Frances qualified as an OT from the University of Pretoria in 2007, and completed her Masters Degree, specializing in paediatric occupational therapy through the University of the Witwatersrand in 2013. Her research was published in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy under the title ‘Self-care of children with arthrogryposis in Gauteng, South Africa’. She has worked extensively in both the government and private paediatric sector and gained experience both in the United Kingdom and in South Africa before starting her own private practice.
She is qualified as an Ayres© Sensory Integration therapist, is a Therapeutic Listening Provider and has completed her Advanced DIR©/Floortime training. She also undertook further training in trauma-informed care and attachment and has an interest in treating children with anxiety and challenging behaviours.
Frances has an interest in animal assisted therapy and her dog Finnegan, is used in treatment sessions. She is qualified to use horses in the treatment of her clients and is the founder of Healing Strides Hippotherapy. She is privileged to be a part of the Mountain Cambridge School team, where she offers school-based therapy for the MCS learners.
Kayla Kruppa obtained her degree at the University of Pretoria in 2019. She further obtained her Masters degree in Speech-Language Therapy in 2020. She is currently completing her Doctorate degree at the University of Pretoria.
She became part of the Michelle McDonald Speech-Language Therapists team that was established in April 2018. They are passionate and enthusiastic Speech-Language Therapists who aim to ensure that their patients can communicate more effectively with their communication partners.
Kayla has a special interest in language, language learning, reading, and spelling therapy. She is trained in the assessment and diagnosis of Dyslexia through the Stark-Griffin Dyslexia Academy. She is also Prompt trained.
“I am passionate about working with children with ADHD, Dyslexia or similar learning difficulties. I believe these children can make a huge difference with their creative thinking skills”.
Tarryn is a qualified Educational Psychologist and mother of two children. She graduated with a Masters in Educational Psychology in 2011 which required extensive research into preparing her thesis on “The Strengths and Challenges of a Bursary programme in an inclusive school”. She was invited to and presented her findings to SAHISA.
Tarryn is also a qualified educator and taught for seven years as a foundation phase educator prior to starting her own practice as a psychologist. She has been in private practise for over a decade.
Tarryn works with children of all ages offering therapeutic interventions (including play therapy, group therapy, and counselling), and psycho-educational assessments (school readiness, concessions, global, subject choice, career, scholastic assessments). She also has extensive experience in presenting study skills courses, parent, and teacher workshops. Her practice is expanding to include the drafting of parenting plans and conducting psycho-legal assessments.