At Recovery Station, clients are at the heart of everything we do. Our dedicated clinicians work creatively and compassionately, meeting clients where they live, work, and thrive.
Pictured from left to right: Janelle, Erin, Michelle, Meagen and Stefanie.
In this article, our discipline heads share why they love working in the community, from supporting clients in their daily environments to building long-term therapeutic relationships. They also talk about their visions for their teams’ future, which is focused on growth, innovation, and delivering the best client-centred care possible.
Our clinical heads of discipline work in the environments that matter most to our clients, whether that’s at home, at work, or in the community. They collaborate with families, service providers and allied health professionals to deliver evidence-based services that empower people to live a quality life.
Each leader brings a unique blend of clinical expertise, creativity, and dedication to their role, ensuring that no two days are ever the same. This focus on growth and innovation extends to our team culture, where building a happy, empowered team of clinicians is just as important as the work we do for our clients. By fostering a supportive, collaborative environment, we ensure our clinicians thrive and deliver the best possible care.
Stefanie | Discipline Head – Speech and Dietetics
Why do you love working in the community?
I love working in the community as I genuinely believe there’s no greater honour as a therapist than being welcomed into someone’s home. In the community, we can see how people really live their lives and tailor our recommendations and their therapy to their environment and lifestyle. It allows our therapy to be as meaningful and impactful as possible.
Many of the barriers are much more obvious in the community than in a clinic or hospital setting. When we are working on a specific functional goal with a client. For example, ordering a coffee at the local cafe: working as a community therapist means we can see this goal through by visiting the cafe with the client and watching them achieve this milestone. What an incredible privilege!
What’s your vision for your team?
I’ve been so blessed to join an incredible group of Speech Pathologists and Dietitians this year who are already doing exceptional work supporting their clients in communication, nutrition, and safe eating and drinking, collaborating with the wider Recovery Station team and the clients’ support networks.
I’m excited to support the team in continuing this exceptional work in the NDIS space and in expanding into Aged Care supports, both in the community and in Residential Aged Care. Most of my career has been spent supporting older adults, especially those with neurological and respiratory conditions, and I’m excited to watch the team grow in this area as Australia’s ageing population continues to grow.
My vision for the Speech Pathology and Dietetics team at Recovery Station is for us to continue to grow in size and scope, with our clinicians specialising in areas of passion as their skills develop through the amazing Professional Development opportunities we offer. I love that we have such a focus on continuing professional development so we can continue to always provide the very best care and evidence-based practice
Michelle | Discipline Head – OT
Why do you love working in the community?
I love the freedom to work in different places and meet people where they live, work and play. No two days are ever the same for that reason. In this line of work, it’s such a privilege to be invited into a person’s home and life, and I never take this for granted.
There’s something very special about building long-term relationships with clients, seeing their journey, and supporting them in achieving their goals.
What’s your vision for your team?
My vision is to continue building on the enthusiastic, forward-thinking, and innovative team we are! I want us to continue creating diverse, integrative learning experiences to develop the breadth and depth of our clinicians, grounded in evidence-based practice. My goal is to empower each team member to develop their special interests, whether in home modifications, driving, neurorehabilitation, or other areas, so they can enhance client outcomes.
Additionally, I am committed to fostering collaborative engagement across our multidisciplinary team, creating a safe and creative space where our clinicians to feel seen and recognised for the invaluable work they do.
Janelle | Discipline Head – Physio and EP
Why do you love working in the community?
I love the variety of work! Clients truly appreciate the flexibility since many can’t—or prefer not to—visit clinics. It takes real creativity and lateral thinking to assess and design treatment programs without the luxury of clinic equipment.
I also appreciate being part of a team, collaborating with clients, their families, community support, and allied health. We’re all in it together!
We are lucky enough that our clinicians can work in the community and in our clinic. We offer a wide variety of clinic classes and programs that can also be modified for people receiving therapy in their own homes.
What’s your vision for your team?
My Team Vision is threefold:
- We’re a team equipped with confidence and expertise, utilising everything from everyday household items to advanced virtual reality technology to support our clients.
- We bring our skills to a diverse range of conditions, from general frailty to complex genetic disorders.
- We embrace challenges, thrive on them, and finish each day fulfilled by the positive impact we’ve made on our clients’ lives.
Erin | Discipline Head – Mental Health
Why do you love working in the community?
I love getting to work with my clients in the environments that matter to them, whether their homes, local communities, day programs, or work. I really enjoy using my knowledge, skills, and creativity to support my clients in setting and achieving goals that really matter to them.
From a personal perspective, I really value the autonomy and flexibility that working in the community offers, and I love the fact that no two clients or days are ever the same. My MHOT skills are forever growing and adapting to support my client’s needs, and I am a far better clinician for this!
What’s your vision for your team?
I am so proud of our Mental Health team and the dedication our clinicians have to support their clients and one another. I would love to welcome more MHOTs, Psychologists, and Behaviour Support Practitioners to our team so that we can continue to provide a high level of client-centred, trauma-informed, and neuro-affirming support and interventions to more participants. Growing our team will ensure better access and improved mental health for those in our community who most need them.
To provide a holistic approach to mental health care and meet our clients’ diverse needs and goals, I would like to continue supporting our mental health clinicians in their special interest areas, whether in psychosocial disability or neurodiversity.
I want to see the MH team at Recovery Station continue to support each other as we grow and develop our skills, implementing creative and person-centred therapies, utilising evidence-based practice, a range of therapy approaches, and evolving technologies to support our clients in achieving their goals and optimal mental health and wellbeing.
Meagen | Clinical Manager
Why do you love working in the community?
There are so many things to love! I love seeing clients in their own space, and it helps me get a full understanding of how they function and what they would like to achieve. I value the long-term relationships you build with clients. It’s awesome being on the road and seeing so many new places. I also appreciate the flexibility of working around home commitments.
What’s your vision for your team?
We will continue to grow and support each other to provide the best service that we can for our clients. To be a place where people enjoy coming to work every day and where they can see the positive difference they are making to people’s lives.
To be innovative and up to date with best practices, so we can offer quality service to our clients.
What’s next?
As we’ve heard from Recovery Station’s discipline heads, working in the community offers a unique opportunity to connect with clients in meaningful ways. From fostering independence in real-life environments to building relationships, each clinician brings an invaluable perspective to their work.
The shared visions of our leaders reflect a deep commitment to growth, innovation, best practices, and teamwork.
As Disability Care and Aged Care legislation continue to evolve, our team remains focused on learning and adapting to ensure that every change strengthens the quality of life for our clients. By embracing the flexibility, creativity, and personalised support that community care demands, they ensure that high-quality, client-centred care remains at the core of Recovery Station.
Our clients can always be assured that our team will continue to champion collaborative, evidence-based approaches that enhance clients’ well-being and help build healthier, more inclusive communities.
If you’d like to learn more about Recovery Station, make a referral or be a part of our team, you’re welcome to call us on 1300 588 851.
Until next time,
