Caroline Gillam Gillam

Proven Therapy Assistant at Peach Speech Pathology, I excel in tailoring therapy plans and enhancing patient progress, showcasing strong work ethic and empathy. Skilled in time management and patient education, I foster optimal outcomes and support family engagement. My background also includes diverse roles that have honed my resilience and collaborative skills.

I am a driven and passionate Speech Pathology student, currently completing my final clinical year and my Honours research project at Curtin university. I have experiences working as a therapy assistant and support worker and I thoroughly enjoyed both these opportunities. I enjoy working within a team environment and building relationships with those around me. I believe in the importance of supporting those within my team and learning from one another. I hope to continue to develop and build on my skills and experiences as a new graduate as I thrive upon new experiences and challenges and hope to make the most of my opportunities.

Working With Children Check (WWC)

First Aid Certificate

CPR National Police Check

NDIS Clearance

Hand Hygiene Certificate

Adult Placement 

This placement was completed during my third year of my Speech Pathology course. This placement was a nine week placement that involved one day in the clinic and two days of session planning and note making. I worked alongside one client with one other student. We completed weekly sessions with our client which included assessment and intervention. We were required to conduct individual and group sessions. The Social Group sessions involved working with clients with aphasia and dementia.

Paediatric Placement 

This placement was completed in my third year of my Speech Pathology course. This placement was a nine week placement that involved one day in the clinic and two days of session planning and note making. For this placement, I was required to conduct individual and group sessions. The individual sessions included both assessment and intervention.

Stuttering Placement 

This placement was completed in my third year of my Speech Pathology course. This placement involved attending the stuttering clinic one day a week for five weeks. For this placement, I was required to conduct individual and group sessions. 

Paediatric Placement

This placement was completed in my final year of my Speech Pathology course. This placement was a full time placement that involved attending both a clinic and school for the duration of ten weeks. This placement involved conducting individual and group sessions at a Primary School and at a clinic. These sessions involved assessment and intervention. 

Mentoring Placement 

This placement was completed in my final year of my Speech Pathology course. I was required to attend a school one day a week for nine weeks. This placement required me to mentor third year Speech Pathology students. During this placement, I also conducted Language Development Centre (LDC) report. This involved conducting assessments and completing the report. This placement required me to organise sessions and students, observe sessions and provide feedback, liaise with teachers and staff and edit session plans, progress notes and formal documentation. 

Adult Placement

I am currently on placement at the Cockburn Integrated Health Clinic. This is my final year adult placement. I am currently completing assessment and intervention sessions for 8 clients with a range of communication disorders. My case load includes clients that have aphasia, neurogenerative disorders and transgender clients seeking voice therapy. I am completing therapy in the areas of speech, language, voice and swallowing. 

My desire to study speech pathology initially came from my love for engaging with children as well as working alongside a Speech Pathologist whilst working as a boarding house supervisor. As my studies have progressed and I have been exposed to gaining more experience and undergoing learning opportunities, my passion has only grown stronger. I am a driven person, who enjoys working in a team environment and finding ways to develop my skills and grow as a future Speech Pathologist and as a person. I believe in the power of supporting others, which correlates to my enjoyment in working with clients and their families as well as working alongside other professionals. The power of human interaction and communication is not something to be underestimated and hence that is one of the main reasons I am so proud to be studying this course and very soon, beginning my career in this field. 

Over my studies, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with both the adult community as well as the paediatric. I believe we are lucky to be in a profession in which we can work with people across the lifespan and develop therapeutic and meaningful relationships with our clients as well as their families. My passions specifically revolve around working with the paediatric population in areas such as language and literacy, speech sound disorders early intervention. I am from a small rural town in Western Australia and due to this, I have developed a passion and interest for working in regional and rural towns. I believe it is fundamental for those living in regional areas to have access to health care services, to feel heard and to feel that they are supported. Due to growing up in an area that required my family and I to travel long distances to access health care services, I feel a strong desire to give back to these communities, to advocate for these families and communities and to continually seek to improve the services provided. A significant aspect of my desire to work within regional areas also lies around the fundamental importance of community. I believe communities are the back bone of towns and hence providing access to health care services helps to allow community members to feel supported.

Speech pathology is an incredible service that all that require it, deserve access to. Communication, I believe, is a basic right for all. Providing those with autonomy and advocating for ones to right to communicate through promoting client centred and family centred practice, is highly important to me as a person and as a future clinician. Overall, I believe my strengths and passions lie around my desire to help people, to allow individuals and families to feel in control over their health care journey and to give back to regional and rural areas. I find enjoyment in working with people and working in a team. I believe in continuously striving to learn more, to grow as a person and professional and to help make a difference in someone’s life, no matter how small. Working for Western Australia Country Health Services is where I believe I will thrive as a professional as I am able to understand those local to the area and what they need. I believe this will opportunity will open my eyes to new experiences, new people and allow me to develop my skills and knowledge as a Speech Pathology.

 Sincerely, 

Caroline Gillam