Celebrating our Allied Health teams

From helping someone communicate their needs and build independence to supporting a child to heal from trauma, Allied Health practitioners make a meaningful difference in people’s lives every day.

On Allied Health Professions Day (14 October), we’re celebrating the diverse expertise, care and dedication of our Allied Health teams across Berry Street Yooralla, and the many ways they support people to feel safe, included and supported to lead their best lives.

Working across disability and child, youth and family services, our Allied Health practitioners bring together a wide range of skills and specialisations to provide tailored support to people, families and communities.

Our teams include Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Psychologists and Specialist Behaviour Support practitioners in our disability services, alongside Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists and Psychologists across our child, youth and family services. Our Take Two program also brings together specialist practitioners, including art therapists, family therapists and child psychotherapists, to support children and young people who have experienced trauma.

This breadth of expertise reflects this year’s Allied Health Professions Day theme, ‘Allied Health: For everyone, everywhere’.

For Lucy Whelan, Senior Group Manager Allied Health at Berry Street Yooralla, this theme captures the heart of what Allied Health practitioners do every day.

“Our Allied Health clinicians pride themselves on delivering services that meet each person where they are and walking alongside them towards their goals. To me, this is the essence of Allied Health for everyone, everywhere,” Lucy said.

Our Allied Health practitioners work in a variety of settings, including people’s homes, kindergartens, schools, clinics and community environments. By delivering support where it is needed most, they help ensure services are responsive to each person’s individual needs, goals and circumstances.

Whether supporting a person with disability to develop everyday living skills, helping someone communicate more confidently, working alongside families to strengthen relationships, or providing therapeutic support to children and young people who have experienced trauma, our Allied Health teams make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

Their work is grounded in collaboration, compassion and a commitment to understanding each person’s strengths, challenges and aspirations. By working alongside clients, families, carers, colleagues and other professionals, they help create opportunities for people to feel supported, build confidence and achieve their goals.

Bringing together such a diverse range of Allied Health expertise across disability and child, youth and family services also creates opportunities to provide more holistic support to the people and families we work alongside.

“The holistic Allied Health service we can provide across Berry Street and Yooralla is what makes our organisation unique, and it’s an exciting opportunity as we continue to bring our expertise together,” Lucy says.

This Allied Health Professions Day, we thank our Allied Health practitioners for the knowledge, care and dedication they bring to their work every day.

“A huge thank you to the Allied Health clinicians I have the privilege of working with every day, for your passion, collaboration, curiosity and dedication to our clients,” Lucy says.