Meet our team
Our speech pathology team work collaboratively to provide high quality clinical services. Our team consists of Natalie O'Brien (Principal Speech Pathologist), Natasha Stratton (Speech Pathologist) and Karen Roberts (Speech Pathologist). We bring different strengths to SpeechPLUS Therapy Solutions, priding ourselves on collective problem solving for the benefit of all our clients. In addition to our speech pathology team, we partner with a number of other professionals and organisations with shared values to provide the highest quality service to our clients and their families.
Principal Speech Pathologist
Natalie O'Brien
Since attending a careers talk at the age of 14, Natalie knew she wanted to be a Speech Pathologist. Natalie is passionate about the vital role speech pathologists play in improving the lives of individuals facing communication and swallowing difficulties, particularly by maximising participation and achieving meaningful quality outcomes tailored to each person.
Over more than 20 years, Natalie has worked across a number of different sectors including early childhood, schools, aged care, rehab, disability and clinical education. Each sector has taught her a huge number of skills, opened her eyes to the challenges faced by people across the lifespan and solidified her ambition to work with families and organisations to achieve the very best outcomes. Natalie’s ‘can do’ attitude has improved the lives and participation of those she supports.
Natalie’s loves the power of human connection. Connection through shared book reading, through sharing of life stories, through all modes of communication. Setting people on the pathway to being connected to the people around them is what drives her.
Speech Pathologist
Natasha Stratton
Natasha is a dedicated and enthusiastic speech pathologist who is driven by the provision of evidence based, high quality services for all. As well as being a speech pathologist, Natasha is an experienced primary school teacher who has taught in regional WA, in Perth and in London. She has worked across the primary school years as a classroom teacher, a literacy specialist and a deputy principal. One of her favourite roles was working along side other teachers in the classroom to improve outcomes for all children in the class.
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Taking a step back from her role as a primary teacher, Natasha spent several years with a primary focus on raising her two boy. As part of this role, Natasha spent many hours volunteering in her children’s classes and after school activities giving her valuable insight education from a parent’s perspective.
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Natasha understands the need to work flexibly, and to provide person-centred services for all clients. This stems from her firm belief that everyone has a right to communicate and that with the right supports everyone can share their ideas.
Speech Pathologist
Karen Roberts
​Karen is a skilled clinician with a specific interest in adult language and voice, and a special interest in working with people with dementia. Whilst this clinical area is her great love, Karen is also able to work with clients across the lifespan and has a focus on establishing connection with her clients, to maximise outcomes.
Karen is guided by the principles of the Life Participation Approach Model for people living with Dementia and their families. In addition, Karen has a 20 years’ experience in professional voice training and has an interest in the treatment of people with voice problems.
Karen has worked in research investigating the impact of Montessori Mealtimes on increased engagement, social interactions and person-centred communication for people living with dementia, conversational language intervention for people with post stroke Aphasia, Primary Progressive Aphasia and rare Dementias. Karen’s work in research drives
her passion for providing evidenced based therapies to help people achieve their personalised goals and outcomes.
A career in Speech Pathology fulfills Karen’s desire to help people successfully communicate identity through life stories, actively participate in daily activities, and be connected with loved ones.
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Partnerships
