Josey Sharpe BSc (OT)
I am the owner of Josey Sharpe Occupational Therapy and I am dedicated to supporting every family I work with, to help their child reach their full potential so that they can actively participate in everyday activities.
I am a mum of 4 kids and I live in the Blue Mountains. I grew up in South Africa and moved to Australia about 10 years ago. I graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2004. I was lucky to be educated and mentored at the undergraduate level in sensory processing. It was here that my passion for this area of occupational therapy was ignited.
Since moving to Australia, I have worked in both community and private paediatric settings. I have completed numerous continuing education courses including:
- “Getting Kids In Sync” by Genevieve Jereb
- “New Treatment Perspectives” by Colleen Hacker
- “Building Blocks for Sensory Integration Course” by Sheila Frick
- “The Alert Program for Self Regulation” by Carla Cay Williams
- “The Astronaut Training Protocol” by Sheila Frick
- “Sensory Defensiveness” (Therapressure© Brushing Protocol) by Patricia and Julia Wilbarger
- Therapeutic Listening© by Sheila Frick
- Advanced Therapeutic Listening© with Sheila Frick
- Handwriting Without Tears®
- A number of courses on DIR® Floortime™
- “Cool Kids for Autism” – Macquarie University
- “Anxiety in the Special Needs Population” with Kasha Bedford and Jane Wearn
- “Social Thinking” by Michelle Garcia-Winner
- 5 Day Treatment Intensive – Sheila Frick
I have also been involved in regular training with the Gabrielle Centre for Children and The Sensory Gym. These mentoring sessions have involved Skype sessions and face to face time with Tracy Stackhouse and are invaluable learning opportunities.
I have been privileged to learn, work and be mentored at two amazing summer camps: Avanti (in Hudson, Wisconsin USA) and Jabiru (Yarramundi, NSW). Both are camps for children with sensory processing disorders. Since 2013, I have been organizing and leading social skills groups and school readiness groups. I enjoy working in schools and preschools. I enjoy working in partnership with the educators of your children, and developing new ideas and strategies to support your child in their formal learning environment. I look forward to meeting you and your family.
I am continually amazed at the changes children make through the therapeutic process, and it is this that drives me as a therapist. I really do love being an OT! I love that I get to go to work and play all day and jump and swing and crash and have fun.
Josey
Jackie Moretti BAppSc (OT)
I graduated from University of Sydney in 1998 with a B App Sc (Occupational Therapy). Occupational Therapy is an amazing career and I have had the pleasure of working with a diverse range of age groups and client groups in my working career.
I have worked as a Paediatric Occupational Therapist for the last 4 years and thoroughly enjoy working with children and their families. Children have such potential. To be able to assist and watch children grow, develop and meet their goals is such a pleasure. I have worked in a number of roles in Paediatric Occupational Therapy including both in private practice and working with a not for profit organisation.
I am a mum to 3 beautiful children (one almost teenager and 2 younger school aged children). I have lived all my life in Western Sydney and enjoy the diversity our area now brings.
During the last few years, I have participated in many training courses, to ensure I am able to provide best practice therapy. Some of these courses include:
- “Traffic Jam in my brain” – Genevieve Jereb
- Sensory Defensiveness (Therapressure Brushing Protocol) by Patricia and Julia Wilbarger
- The Alert Program for Regulation – Carla Cay William
- M.O.R.E (Integrating the Mouth with Sensory and Postural Functions) by Patricia Oetter and Eileen Richter
- Sensory Profile 2 update by Winnie Dunn
I love working both within the clinic setting as well as in schools and preschools. The opportunity to work alongside and support educators with children is of great importance to my role and this is an important partnership I strive to foster and maintain.
Jackie
Chloe Gianatti, B Health Science, M Occupational Therapy
I graduated from the University of Western Sydney in 2014 with a Bachelor of Health Science / Master of Occupational Therapy. During my studies, I always knew that I wanted to work with children and families. My passion is to support meaningful participation in everyday activities including play, being in the community and at school.
I was fortunate during my studies to have multiple practical experiences working with children in a variety of different settings from going on practical experience to both schools and clinics.
In 2013, I was blessed with the opportunity to study at San Jose State University, USA, for a semester whilst also completing a placement at a local paediatric clinic. I worked with kids in both the local schools and in the clinic. It was a wonderful opportunity to further extend my skills as a paediatric Occupational Therapist.
I live in the Blue Mountains and I enjoy going on adventures including canyoning, bushwalking and hiking with my friends.
I have recently attended the Handwriting Without Tears training which was exciting and I am motivated to use this sensorimotor approach to learning to write. I also attend a regular professional development group with the other OTs from Josey Sharpe Occupational Therapy, the Gabrielle Centre and the Sensory Gym where we are mentored by the very experienced Tracy Stackhouse from the USA. I have completed training in Developmental Individual-difference Relationship-based model DIR®/Floortime® Model with Colleen Hacker.
I love being a Paediatric OT and being a part of helping the children I work with grow and develop new skills.
Chloe
Rochelle Passano
Neil Gaiman wrote that “Fairy tales are more than true. Not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
So let me start off by saying I believe in fairy tales and magic and I believe that a good OT session should always include a touch of the magic and wonder that makes childhood special.
I graduated from the University of Cape Town in South Africa in 2009, and have been working in paediatric occupational therapy since 2010, in hospital, clinic and school settings.
I am passionate about supporting families to find the best ways to cope with every day challenges while working on the skills kids need to thrive over the long term. I believe that OT cannot occur in isolation, and I include parents, siblings, teachers and other professionals in the therapeutic process whenever possible.I find working with children on autism spectrum as well as those with developmental challenges especially rewarding. I also have extensive experience working with children that have experienced trauma.
Coming from South Africa the vast majority of my work has been in resource scarce settings. In South Africa children and schools/clinics do not have the funds available for gyms, therapy equipment or the variety of games and toys we see in this setting. I believe that this has grown me as an OT, as I am adept in finding innovative ways to achieve functional outcomes during therapy and realistic ways of developing home programmes that do not demand specialised equipment.
I live in the Blue Mountains and am the mum of a busy toddler.
I have completed several continuing education courses namely:
- Hands on Autism 1 & 2 Presented by Autism South Africa
- Autism In Practice: A Therapeutic Approach to Autism presented by the Johannesburg School for Autism in South Africa which is the biggest Autism Specific school in Africa
- An Introduction to the Clinical Analysis, Treatment and Management of Children with Cerebral Palsy presented by the South African Neurodevelopmental Therapy Association
A good OT session should always include a touch of the magic and wonder that makes childhood special.
Rochelle
Genevieve Joseph B Health Science (Hons), M Occupational Therapy.
I graduated from Western Sydney University in 2017. During my 3rd year prac with Josey Sharpe and the team, I enjoyed working alongside parents and children to develop their motor skills and sensory processing so much that I was very excited to start my OT career with Josey after graduating.
I love music, singing and incorporating music and creative arts into therapy for children and adults, and have had opportunities to do this both through working with Josey and previously working with traumatic brain injury.
My honours research project was on family focused practise in mental health, with the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District. During this time, I learned how clinicians can work to support children within challenging family contexts.
I am looking forward to expanding my professional experience through the expert mentoring from staff on my team and further formal training.