We believe that every child should reach their communication potential

We are committed to working together as a team to develop your child’s communication

We are passionate about working with your child and supporting the whole family unit

Our therapy is fun and effective

Meet The Team

Sarah Lyons
Owner and Director Speech & Language Therapist for SL Therapy London

S L Therapy London was founded by Sarah Lyons, Consultant Speech and Language Therapist. She set up her private practice in 2012 working with families, schools and nurseries to develop children’s communication skills.

Sarah holds a BA (Hons) in English Language and Literature from the University of Leeds (2003-2006) and a BSc (Hons) in Speech and Language Therapy from Birmingham City University (2007-2010)

Sarah has extensive paediatric therapeutic experience; working in a range of settings such as mainstream schools, special schools and early years settings, outreach (delivering therapy to young person's attending independent colleges in the North West London area) and managed a Hearing Impairment Service.

Sarah has worked as Head of Therapies for an independent school for students with complex communication needs, autism and challenging behaviour. She led a multi-disciplinary team consisting of Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Music Therapists. She was responsible for service delivery development, devising policies and involved with strategic planning for the therapy service within the college. She also held a specialist caseload at the college working with students with complex communication needs and associated difficulties.

Sarah has specialist training in a range of approaches including Selective Mutism, Makaton, Picture Exchange System, Attention Autism, Social Skills Caroline Bowen Articulation Disorders and Lego Therapy.

She has extensive experience in providing assessment and advice as an Expert Witness and has postgraduate training from Bond Solon.

Sarah holds the position of Past Chair for the Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice (ASLTIP).

Sarah is a Committee Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapist’s Professional Policy and Practice Committee (RCSLT).

Sarah has also had the honour of :

  • Keynote Speaker, Journal of Health Visiting Study Day: Developmental milestones: what is the range of ‘normal’ and what is outside?
  • Interviewer for new cohort of therapy students at Birmingham City University
  • Book reviewer for the journal Child Language Teaching & Therapy (CLTT)
  • Published Author in the Journal of Health Visiting
  • Guest Speaker; Down’s Syndrome: Enhancing Communication and Learning in Secondary Education at Primary Care and Public Health conference
  • Committee Member for the RCSLT Bilingualism Specialist Interest Group (SIG)
  • Speech and Language Advisor to the Down’s syndrome Association
Read More
Read Less

Imonina (Nina) Dafe
Consultant Speech & Language Therapist

Nina has been working as a Speech and Language Therapist for over ten years in both the public and private sectors in boroughs such as Brent, Southwark, Lewisham and Harrow. She has worked with children with a wide range of communication needs, including early speech and language delays and disorders, autism, ADHD and specific language impairment.

Apart from empowering children with the skills and strategies needed for communication, Nina is also passionate about ensuring that each child’s environment is as inclusive and accessible to them as possible. As such, Nina also enjoys providing training for school staff (such as teachers, learning support assistants and teaching assistants). She has also led and contributed to coffee mornings for the parents of children with Speech Language and Communication Needs (SLCN).

Qualifications

Nina qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2009, gaining her Speech and Language Therapy BSc (Hons) from The University of East Anglia. 

Specialist Training

Nina has a range of clinical expertise and has undertaken specialist training in different programs of therapeutic approaches and techniques, including Makaton and Hanen, Lego Therapy and regular attendance of Autism Team Training.

Nina has attended postgraduate training from Bond Solon to provide assessment and advice as an Expert Witness.

Skills and Interests

  • Supporting children and their families in all areas of communication development
  • Promoting awareness and understanding of communication difficulties within schools
  • Working holistically and collaboratively
  • Learning through play
Read More
Read Less

Lucy Allen
Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist 

Lucy has been working as Speech and Language therapist since 2015. She has experience of working with children with a wide range of communication needs including speech delay, global developmental delay, early communication development, attention difficulties, language delays and disorders, Autism and stammering. Lucy was the first speech and language therapist to work under Sarah Lyons and is excited to be back!

She is passionate about helping children to improve their communication and language through play and by following children’s own interests.

Qualifications:

Lucy qualified with a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Manchester in 2013.

Lucy qualified with a postgraduate diploma in Speech and Language therapy in 2015 from City University London.

Lucy completed her Masters research project (MSc) in Speech and Language therapy whilst working with Sarah, in 2016 from City University London.

Specialist Training

Lucy has previously worked with a variety of intervention approaches including Colourful Semantics, Parent child interaction therapy, Cued articulation for speech, Attention Autism, Language for Thinking, Talkabout programmes and The Hanen Programme.
Lucy has experience of completing Education Health & Care Plans and always ensures speech therapy needs are targeted and addressed within these.
Lucy is highly passionate about providing tailored child centred therapy and ensuring therapy is fun and achievable. Lucy has extensive experience in training other professionals e.g. all teaching staff, nursery workers, allied health professionals and doctors.

Skills and Interests:

  • Speech delay and disorders.
  • Early years communication and language development.
  • Autism.
  • Language delay.
  • Social communication skills.
Read More
Read Less

Rosemin Abdeen
Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

Rosemin has a passion for working with children and families from diverse linguistic backgrounds. She has experience of working with children of all ages at different stages of their lives, helping them to reach their full communicative potential in play, friendships, education and doing what they love to do. She uses a fun, caring approach, personalising intervention to the needs of the child and their families to get the best results.

Rosemin has over ten years of experience working as an SLT for both the NHS and private sector within the boroughs of Ealing, Hounslow, Richmond and Hillingdon.

She has experience of working with children with a wide variety of communication needs including early speech and language delay and disorder, vocabulary delay, word finding difficulties, attention, memory and social communication difficulties, autistic spectrum disorder, development language disorder and various other conditions that affect children’s communication.

Qualifications and Membership

  • Rosmein qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2010 from University College London (UCL).

Specialist Training

Rosemin is trained in the use of SCERTS and Makaton and has experience of a variety of intervention approaches including Cued Articulation for speech, Colourful SEmantics and Shape Coding for language, structured approaches such as TEACCH and play based therapy interventions such as parent-child interaction approaches, positive interaction therapy, identiplay and Lego therapy.

Skills and Interests

  • Supporting families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds

  • Raising awareness of Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) within local communities

  • Early Intervention

  • School age intervention

Read More
Read Less

Chloe Crudgington
Speech and Language Therapist

Chloe's aim is to empower both the parent and child to achieve their full potential, to provide them with the tools and strategies for successful communication.

Chloe has a range of experience working from children aged 3-16 in mainstream schools, with a range of speech, language and communication needs. She has experience working with speech sound disorders, autism, attention and listening skills, stammering, hearing impairment and language difficulties.

Qualifications:

Chloe qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2021 from the University of East Anglia.

Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (Rc0039371)

Specialist Training

  • Colourful semantics
  • Attention Autism
  • Early Years
  • Speech sound disorders
  • Parent-Child Interaction Approach
  • Makaton
  • Cued Articulation

Skills and Interests:

  • Supporting families throughout their therapy journey and creating positive outcomes
  • Early Years Interventions
  • Learning through play
  • Supporting schools and nurseries
Read More
Read Less

Millie Clark
Speech and Language Therapist

Millie is passionate about providing a quality service to children and families that suits their needs and environment.

Millie has a range of experience working with children aged 1-16 in mainstream schools, nursery/preschool, visiting families at home and within the clinic setting. Millie works with children with  communication difficulties including; speech sound disorders e.g. Dyspraxia, as well as Autism, Dysfluency, Language Delays and Disorders.

Qualifications:

Millie qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist from the University of East Anglia in 2021.

Millie is a member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RC0042928).

Specialist Training

  • Nuffield Dyspraxia Program
  • Picture Exchange Communication system (PECS)
  • Cued Articulation & Speech sound disorders
  • Attention Autism
  • Early year

Skills and Interests:

  • Supporting the whole family with communication strategies 
  • Play based therapy
  • Functional communication
Read More
Read Less

Jemma Phillips
Office Manager

Jemma works alongside Sarah and the SL Therapy London team to manage client referrals and appointments, to assist the therapists with clinical records and general administration.

Jemma graduated from Salford University with a BA (Hons) in Modern Foreign Languages (French & Spanish) and following this spent 15 years in a variety of Sales, Marketing and Administrative position before setting up her own Virtual Assistant business. She has since supported a variety of clients including number of speech & language therapists, a skincare expert, a brand/marketing agency and a social innovator.

Read More
Read Less

Sonja McGeachie
Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

For more than twenty years Sonja has been helping new-borns, babies, toddlers and children to overcome speech and feeding challenges. She has worked in both NHS and private Practice and for the last eighteen years has worked as an Advanced Specialist Speech and Language Therapist and Clinical Lead in the Child Development Clinic in London North West Health Care NHS Trust.

Sonja supports everyday challenges like establishing breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, weaning to solids and encouraging picky and tricky eaters. She is a regular breastfeeding support worker at the Royal Free Hospital, both on the maternity ward and in the tongue-tie clinic and provides support at Laleche Breastfeeding Cafés in Barnet and in Fulham. Sonja is currently an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) in training.

Qualifications

Sonja qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 1996, gaining her BSc (Hons) Clinical Communication Sciences degree from The Royal College of Speech and Drama.

Specialist Training

Sonja has a range of clinical expertise and has undertaken specialist training in a variety of approaches and techniques, including:

  • Advanced Paediatric Dysphagia Diploma, Manchester University 2003
  • Regional Makaton Tutor
  • Bobath certified for Dysphagia Therapists
  • Oral Placement Therapy (Talktools) Level 1 and 2
  • Attention Autism – all phases/stages
  • SOS Approach to Feeding (For Sensory Aversion and Picky Eaters)
  • PROMPT certified for oral motor/speech difficulties
  • Neonatal Behaviour Observation Schedule traine
  • ‘Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) trained
  • Hanen ‘More Than Words’ Programme certified

Skills and Interests

  • Sonja can give you fun and straightforward daily activities that will make a big difference to your child’s long-term development.
  • She has specialist interest and expertise in feeding and swallowing difficulties, autistic spectrum disorders, down syndrome, and alternative, augmentative communication (AAC).
  • Sonja works in English and German and has lots of hands-on experience of raising children in a bilingual home.
Read More
Read Less

Debbie Cohen
Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

Debbie  holds over twelve years experience working with nursery aged children through to young adults in both the public and private sectors. She works collaboratively with parents/carers to ensure children reach their full potential. She provides fun, bespoke and motivating therapy and tailored strategies.

Debbie has a special interest and passion for working with children and young adults with a range of needs such as Autism, social skills, language needs and speech sound difficulties. Debbie is passionate about advocating independence through supporting children with problems solving skills, inference, and social skills. Debbie offers support to families in managing transition and supporting families to provide optimal environments for communication and interaction to develop.

Qualifications

Debbie qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2010, gaining her Speech and Language Therapy BSc (Hons) from City University.

Specialist Training

Debbie has a range of clinical expertise and has undertaken specialist training in a variety of approaches and techniques, including:

  • Elklan Total Training Package for 5-11s
  • Voice and its disorders – Christella Antoni
  • Social thinking – Michelle Garcia Winner
  • Sensory stimulations - Joanna Grace
  • Selective Mutism – Maggi Johnson
  • Speech sounds - Caroline Bowen
  • Social skills and self-esteem - Alex Kelly
  • Attention Autism - Gina Davies
  • Intensive interaction - Dave Hewett
  • Lis’n Tell – Louise Coigley
  • Coaching for performance - Performance Consultants (International) Ltd

She has also participated in further professional development working with supporting children with language development and attention difficulties and learning disabilities.

Skills and Interests

  • Working with all ages of children and young adults
  • Working with mild, moderate and severe communication needs
  • Using a range of sensory resources to support learning
  • Working holistically and collaboratively
  • Providing training and empowering teaching assistants, teachers and parents to feel confident communicating with children and young adults with additional needs.
Read More
Read Less

Linda Campbell-Arthur
Chartered Clinical Psychologist

Linda has twenty years experience working as a Clinical Psychologist. She has worked extensively in the field of trauma and other anxiety disorders. She has an Autistic son and this motivated her to become involved with local charity RUILS, where she created a support service for families of Autistic children.

Linda has worked with nursery aged children through to young adults in both the public and private sectors.

Qualifications

Linda qualified as a Clinical Psychologist in 2002.

She is registered as a Chartered Clinical Psychologist with:

  • Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
  • The British Psychological Society (BPS)

Skills and Interests

  • Linda has a passion for working with children and adolescents and adapting traditional therapies to suit the child’s specific needs in creative ways.
  • She believes the family are central to any child work and supports parents in finding what works for their child.
  • She provides diagnostic assessments for Autism and ADHD, as well as different psychological therapies for the range of childhood difficulties.
Read More
Read Less

All our therapists are;

© Copyright 2024 SL Therapy London Ltd | Company Reg No: 10726979 | Privacy PolicyWeb Design By Toolkit Websites