Sherene Rajkumar

Private Practice – Bundaberg & Telehealth

Delivered independent assessment and therapy services to NDIS and private clients across the lifespan. Provided flexible service delivery through in-home visits, school-based therapy, and telehealth to clients in regional and remote areas. Developed personalize therapy plans and home programs tailored to individual client needs.Subcontracted with the Mater Private Hospital to provide inpatient speech pathology services, primarily focusing on swallowing assessments, reviews, and carer education. Held an aged care contract delivering speech pathology services to residents, with an emphasis on dysphagia management and staff training.

Managed all aspects of private practice operations, including scheduling, billing, documentation, and compliance. Maintained strong communication with families, educators, support coordinators, and interdisciplinary professionals. Also provided contracted services to Catholic schools, including teacher aide training and consultation.

Private Practice & Hospital Setting in the Bundaberg Region

Provided assessment and therapy for children and adults with a range of communication and swallowing disorders, funded through NDIS and private payment. Delivered services in-person, via telehealth, and developed home practice programs for remote clients. Managed therapy services across six Catholic schools, with a focus on teacher aide training and classroom support. Worked collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team (OT, Physio, EP) and maintained regular communication with families, educators, and support coordinators to ensure holistic client care.

Private Practice & Hospital Setting

Worked with clients ranging from toddlers to adults with various communication and swallowing needs. Responsibilities included assessment, intervention, development of home practice programs, and regular collaboration with interdisciplinary teams. Provided inpatient services at a private hospital, focusing on swallowing assessments, reviews, and carer education, with occasional communication assessments. Trained and proficient in using Power Diary for client scheduling, documentation, and progress notes.

• Clientele: Adults clients with neurological disorders such as Parkinson's Disease and acquired brain injuries, voice, speech and language disorders and swallowing concerns.
• Key tasks: Administer swallowing, speech and language screeners and assessments, provide appropriate intervention according to the client's needs and goals. During the placement, I was trained in the SPEAK OUT! program and am qualified to administer the intervention for Parkinson's patients. All sessions were conducted through telehealth and had opportunities to liaise with the multidisciplinary team.

• Clientele: Geriatric population within the aged care presenting with expressive and receptive language difficulties (Dementia, Alzheimer's disease, right and left CVA), Presbyphonia (ageing voice) and swallowing concerns.
• Key tasks: Assessed referred residents for cognitive and communication skills and provided intervention based on areas of difficulties. Participated in various group therapies (children and the elderly interaction group, bingo group and Italian coffee club group therapy). Had opportunities to administer food and fluid trials and liaised with nursing staff for diet modification for residents with swallowing difficulties.

• Clientele: Adult Voice and Fluency outpatients and inpatient rehabilitation. Several paediatric Fluency outpatient focus.
• Key tasks: Wednesday placements were dedicated for Fluency clinic only focused on assessing and delivering intervention for individual patients with a stutter and one-hour group therapy focusing on Smooth Speech techniques. Friday placement focused on providing voice therapy for individual patients (Head & Neck stretches, diaphragmatic breathing, LaxVox, Vocal Function exercises, Deconstriction exercises and Forward resonance). Two to three hours of Friday placements were spent at the rehabilitation unit administering screeners (BNT, BEBLT, CAT, PALPA) and language intervention.

• Clientele: Simulation of real-life adult patients presenting with Dysarthria, voice disorder, Dysphagia and Aphasia.
• Key tasks: This placement was designed to simulate real-life adult patients which required administering swallow, speech, language and voice screeners and assessments. Interventions were provided according to the patient's goals and with clinical decision making skills.

• Clientele: Preschool children who were on the waiting list for Speech Pathology services for either speech or language intervention.
• Key tasks: Provided screening assessments for children referred by the school Speech pathologist and provided individual speech and language therapy as well as facilitated in running a large language group therapy through play-based activities. The services were delivered during school hours with the provision of weekly homework tasks to be completed by the child with support from their caregivers.