OUR TEAM
Di Van der Walt
Managing Director and Principal Speech Pathologist
Di is a passionate and experienced speech pathologist dedicated to helping all children communicate in ways that feel natural and empowering to them. She firmly believes that communication and literacy are fundamental human rights, and every individual deserves access to robust communication methods and high-quality literacy instruction.
Di founded Perth Hills Speech Pathology in 2017, later rebranding to Perth Hills Allied Health to expand her vision of a holistic, neurodiversity-affirming practice. With the addition of Art Therapy, the clinic continues to provide a supportive, strengths-based approach to therapy that meets the needs of children with and without disabilities.
With extensive experience across most areas of paediatric speech pathology, Di is a strong advocate for neurodiversity-affirming practices and works closely with her team to ensure these principles are embedded throughout their work. She holds a Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy and is a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist with Speech Pathology Australia. Di is also certified in Hanen’s “It Takes Two to Talk®” and “More Than Words®” programs and is a trained instructor in Sounds-Write (a Systematic Synthetic Phonics program) and Talk 4 Writing.
Her leadership and expertise have been widely recognised—in 2022, she was named one of the Top 50 Small Business Leaders. She previously served as Chairperson of the Private Speech Pathologists’ Association of WA (PSPAWA) for four years and remains an active Corporate Member.
Beyond her clinical work, Di enjoys sharing her knowledge through podcasts, webinars, and training sessions. She has been a guest on The Inspired Parenting Podcast and Human Chapters Podcast and looks forward to more podcast appearances in the future.
Outside of work, Di lives in Roleystone with her husband, Andre, their two children, Joshua and Caleb, two dogs, and a cat. She loves spending time outdoors, exploring new bush walks and trails.
Tara Quinlivan
Practice Administrator/ Receptionist
Tara has over 20 years of varied administration experience and an extensive background in customer service. She enjoys helping the community and has a strong commitment to deliver smooth, stress-free communication within the clinic.
Tara values family and is lucky to be part of a very lively blended family. She is a devoted Mum of one and a dedicated Bonus Mum of two. Tara enjoys spending time with her husband and children by going on bush walks, karaoke, spontaneous trips to the beach and playing family games.Tara enjoys singing, dancing and the performing arts. Most of her childhood memories are of her playing the piano, extensive vocal training and dance lessons. As she grew older her passion turned into teaching children singing. In 2015, Tara created a singing business called Vocalstarz. She finds much joy in guiding individuals of all ages into finding their own individual voice and to build up their confidence. Tara also currently teaches Musical Theatre to children at a local dancing school.
Tara loves being able to be the friendly face you and your children see when you walk through the clinic doors. She loves the quote, “Every child is gifted. They just unwrap their packages at different times”.
Deb Wilkes
Art Therapist
Deb is a passionate Art Therapist experienced in working with neurodiverse children using a holistic, child-centred approach.
Deb has a background in Graphic Design, a Bachelor of Arts Psychotherapy (BAP), is a Certified Practicing Counsellor with Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) and is currently studying a Master of Child Play Therapy.
As a devoted mum of 3 creative, sensory seeking children, Deb understands that using fun, creative play can assist children in reaching their goals.
Deb believes in a fun, play-based approach. Her research explores the use of clay in therapy for children with proprioception dysfunction. She is conscious about how using various art materials in therapy, with a focus on the process rather than the final product, can create neural pathways and increase cognition while providing a creative way of learning and reaching goals.
Cicely Binford
Speech Therapist
Cicely is a Speech Pathologist with a background in theatre and the performing arts. Her special interests as a clinician include neurodiversity, voice training and care, and languages. She is originally from Texas and has lived on Whadjuk Noongar boodjar (Perth) since 2007.
As an Autistic/ADHD clinician, Cicely has an innate understanding of the communication, sensory, emotional, and cognitive differences that people with neurodivergent profiles may experience. Her lived experience informs and shapes her clinical approach with clients because she believes that neuro-affirming practices benefit everyone, regardless of whether they are neurodivergent or neurotypical.
Cicely also believes strongly in client-centred, child-led care, which means that her priority is to create a safe space for children and families to be themselves, have fun, and communicate freely and authentically. She often draws upon her theatrical side by using things like role-play, funny expressions, or singing during therapy activities with kids.
Her aim is to help children and their families communicate confidently and successfully so that they can become strong self-advocates who have the supports, skills, and resources to pursue their interests and dreams throughout their lives.
Cicely holds a Masters in Speech Pathology and is a Certified Practicing Speech Pathologist with Speech Pathology Australia. Cicely was recently a guest panelist on Speech Pathology Australia’s Speak Out Podcast.
Eve Williams
Speech Therapist
Eve is a Speech Pathologist who is especially interested in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and values the many ways people can communicate their needs, wants, thoughts and feelings.
She strives to implement neurodiverse affirming practices in her sessions so that she can create a safe space for her clients to learn and grow.
Prior to starting at Perth Hills Allied Health, Eve worked in the disability space as both a support worker and as a Speech Pathologist. Within these roles, she worked with a large range of individuals with different communication support needs. Eve found these experiences valuable as they shaped the way that she now views communication and allowed her to explore what she can do as a clinician to empower her clients to feel heard and understood.
In her spare time, Eve enjoys doing yoga, hiking, camping and walking her dogs.