Our Team
West Coast Speech Pathology is a professional and family friendly Private Clinic based in Hillarys, Western Australia.
Pamela Barnes
Owner and Director
Pamela has a wealth of knowledge pertaining to literacy difficulties and dyslexia. She has over 33 years educational experience, as well as 10 years in private practice as a Speech Pathologist. Pamela has an extensive understanding of the State and National Education Curriculums and experience working with children from 16 months of age to 17 years old. Her passions are working with children who have severe speech sound difficulties, dyspraxia, dyslexia and children with language delays. She is a mother of three sons and grandmother of two.
Qualifications
- Graduate Certificate of Autism Diagnosis, University of Western Australia
- Master of Science Speech Pathology, Curtin University
- Bachelor of Education, Claremont Teachers College
- Diploma of Teaching (Distinction), Churchland’s College
- Member of Speech Pathology Australia
- Certified Practicing Speech Pathologist (CPSP)
- Accredited Cogmed Coach
- PROMPT Trained – Prompts for restructuring oral muscular phonetic targets
- Working with Children Check
Ollie
Animal Assistant Therapy Dog in Training
Meet Ollie our animal assistant therapy dog in training. He is a much-loved member of West Coast Speech. Ollie has an important role within West Coast speech. He provides unconditional love and support, being an important part of therapy sessions. Ollie works with children and young adults who have anxiety, poor self-esteem, lack confidence, social communication difficulties, experienced trauma, expressive language difficulties, stuttering, self-regulation difficulties and autism. He provides additional motivation for our clients to attend therapy.
Ollie has a soothing effect, helping clients to regulate their behaviour and reduce their anxiety. He takes the focus away from the child feeling self-conscious and enhances the therapy session. When the client pats Ollie they release the endorphin oxytocin which has a calming effect. This helps our clients to relax, speak slower and lower their stress levels. During therapy sessions Ollie helps clients to regulate their emotions through the sensory action of stroking his coat and providing hugs. When discussing confronting topics i.e., bullying or how to join in a conversation, Ollie is there providing support, assisting our clients to persevere with the discussion or activity rather than feeling overwhelmed.
