FamilyWorks Associates
The following practitioners are trusted colleagues who partner with FamilyWorks from time to time.
Bernadette Robinson
Bernadette graduated at the Physiotherapy School at the Georg August University Göttingen, Germany, in 1980. Prior to moving to Australia, she worked for 15 years as a Physiotherapist in the Children's Hospital & Child Development Centre in Oldenburg, Germany. Here she treated children of all ages with a variety of medical conditions. During this time, she specialised in the treatment of children with developmental, neurological, and respiratory conditions. After she passed the AECOP Exam in 1999, she worked in Western Australia for a couple of years at Rocky Bay, treating young adults with neuro muscular conditions, before she became the Senior Physiotherapist at the Fremantle Child Development Service.
In her time as a practitioner Bernadette observed that the development of specific early gross motor skills is fundamental for many of the infant’s developing social, emotional, and physical functions and relationships. For example, infants with weak stability and poor control of their core trunk muscles often have concomitant difficulties with not only fine motor skills, but also with the feeding relationship and feeding, sleeping, speech, language, and communication. Daily care activities can become a stressful experience for the infant and the caregiver if lifting, carrying, lowering, bathing, feeding, positioning, and protection are awkward and if infant’s cues are misunderstood. Paediatric physiotherapy involves a mother and infant who are in the very early stages of their relational journey together. Bernadette tries to enhance this relationship by collaborating with mothers to develop positioning and handling skills that make both the babies feel physically secure and the caregivers more confident in their parenting role. Over the past 23 years Bernadette extended her knowledge and experience in providing services for infants & toddlers in the public & private service extensively. She shared her knowledge and experience in providing presentations, supervision and mentoring to other Physiotherapists and health professionals both as part of her role as the Senior Physiotherapist at the Fremantle Child Development Service and outside this service. Bernadette earned the AAIMH WA Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health ® as an Infant Family Practitioner (IFP) on 30th September 2022. In July 2024 Bernadette retired from her position at the Fremantle Child Development Service, however, she is still available to offer Physiotherapy treatments for home consults as well as supervision & mentoring for allied health professionals providing services for infants & toddlers. PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICE not only FOR BABIES & TODDLERS Bernadette Robinson Physiotherapist (Paed) & Infant Family Practitioner IMH -E® Mob: 0407382561 / Email: [email protected] |
|