Growing Together
Therapy for Children and Young Adults with Special Needs
Specialised therapy for people 0-18 years with a diagnosis or a delay
in the areas of language, social and cognitive skills, anxiety and behaviour.
Therapy and assessments can be conducted remotely via Zoom from the comfort of your own home , or in your home, school, or the therapist's clinic.
Therapy services and fees
We offer a range of therapy support from young babies to adults.
Our therapists are experienced in working with families online, in your home, at the school or in their clinics,
and can help create an Early Intervention program for your child with a delay or a diagnosis.
We work with teenagers on issues such as anxiety, depression, bullying and OCD behaviours and helping to organise the ADD student.
If you have a concern about your child's development,
or a diagnosis such as dyspraxia, dyscalculia, anxiety, Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, or an eating disorder, then we can help you.
We can offer you:
Speech Therapy, Psychotherapy, Psychology, Behaviour Management, and Early Intervention programs.
Support for teenagers and young adults with ASD, anxiety and school related concerns.
Provide guidance to parents so you can implement a sound Home Schooling program,
School based teacher training to maximise integration of children with disabilities in the classroom,
Our bilingual staff can also help you to complete the forms necessary to get a diagnosis, or to receive support within the school system.
Our first 'Getting to Know You' session is free.
After that our therapists charge €30 for a 30 minute session including a follow up email.
If you would like a school visit, our therapist will provide a quote for travel time prior to your session.
If you have a concern about your child, teenager or young adult please contact us.
Support with a new Diagnosis
It is vital to receive quality support when you receive a diagnosis so you can understand how best to help your child. You no doubt have so many questions and want to make sure you have the best professional advice at this time to plan for the next steps.
If you have concerns about your child but no formal diagnosis, our therapists can provide a program to work on at home to support your child's skills.
We can also perform a range of assessments which are accepted in International schools and most French schools.
Your therapist will provide balanced professional advice specific to your family's situation. If necessary they can provide advice or training to your child's teachers improve support in the classroom.
Your child does not need to have a diagnosis to see us.
Individual Therapy Programs
Right from the first session we will help you to develop educational, language or behavioural strategies and goals to work on with your child.
Once you define your highest priorities, your therapist will provide evidence-based steps to help achieve these goals.
You will be given a range of activities or techniques to work on at home which will be refined and developed at each session.
They will be tailored to your child's strengths and interests as well as your particular family situation. At the end of each session your therapist will email you a summary of the session and any extra materials discussed.
Over the first few months you and your therapist will develop a personalised series of goals with detailed steps to attain those goals. This will help you to see the way forward and how you can help your child to learn new skills.
Behaviour Support
Behavioural issues are a common concern as your children grow up, and if a child or young adult has extra challenges it becomes even more important to get some good strategies in place.
Our therapists are experienced in supporting children and teenagers with issues ranging from safety concerns such as running away, poor sleep routines, eating disorders,
to supporting ADD students to self organise.
Such behaviours can be addressed by adjusting family reactions, supporting the anxious person, building self esteem, changing the environment, use of visuals, social stories. All behavioural supports will be highly tailored to your family.
This support will be offered to the young children in the form of parent guidance and training. With the older children and young adults there will be a combination of sessions with the parent and teenager being seen separately or together. This will be arranged with each family according to their preferences.
Our Therapists
Rebecca Leacock Specialist Educator B.E/Ch Sp. Ed.
Rebecca Leacock, the director of Growing Together Therapy is a specialised Early Intervention Educator. She has worked in clinical, home and school settings for over 25 years in Australia.
Rebecca is trained in parent coaching for home-based intervention, ASPECT autism behaviour support, Makaton Sign, Down Syndrome school readiness, assessing skill development through play (ChiPPA) and the use of visuals as communication aids (PECS).
Rebecca works with children with Autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome as well as children with a delay but no diagnosis. Rebecca has 20 years experience in teacher coaching focusing on inclusion and adaption of classrooms.
Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Special Ed) Canberra University.
Marion Pilling Psychotherapist UG Dip Psychotherapy, PG Dip CBT, MA Aut/ID
Marion has worked with children and adolescents with anxiety, learning difficulties and intellectual disabilities ('Dys'-orders, head trauma, trisomy 21, cognitive disorders, ASD). She is qualified to perform ASD diagnostic assessments and can support families homeschooling their children.
Marion offers specific and personalised therapeutic support to people on the spectrum as well as their families. Marion is a qualified psychotherapist from Regent's College London, and holds a PGDip in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) from the University of Derby and a Masters in Autism and Intellectual Disability from the Tizard Centre, University of Kent.
Marion has worked as a psychotherapist with traumatised and disabled adolescents and young adults.
Jacqui Walker Psychologist MBPsS
Jacqui Walker is a therapist and teacher specialising in the field of specific learning difficulties and gifted children. She is experienced in developing and delivering educational therapy programs.
Previously Jacqui was a specialist Autism teacher, and she now works with children with a diagnosis of Dyslexia, ADHD, school anxiety and other issues that prevent students from performing to their full potential within mainstream education.
Jacqui is qualified to assess special needs children, and create reports for UK examination boards for children that require extra support within schools, educational programs and for examinations. She is also able to create reports that are accepted by the French Educational System.
BSc. Psy.Hons.,PGCE,. Developmental Disorders PG Dip., Dyslexia & Lit.PG dip. CPT3A & AAC, Cl.Hypno Dip.
Patrick Kennedy-Williams Clinical Psychologist BA (Hons), MSc, DClinPsy (Oxon.)
Patrick works in paediatric psychology, supporting younger children and their families with behavioural difficulties, as well as common mental health problems like anxiety and depression. He also works with teenagers to overcome difficulties like anxiety, depression, school worries, OCD and trauma. Patrick has worked in an autism diagnostic service, as well as supporting young people, their siblings and their carers, with autism spectrum conditions, ADHD and learning disabilities.
Patrick is trained to administer cognitive assessments, as well as specific assessments for difficulties such as dyslexia. Patrick is a Clinical Psychologist and Chartered member of the British Psychological Society. He holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Oxford.
Jessica Lament Specialist Educator BA SpEd, MSEd
Jessica is experienced in working with families and young children (0-8 years) with a variety of different needs in school based inclusive programs.
Jessica's areas of expertise are inclusion, early intervention, DIR (Floortime) model, assistive and adaptive communication in the classroom and visual supports in the classroom. Jessica also specialises in teacher coaching on inclusion and special education supports.
Jessica has a B.A. in Inclusive Elementary and Special Education, M.S. in Early Childhood Special Education and Professional teaching certificates through the State of New York (USA).
Marisa Raymond Family Counsellor MS MPH CGC CYT
Marisa Raymond is an American board-certified genetic counsellor supporting families who have been diagnosed with, or at risk of developing a genetic disorder. She helps clients identify coping strategies for dealing with the rollercoaster of living with a chronic disease, including stress-reduction practices, coordinating medical care, and connecting with family support groups and research teams.
Marisa is also a certified parenting coach and yoga teacher who helps busy families move from feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or disconnected to finding more opportunities to create ease, joy, and togetherness.
Marisa has Master's degrees in both Genetic Counselling and Public Health, is a certified PositiveDiscipline Parent Educator, and a 200-hr certified yoga teacher with additional specialised training in teaching yoga and mindfulness to children 0-12 years old.
Johanna Pino Grisal Speech Therapist M.S. CCC-SLP, TSSLD, BEA
Johanna has experience developing treatment plans for children between the ages of 2 to 18 in the areas of speech and language skills. She has a special interest in working with children with swallowing difficulties, sensory issues while eating, and orofacial myofunctional disorders. Johanna is very experienced in supporting families virtually, and is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Suha Semaan Speech therapist Dip S&L Therapy
Suha is experienced in working with families and young children (6 months – 13 years) with a variety of different needs at home, in schools, and online for the last 11 years in Lebanon and France.
Suha is passionate about following the child’s lead and including therapy in everyday activities.
Suha’s areas of expertise are autism, and language or developmental delays. She is Hanen certified to run the More Than Words program that trains parents of autistic children develop their children’s communication skills.
Suha is also certified to run the RitaT screening test (Rapid Interactive Screening Test for Autism in Toddlers).
Suha is experienced in using PECS (a picture exchange program) to support communication.
Suha is trilingual in Arabic, English and French and can provide therapy in Arabic and English.
Olivia Clark Speech Therapist BSpPath
Olivia is experienced in working with children from 2 to 18 years old with speech and language delays, autism and developmental delay, social communication difficulties, dyslexia, apraxia of speech and stuttering.
Olivia has additional training in Hanen It Takes Two to Talk, Key Word Sign and Social Thinking.
Olivia can assess children in her clinic in Bordeaux and offers Speech Therapy online as well as in face-to-face appointments.
Olivia is bilingual in English and French and is passionate about providing clients with culturally and linguistically appropriate Speech Therapy.
Kate Wright Speech Therapist MSc. MRCSLT
Kate is an experienced speech therapist who has enjoyed working with children for over 20 years.
Kate is a clinical educator for the University of Essex post graduate MSc. She is experienced in Intensive Interaction for children with Autism, implementing Picture Exchange Communication (PECS), Pragmatic Dynamic Display, PODD, Augmented AAC especially Proloquo2 Go software.
Kate is an ELKAN tutor and uses Social Stories and well as Comic Strip Conversations to support communication.
If your child has issues with a language delay, Down Syndrome, Autism, pragmatics or reciprocal conversation skills, then Kate can help you.
Suzie Kehoe Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist, BSc (Hons), HCPCreg (UK)
Suzie has a wide range of experience working to support children’s speech, language and communication needs in mainstream and specialist settings. Suzie is qualified to support children with eating and drinking difficulties and has a particular interest in supporting children with sensory challenges.
Suzie has additional training in the DIR Floortime approach which is a fantastic tool to support early intervention.
Suzie is passionate about ensuring her telehealth sessions are fun and interactive. She believes it is important to provide holistic intervention and take a total communication approach. She loves working with children and making her therapy relaxed, motivating and enjoyable for both the child and care giver.
Parent Reviews
What our Families Are Saying
It can be difficult to find the right therapist for your child so here is a selection of testimonials from parents and professionals which may help you to make that choice. If you need further information please contact me and I can forward the details of families who would be happy to discuss their experience by phone.
I am so thankful we found Rebecca!!! I remember looking at happy families with children playing and feeling so devastated that our family would never be able to be like this. Rebecca worked with us to create ways of including Victor’s therapy in our every day life. I remember feeling the most incredible relief when I realised that the best way I could help Victor learn was to have fun helping helping him learn in our everyday life. I was so exhausted at the thought of constantly needing to go the therapy to help Victor be able to communicate more with us. Some days are still hard. But for the first time in 5 years, I honestly feel like I have control over my life by being able to support Victor in a way that doesn’t become completely exhausting for our family. I can finally see Victor making amazing gains and I can actually enjoy the parental ride for the first time! Thank you Rebecca. Our little family will forever be indebted to you!!! 💕
Zoe C.
Rebecca is an amazing teacher who can guide recently diagnosed children and their families through those difficult early days, and then keep supporting them on their journey.
She is Australian originally, and as she now lives overseas has worked with expats around the world.
I am a practitioner and heard often of her reputation for giving insightful advice and setting up really effective 'behaviour management programs' to help improve the quality of home life for the children and their whole family.
I can highly recommend her.
Cassy
Rebecca Leacock is a wonderful, caring supportive early childhood special educator. She draws upon her many years of experience in this field to support young children who have a variety of disabilities and their families. Rebecca's enthusiasm, calm manner and innate abilities help create a playful, positive relationship for the child and family to develop and grow.
Jenny D.
Rebecca is a wonderfully skilled and dedicated Early Educator and has worked extensively with children with special needs. She has always been creative, she's extremely motivated and she works beautifully with children and their families. I worked with Rebecca for some years and so I know that she offers children with special needs the very best quality care and the best opportunities for them in the future.
