Our Team

Kristy Deeks

Administration Manager

I joined the Potential team in January 2017 to provide administrative support for our therapists and clients. I have a background in allied health, having studied and worked in the field of health promotion and exercise physiology.  While travelling overseas, I gained experience in administration and continued down this path when I returned to WA.  My interest in working with children developed through helping my own children, one of whom has dyslexia and ADHD, navigate the world around them and the challenges they encounter along the way.

I love getting to know all of our clients and their families and I aim to make everyone who enters our clinic feel welcome and supported.  

Meagan de Leeuw

Administration ASSISTANT

I joined the Potential team in February 2026, where I provide administrative support to therapists and families. With a background in administration across a range of industries, including medical and mining.

Having lived in the South West for most of my life, I feel connected to the local community and enjoy being part of a service that supports children and their families.

As a mum to a young son, I understand the importance of creating a welcoming and supportive environment. I love getting to know our clients and their families and strive to ensure everyone feels comfortable and cared for from the moment they walk through our doors.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, walking our dogs and fishing on the beautiful beaches and cheering on our football teams.

Chris Hovey

Allied Health Assistant

I joined the Potential Therapy team in August 2022. As an Allied Health Assistant, I work closely with our Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists to provide children with early intervention and therapy supports to help your child reach their potential and goals.

My passion to work with children started 15 years ago as a child care assistant. Since then I've worked with children and adults with disabilities and special needs supporting them in the home and in the community.

I bring a good understanding of what it is like to go on the journey with a child who has additional needs, as my own child was born hearing impaired and now wears two cochlear implants.

I feel grateful to be a part of the team at Potential who are making  positive changes in children lives and their families.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and exploring and hiking in the beautiful South West.

Andrea Barrett

Senior Occupational Therapist

I graduated from Curtin University in 1998 and have been fortunate to work with children and their families in a range of settings for most of my career. After working in NSW for a few years, we returned to WA and settled in the beautiful Southwest.     

I have engaged in additional training in sensory processing, circle of security, family partnerships, sensory defensiveness and responsive teaching and completed Marte Meo Therapist Level Training, Advanced training in DIR Floortime and SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Advanced Feeding training.  

I love engaging with children and teens and working alongside their parents, families and schools to enable them to reach their full potential.

Outside of work I love to walk by the beach, spend time with my family and friends and enjoy a good book when I have time! 

Emily Warmington

Senior Occupational Therapist

During my 20 years as an Occupational Therapist I have predominantly been working in regional and remote locations with children and adults with disabilities.  I really enjoy paediatrics and love getting to know the young people that I work with and helping them to discover their strengths and unlock their potential.  I am passionate about sharing my knowledge of movement, the brain and behaviour to help each individual and the adults in their daily lives understand their abilities and learn how to maximise their strengths and minimise their weaknesses, preferably while playing, connecting and having fun! 

I have undertaken additional study in a large variety of Occupational Therapy interventions including  Bobath Neurodevelopmental Therapy for children with Cerebral Palsy, The SOS approach to feeding, Conquering the Wees and Poos, the Alert Program for sensory self regulation, the Deep Pressure Protocol for Sensory Defensiveness, DIR Floortime, Hanen You Make the Difference, seating and postural assessment, FASD and trauma, Perceive Plan Recall Perform model….

In my free time you will find me enjoying time with my family and friends, dancing, cooking or enjoying the great outdoors. 

Tahlia Bosveld

occupational therapist

I finished my degree in occupational therapy in 2024 and completed work as a support worker and therapy assistant while studying. I’ve always had a keen interest in paediatrics and am excited to have joined the supportive team at Potential Therapy.

I’m passionate about collaborating with families and their children to work towards their meaningful goals. I appreciate that each child has unique abilities and interests and I enjoy working with children through fun and purposeful play that uses their strengths to facilitate positive changes. 

In my free time you'll find me working on my latest art project, reading a book or adventuring around the beautiful southwest.

Sophie Lumby

physiotherapist

I have always been passionate about working with children to help them to develop their skills through play so they can achieve their goals however big or small. After finishing my Physiotherapy degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2022, where I achieved the Australian Physio Association award for excellence and commitment to Paediatrics, I moved to the South West to work as a physio in paediatrics with the incredible team here at Potential.

I love working with kids of all ages from infant to teenage years, helping them and their families work to achieve their goals and optimise engagement with peers in the community. I am able to help with a range of conditions from delays in gross motor skills, asymmetries in movement, difficulties associated with neurological and genetic conditions and support with activities such as bike riding. I am happy to provide one-off assessments with home programs as well as the option for ongoing therapeutic input if indicated.

When I am not working I love spending time in the outdoors whether that is camping, going to the beach or spending time with family and friends.

Marlene Eksteen

Senior Speech Pathologist

I have spent more than 35 years working as a Speech Pathologist in the remote, rural and regional communities I’ve been fortunate to call home. After moving from North East Victoria in July 2025, I’m thrilled to now be part of the Busselton community.

Across my career, I have worked in a range of roles, including 12 years with Autism Spectrum Australia, where I partnered with neurodivergent individuals and their families to support communication, participation and the development of their strengths. Living with post‑lingual deafness for over 10 years and receiving bilateral cochlear implants has given me a lived understanding of communication challenges and possibilities. This perspective shapes my practice and strengthens the support I offer to individuals and families.

I am a Key Word Sign Australia presenter and a strong believer in the power of Key Word Sign and AAC to open doors for people with communication difficulties. As a Hanen‑certified clinician across It Takes Two to Talk, More Than Words, TalkAbility and ABC and Beyond, I’m passionate about empowering the team around each child to help them thrive.

Outside of work, you’ll usually find me with my family, crocheting, cooking, listening to audiobooks or exploring the beautiful South West.

Emily Stajov

speech pathologist

I completed my Masters in Speech Pathology in Canada, and worked in Vancouver and Perth before settling in Busselton. I am passionate about early intervention and supporting parents with strategies to improve their child’s communication. I strive to incorporate children’s interests into activities to foster intrinsic motivation to communicate. I have experience working with autistic individuals, as well as children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), language delay and speech sound disorders. I love supporting individuals with AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) including low tech communication boards and high tech app-based systems. 

I have completed trainings in Hanen: It Takes Two To Talk, DTTC (Training for Childhood Apraxia of Speech) and Introduction to DIR Floortime. I have recently become interested in working with young people with dyslexia or reading challenges and have enrolled in the Sounds Write Training in mid-2024.  

In my free time I love going to yoga classes, running, and going to the beach with my husband and little boy.