Health and Therapy Team

Dr Veronica Harris - Clinical Child Psychologist
Child Psychologist D Veronica Harris has more than 20 years of experience working with children, young people and families dealing with a wide range of difficulties. As a child psychologist, she offers counselling and psychological intervention for clinical presentations such as anxiety, depression, phobias, behavioural disorders, autistic spectrum disorders and ADHD as well as general family and developmental difficulties including sleep, feeding, toileting, behaviour management, anger management, bullying and social difficulties, separation anxiety and fears, low self esteem, family stress, parenting skills and support, parental separation, loss and sibling rivalry. Veronica has also worked with families dealing with exceptional difficulties like chronic illness, disfigurement, trauma, abuse and adoption. Veronica works closely with schools and pre-schools to support the management of children with emotional and behavioural difficulties and offers consultancy and training to groups of staff, parents and other Allied Health professionals. In addition to individual and family counselling that supports children and teens through challenging experiences, Veronica conducts formal Psychometric and Educational Assessments that can confirm if a child is Gifted, identify children’s Specific Learning Difficulties or determine a child’s learning and academic potential (IQ). At Kids First, Veronica also runs popular  Fun Friends  and  Friends for Life workshops. These well known resilience and self-esteem programs support small groups of children aged 4 - 11 and include support and strategies for parents. Dr Harris is accredited under the  Better Access to Mental Health Care Initiative ,  Helping Children with Autism  and Better Start for Children with Disability  initiatives to provide support to children with special needs and their families

Dr Yan Cheng - Children's Speech Pathologist
Yan has many years of experience in the field of paediatric speech and language support. A highly skilled practitioner and award-winning researcher, Yan obtained her Doctor of Philosophy in Speech Pathology from the University of Queensland. She has worked with hundreds of children in hospitals, schools and clinics in Australia and overseas. Her research has been published in five professional journals and she has presented the findings of her studies at nine national and international conferences. Yan is an expert in children’s learning and development and also provides training to parents and teachers about children’s language and social communication skills, sign language and the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). At Kids First, Dr Cheng provides Best Practice individual therapy and innovative support to children in our Medicare-rebated Early Intervention and School Readiness groups. Her extensive work with special needs children advantages children diagnosed with Autism, Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome and hearing impairments. Yan also works closely with Kids First's Occupational Therapists, offering DIR Floortime® inspired support to children with Sensory Integration difficulties. Yan is a memeber of our special needs team and provides support to children eligible for Helping Children with Autism and Better Start for Children with Disability funding.

Morgan Webster - Children's Occupational Therapist
Occupational Therapist, Morgan Webster is an enthusiastic, energetic children's Occupational Therapist who makes therapy fun for the kids in her care. With years of experience in private clinical settings as well as schools and pre-schools, Morgan's sound understanding of the NSW curriculum and her expertise in fine motor and visual perception support make her a highly sought after therapist for children of all ages and abilities. Morgan has worked extensively with children with additional needs and is also part of Kids First's Write Away  team, supporting small groups of children to improve their handwriting. Morgan also works with children who have sensory processing challenges using techniques such as the DIR Floortime® model. In addition, Morgan works with children in Kids First's  Bright Start  Early Intervention program for children with special needs and is accredited to provide specialist Occupational Therapy to children receiving support through the Federal Government's  Helping Children with Autism  program.

Karen Spitzer - Educational and Developmental Psychologist 
Psychologist Karen Spitzer is a highly experienced professional offering a range of supports to children and families. She specialises in helping kids cope with issues like anger management, bullying, self esteem, grief, loss and divorce. Karen is a specialist in supporting families through transition to school periods and her vast knowledge of the NSW education system is of particular benefit to families seeking support with school placements for children with additional needs. Karen is also qualified to conduct psychometric academic and behavioural assessments in order to assist children to better cope with home and school environments. She also runs Kids First's successful social and emotional resilience program,  Building Confident Kids . Karen is accredited under the  Helping Children with Autism and  Better Start  initiatives to provide support to children with disabilities and their families.

Dagney Hopp - Children's Occupational Therapist
Dagney is a paediatric Occupational Therapist who has helped hundreds of children to overcome physical challenges that affect their learning and development. Dagney is a Sensory Integration specialist who is fully experienced in the DIR Floortime® method. She has practised widely with children with special needs and has an extensive background in the areas of motor co-ordination and sensory processing. She offers a variety of physical therapies that assist children diagnosed with conditions like Autistic Spectrum and Sensory Processing Disorders and is a key member of our  Bright Start  Early Intervention team. Dagney also helps children to improve their fine and gross motor skills, supporting them as they learn to manage daily skills like handwriting, cutting and dressing. She also finds solutions for children who are clumsy or find it hard to focus and concentrate in busy classrooms. Occupational Therapy with Dagney is available to children who receive assistance through the  Helping Children with Autism  and  Better Start  initiatives.

Fiona Teudt - Children's Speech Pathologist
Speech Pathologist Fiona Teudt is a highly qualified paediatric therapist who has extensive experience in private practice, schools and community health. Fiona has worked widely with pre-schoolers who are late talkers and have impaired language development. She also has particular expertise in school aged literacy, with expertise in the Lindamood and Verbalising and Visualising methods. Fiona has vast experience with children with special needs, including those with Autism Spectrum and Auditory Processing Disorders. She is trained in the PROMPT method to assist children with speech sound disorders and is also highly skilled in supporting children who stutter. Fiona is well known for her parent education programs and is part of Kids First's team of specialists that provides direct support to children in schools and pre-schools. Fiona is part of Kids First's multi-disciplinary children's health team providing support to children through the Federal government's  Helping Children with Autism  and  Better Start  initiatives.