual therapy sessions to support our clients Speech Pathology treatment plans. She combines this role with supporting Client Services at Reception.
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Jack Smith
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
Jack is an experienced Occupational Therapist specialising in neurodevelopmental and complex care including mental health. He implements evidence-based, client-centred, neurodiversity-affirming care with our paediatric and adult clients. He is passionate about integrating trauma-informed approaches and psychosocial support into everyday practice.
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Lucy Watts
THERAPY ASSISTANT
Lucy is a Therapy Assistant who provides individual sessions to support our clients Speech Pathology treatment plans in order to improve their communication and social skills. She is currently studying a Masters in Psychology and her goal is to create a positive and supportive environment to help children and adults build confidence in their skills.
She combines this role with supporting Client Services at Reception.
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Gemma Ashdowne
THERAPY ASSISTANT
Gemma is a Therapy Assistant who implements therapy programs targeting reading, spelling and writing. She provides individual therapy sessions to support our clients Speech Pathology treatment plans. She is an experienced educator and enjoys providing one to one support to assist our clients to gain confidence in their skills and reach their goals.
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James Hunger
THERAPY ASSISTANT
James is a Therapy Assistant who provides numeracy support to our clients. He is a dedicated educator with a passion for helping young learners build their confidence and curiosity in mathematics.
Currently training to become a qualified teacher in Mathematics and Physical Education, James works with both primary and secondary school students, providing supports and intervention to assist students who are finding maths challenging.
With a warm, approachable teaching style, James focuses on making maths accessible, engaging and relevant. He is committed to fostering a positive learning environment where every child can thrive.
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Debbie Shardlow
CLIENT SERVICES | ACCOUNTS ADMINISTRATION
Debbie works remotely and is our virtual Receptionist. She keeps Client Services and Accounts Administration running efficiently. If you call our Reception on 03 8820 8083 you will most likely chat to her to make an appointment or an enquiry.
