Grace Andretta
Occupational Therapist
BIOGRAPHY
Grace grew up in the Southwest of Western Australia where she loved the quiet country life and being a part of nature. Grace moved to Perth to study Occupational Therapy and although it was a bit of adjustment, she now loves the faster pace of the city with all its activities and opportunities. Alongside work, Grace attends concerts, sporting events and is very social – she’s the one who is always bringing a group of people together and making everyone feel welcome.
Grace had two other career pathways before choosing occupational therapy, working as a beauty therapist and a pharmacy assistant. Both jobs involved working with people in an environment where she was able to provide support to improve others well-being. This felt natural to Grace, and she was always looking for more theory behind providing care to others.
Grace was drawn to the discipline of occupational therapy specifically through a personal experience. From this, Grace realised her potential to be a reliable health professional where she could listen, advocate for, and create a team to make a difference in clients and their families lives.
Grace completed an honours project as part of her bachelor’s degree within the paediatric field. This was her first in depth look at the paediatric environment alongside a final-year placement with Calm and Connected. This is where Grace realised her love for early intervention – the concept of giving therapy in the early years.
Grace was employed at Calm and Connected as a therapy assistant where she was able to work independently with clients under the supervision of experienced occupational therapists, this gave her a taste of being a qualified occupational therapist and realised she was in the right profession for her.
APPROACH
Grace believes that building a strong relationship with the client and their family is crucial. Grace works hard to advocate for her clients and to create a team environment so that all persons involved are supporting the client to reach their goals.
Grace has a real passion for working in early intervention, where she is continuously seeking the opportunity to upskill in evidence-based practice to integrate new knowledge into therapy sessions. Grace ensures sessions are a safe space for her clients, filled with creativity, flexibility, and choice through play-based activities.
Grace always brings a genuine smile to every interaction. Grace believes that all children should be provided with opportunities and experiences that allow them to engage with others and their environment, whilst developing meaningful connections for their overall well-being.
CERTIFIED IN
- Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours)
- Vital Links, Therapeutic listening: Quickshifts: Revolutionizing the Use of Sound in Sensory Integrative Treatment, 2021
- Vestibular-visual Matters: Kim Barthel, 2022
- The SpIRiT of Pediatric Therapy: Clinical Reasoning Tool