meet the team

beckie

Beckie has been a Speech and Language Therapist within the NHS for 10 years alongside her more recent private therapy.
She has a specialism in fluency and has also undergone training in situational mutism.
Alongside this Beckie has 12 years experience working with children with Down Syndrome and has qualifications in Makaton and BSL.
Beckie loves her career, no two days are the same and no two children are the same. Beckie’s flexible approach ensures that each child receives a therapy programme tailored to their individual needs.
Outside of work Beckie has her hands full with her two daughters and can often be found in soft play, or going for long walks attempting to wear them out. Family days out are one of her favourite things to do, especially adventures in the forest or fun at the seaside.

charley

Charley graduated as a Speech and Language Therapist from Newcastle University in 2014 and has over 11 years of experience working across the NHS and Local Authority.
Charley has a particular interest in supporting children with speech sound differences, including those with presentations associated with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). She has completed advanced training in the Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme (NDP3) and Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC), and is passionate about providing therapy that is evidence-informed, engaging and tailored to each child’s individual strengths and communication needs.
She also brings a wealth of experience supporting children with a range of communication profiles, including Deafness, Down Syndrome, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and Selective Mutism. Charley is highly experienced in contributing to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), helping to ensure that children’s communication needs, strengths and support requirements are clearly understood and represented.
Charley believes that building strong relationships with children, families and the professionals around them is central to effective support. She takes a collaborative approach, working closely with families and schools to help children develop their communication skills, build confidence and communicate in ways that work for them.
Outside of work, Charley is mum to two young girls and loves getting out for a run whenever she can. She enjoys spending time with her family and making the most of being outdoors.
Charley is a valued member of the Speech Buddies team and loves being able to support children and their families on their individual communication journeys.

RUTH

Ruth graduated from Newcastle University in 2002 and works for the NHS as well as privately.
She has a wealth of experience working with children and young people with a wide range of speech, language and communication difficulties including those with a learning disability and Autism.
Her specialist area of interest is Augmentative and Alternative communication (AAC) and she is passionate about helping children and young people to communicate successfully as communication is fundamental to all aspects of life.
She enjoys working closely with parents/carers and other key people in a child's life so they are able to support their child in the best way possible.
If all that doesn't keep her busy she is mum to three children, who keep her on her toes! She enjoys spending time with her family and is always planning their next holiday!
If she manages get any spare time she loves to run catch up with friends and bake!
Ruth will be supporting families further North in Hexham, Corbridge, Prudhoe, Stocksfield and surrounding areas.

kara

Kara qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2017, bringing a wealth of experience and a genuine passion for supporting children and young people with diverse communication needs. Before qualifying, Kara worked as a carer for a toddler with complex needs and as a Speech and Language Therapy Assistant for a company specialising in delivering therapy remotely — meaning she was well ahead of the curve when online working became the norm!
Kara has a particular interest in Autism and language development and completed specialist training in 2019. She went on to redesign and coordinate the Neurodevelopmental Pathway within a North East NHS Speech and Language Therapy service, developing her expertise in neuroaffirming approaches and supporting children and young people with a range of neurodevelopmental profiles.
Kara currently works with teenagers with complex trauma and is passionate about creating safe, supportive spaces where young people feel understood, accepted and able to communicate in ways that work for them. One of her teenagers recently described her as “quirky but quality” — a description Kara absolutely loves!
As Clinical Lead for Social, Emotional and Neuroaffirming Practice at Speech Buddies, Kara supports the team to develop their understanding and confidence in neuroaffirming, trauma-informed and relational approaches. She is passionate about helping ensure that our practice recognises each child and young person’s strengths, individuality and communication style.
Outside of Speech Buddies, Kara is a huge music fan and an avid record collector. She loves going to gigs and festivals and is completely wrapped around the paws of her two dogs. When she’s not working, you’ll often find her watching something Louis Theroux related or planning her next holiday.

fay

Fay qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2008.
She spent 12 years working with children with a wide range of speech, language and communication needs, as well as swallowing difficulties, within the NHS.
More recently, Fay has also worked as a Teaching Assistant in the Early Years Team of a mainstream primary school.
Outside of work, Fay can be found juggling three children and a dog, listening to a podcast, or trying to make caravanning cool!

Karen

Karen qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist from the University of Reading in 2004.
She has experience working with children of all ages in supporting a wide range of speech, language and communication needs. She fulfilled her role across the early years and school settings, providing assessment and therapy for children, and training for health and education staff. She became a specialist in deafness, supporting deaf children and their families until she moved to the North East on 2014.
Since moving to the area, Karen has continued her work as a Speech and Language Therapist and has also taken some time away from her role to be a full time mum to her two boys.
She loves making memories with her lovely boys and when she gets a rare moment or two enjoys reading and yoga.

joanne

Joanne is our Practice Manager and plays a key role in keeping Speech Buddies running smoothly behind the scenes. She oversees the day-to-day organisation of the practice, managing new referrals, client enquiries and appointments, coordinating our therapists’ diaries and helping to allocate families to the most appropriate therapist.
Joanne also manages our school contracts and supports the administrative and financial side of the practice, including invoicing and keeping everything organised across our growing team. She is often the first point of contact for families and schools and is always on hand to answer queries, provide support and help ensure that everyone has a positive experience with Speech Buddies.
Her excellent organisational skills and friendly, approachable nature help keep the team efficient and organised, allowing our therapists to focus on what they do best — supporting children and their families.
Outside of Speech Buddies, Joanne is mum to Alice and William. She loves spending time outdoors and enjoys family bike rides and camping adventures with her children and husband.
Joanne also has another exciting role as a Hartbeeps Imaginator, where she gets to combine her love of singing, performing and making families smile and laugh.

steph

Steph graduated from Newcastle University in 2019 with a Distinction in MSc Language Pathology. Since then she has worked across both the NHS and independent practice here in the North East and more recently in Sheffield.
She has worked with young people with a wide range of speech, language and communication needs across home, school and nursery settings. However has developed a dual Specialism across Speech Sound Disorders and Multilingualism. She has explored additional training in working with young people with Speech Sound Disorders, including Cued Articulation and the Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme.
In a previous role Steph supported the development of a Multilingual Service Pathway to ensure equality of provision across all service users. This work was carried out alongside researchers at Newcastle University, where she presented the journey of this Pathway at the North East Research Symposium.
Outside of being a speechie Steph enjoys being outdoors in the sunshine, gardening and getting lots of snuggles from her cat. Steph has recently moved back home to the North East so will be found walking along the beach with a coffee at every opportunity!

sue

Sue is a Speech and Language Therapist with over 13 years of experience supporting children and their families. She has worked extensively in primary schools across Lancashire, supporting children with a wide range of speech, language and communication needs, including Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Selective Mutism, Autism and speech sound difficulties.
She is Makaton trained and has experience using a range of approaches, including Colourful Semantics, Lego Therapy and speech sound programmes. She believes therapy should be engaging, enjoyable and meaningful for children, supporting them to develop their communication skills in ways that feel natural, motivating and right for them.
Her passion for Speech and Language Therapy began while working in a nursery, where she saw the difference that the right support could make to a young child. This inspired her to pursue a career where she could help children communicate, build confidence and feel understood.
She particularly loves seeing children grow in confidence as they develop their communication skills and supporting them to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas in ways that work for them. She takes the time to build positive relationships with each child and their family, recognising that every child is unique and may communicate and learn in different ways.
Outside of her work, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, Dorothy and Sidney, visiting Cornwall with her husband, baking cakes and dressmaking.
She looks forward to getting to know each child and family and supporting them to communicate with confidence, develop their strengths and reach their individual potential.

katy

Katy graduated from the University of Northumbria in 2001 as a primary school teacher and has enjoyed a varied career working across all key stages, with a particular focus on Early Years over the past seven years.
Throughout her teaching career, Katy has developed a strong interest in supporting children’s speech, language and communication. She has experience working alongside children with a range of communication profiles, including Autism, delayed language development and speech sound differences. She is passionate about creating inclusive learning environments where children feel understood, supported and able to communicate in ways that work for them.
Katy has developed inclusive curriculums and learning environments that promote early language, vocabulary and phonological awareness. She has a particular interest in the power of positive adult-child interactions to support language development and has received quality training in the ShREC model. She is also trained in delivering systematic phonics programmes and has supported children through early language and communication programmes, including Talk Boost. She has experience using assessment tools such as WellComm to help identify children who may benefit from additional support.
Throughout her teaching career, Katy has worked closely with Speech and Language Therapists, supporting the implementation of strategies and programmes within the classroom and incorporating recommendations into everyday learning. This experience has given her a valuable understanding of the importance of collaborative working between education staff, Speech and Language Therapists and families.
Katy is now excited to bring her wealth of teaching experience into her new role as a Speech and Language Therapy Assistant with Speech Buddies. She is passionate about helping children develop their communication skills, build confidence and have their voices heard. She looks forward to combining her knowledge and experience in education with her developing skills within Speech and Language Therapy to provide engaging, supportive and meaningful communication opportunities for the children and families she works with.
Outside of work, Katy enjoys spending time with her family and friends, walking her dog Teddy and, of course, stopping off at coffee shops along the way!
Katy is delighted to be joining Speech Buddies and is excited to begin this new chapter, using her experience in education to support children to communicate, connect and thrive.

alison

Alison graduated from Newcastle University with an MSc in Language Pathology in 2012 and has worked as a Speech and Language Therapist within the NHS for over 14 years. During this time, she has worked across nurseries, schools and clinics, as well as delivering training to education staff to support their understanding of children’s speech, language and communication.
Alison has experience supporting children and young people with a wide range of communication profiles, including speech sound differences, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Autism and selective mutism. She also has experience supporting children who use a Gestalt Language Processing style of language development, adapting her approach to recognise and build on the way each child naturally develops and uses language.
She has recently completed further training in child-directed therapy, selective mutism and trauma-informed practice. Alison takes a child-centred and strengths-based approach, recognising that every child communicates differently and that therapy should build on their individual strengths, interests and ways of communicating.
Earlier in her career, Alison worked within specialist provision supporting children with profound and multiple learning disabilities and deaf children. She also worked as a 1:1 support assistant in a primary school, supporting a child with Autism. These experiences have given her a broad understanding of the different ways children communicate and the importance of creating environments where every child can participate and have their voice heard.
Alison is passionate about working collaboratively with children, families and education staff to support communication in ways that are meaningful, engaging and appropriate for each individual child.
Outside of work, Alison is kept very busy with her three children and, in her spare time, enjoys running.

sally

Sally graduated as a Speech and Language therapist in 2018 and has worked in NHS across two different trusts, primarily supporting a caseload with complex needs and/or swallowing difficulties. She currently leads the complex needs team in her NHS role and has designed and developed the pathway to better support the needs of service users.
Sally’s specialist interests are Autism and Down Syndrome. She is Hanen More than Words trained and was committed to integrating this approach within her team and delivering parent groups. Sally is passionate about supporting children and young people to access any mode of communication and loves to problem solve with parents to devise a targeted plan.
In her spare time she’ll be taking walks and playing with her two children (fur baby and toddler) who both bring her endless amounts of joy! And hopefully starting on finally writing the list of children’s books she has planned…

areas we cover in the north east

Including close surrounding areas