We are a neurodiverse affirming practice that offers services to children with speech, language, communication, and feeding needs, whatever the reason for their difficulties. We do this through individual, group or family sessions, education and home maintenance programmes.
The practice was founded in 2003 by Carol Brenner, who is the owner.
As a small practice, we have always remained personal, dealing with each family holistically and personally and offering the unique support and services required by each individual.
You can download our practice documents here.
Carol Brenner
My practice was my baby for many years before my own beautiful children came along. My passion is children: all children, of all ages, because every person has the right to understand and be heard.
I graduated from the University of Witwatersrand in 1997 with a dual degree in speech therapy and audiology. My career started at the Johannesburg hospital, now known as The Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital, where I was seconded to set up a department at Thembisa Hospital. This was an excellent learning experience as a new graduate. I then headed off to England where I worked on multidisciplinary child development teams, in mainstream and special needs schools and in hospitals.
Upon my return I found myself in school settings working with mainstream and special needs children before starting on the road to private practice in 2003. I have done numerous courses to enhance my understanding and work with children predisposed to reading and written language difficulties and dyslexia, and I am familiar with the RAVE-O literacy programme based on the science of the brain and reading. I completed this course at BellaVista School in 2021.
I have a Master’s Degree in Speech Pathology from the University of the Witwatersrand, and over the years, I have done numerous post-graduate courses in bobath/ndt technique and philosophy. I am trained in PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Targets), PODD (Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display and SOS (Sequential – Oral Sensory) Feeding Therapy.
I have also done training in Greenspan’s DIR Floortime approach to improving communication and relationships with children on the autism spectrum and with developmental delays.
My therapy approach is eclectic and holistic and must always meet the needs of the client and their family. This is possible though a relationship of mutual respect, patience and understanding. As a mother of two, I am fully aware that each person’s journey is their own and that parenting is no easy feat. My job is to support, guide, and improve the lives of those with whom I work. I am blessed that every day I wake up and can still say that I love my job.
When I’m not at work…. I’m working! My energetic, funny and beautiful children were born in 2012 and 2013. Together with my wonderful and supportive husband my family make sure that I am always learning, growing and challenging myself in ways I never thought possible.
Tarryn Stevens
“Not being able to speak and communicate is not the same as not having anything to say.”
Limitations in a child’s ability to speak, communicate and make themselves understood, limits their ability to reach their full potential. The ability to communicate is the essence of human life and every child deserves a voice. My privilege, my passion and my purpose is to come alongside children with speech, language and communication barriers and their families and navigate a way through these challenges together, to find each child’s unique voice.
I graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2013 with a dual degree in speech therapy and audiology. I completed my community service year at Helen Joseph Hospital where I was privileged to learn from and work with an inspirational group of people who changed the trajectory of my personal and professional life forever.
Since then, I have spent much of my professional career working in private practices, both school based and independent therapy centres, endeavouring to acquire experience, skill, and knowledge to add to my therapeutic backpack. In addition to this, I have continued to remain intrigued by and involved with research and I have had the privilege of presenting the research from my undergraduate degree in 2013, entitled: The effects of in utero exposure to antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the language abilities of HIV exposed uninfected infants and my master’s degree in 2020, entitled: Dialogic Reading in the South African context: outcomes of a caregiver training video on caregiver reading behaviours at both national and international conferences. I continue to enjoy writing and reviewing research papers for publication in national and international journals.
Throughout my academic and professional journey, I have continued to attend professional development courses on a wide variety of topics including PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Targets), and the DIR Floortime Approach.
I am an avid horse rider and horse enthusiast and when I am not working, you are most likely to find me at a stable yard. I am grateful for my amazing family, wonderful and supportive husband, and my faith without which I would not be where I am today.
Being a speech-language pathologist challenges me to continuously grow and learn. Not one child is the same as another. Through a diverse and integrated approach to therapy, I strive to empower the children that I work with to discover and embrace their uniqueness. I am blessed to be a part of what I consider to be the best profession on earth!
Zaahidah Docrat
“Communication is the essence of human life”- Janice Light
I was always passionate about helping people and making meaningful impact in the lives of individuals. What better way to achieve this than by supporting and assisting them in acquiring the skill that is the essence of life.
My Name is Zaahidah and I graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2021 with a Speech-Language Pathology degree. I completed my community service at Johannesburg Health District Office, serving at various community clinics across Johannesburg.
This experience provided me with invaluable insights into assisting people with diverse conditions across different demographic groups. During this period, I was privileged to work within a close multidisciplinary team, which equipped me with invaluable skills in ensuring holistic management of all patients.
In 2023 I completed the South African Certified Lactation Consultant (SACLC) course through the University of the Witwatersrand. During this time, I volunteered at a hospital in the Northwest, where I worked in the maternity, paediatric and neonatal ICU wards to educate and assist mothers establish breastfeeding. This was a beautiful experience as each mother-baby dyad was different; developing my skills in providing patient centred and holistic care.
With the skills and lessons, I have learned during these years, I strive to manage my clients care within a biopsychosocial model.
This ensures that my clients are treated holistically. I am committed to supporting parents through their journey with their child. I feel blessed to be part of this team and to have the opportunity play a role in your child’s speech and language development.
Aneesah Kader
Children have always impassioned me. I enjoy being part of a child’s journey, helping them thrive and aiding them in being the best version of themselves.
As a therapist I may not spend all day with a child, but I am always thinking of ways to help them as they leave an impression on my heart. I share a parent’s joy when their child reaches a milestone, no matter how big or small as every child has potential that needs to be unlocked which is discovered on entering their world.
I completed my speech therapy and audiology undergraduate degree at the University of the Witwatersrand 2014 and have been fortunate to attend insightful courses such as PROMPT Introduction and Bridging, Sequential Oral Sensory approach to feeding and other exciting courses which have enriched my learning and contributed to my experience and competence as a therapist. I value continued learning and look forward to applying more evidence-based practice in my work.
I completed my community service at a rural hospital in Mpumalanga. This experience was invaluable as many skill sets were developed, not only professionally but also my adaptability and resourcefulness were challenged and grew substantially. I later worked at a remedial school in a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary setting.
This allowed me to view the children I see in a holistic manner thereby improving the care I provided. Following this experience I ventured into private practice where I have been afforded the opportunity to work with a team of therapists and doctors which has enriched my knowledge and improved client care.
I do believe that communication, in whichever form, is a huge part of personal and academic success. I am excited to be part of your child’s journey
