Professional development | Melbourne VIC

We are committed to life long learning

Professional Development & Consulting

Shayna is a passionate supporter of life long learning,

and loves to help out with professional development and training opportunities.

She is also available to consult with health and swimming services in developing or reviewing their systems.

For physiotherapists

Shayna is known for her engaging presentations using video to demonstrate skills, clinical reasoning and case studies, with many thanks to the wonderfully generous families who allow their children's footage to be used!

Examples of topics include:

using time in the water as an opportunity to further gross motor, fine motor, communication, social, play, problem solving, oromotor and self care skills
incorporating swim safer messages and behaviours in every session
using a Contemporary Neuro Developmental Treatment approach to aquatic physiotherapy
use of 'mini assessments' before and after sessions to see active change in a child's performance from single sessions
strategies to develop novel treatment approaches
transition into community based swimming, either with families or in swim schools
retraining swimming for children and adults

She also consults with health services in:

assisting with systems around risk screening and management
developing parent interviews to understand a child's developmental needs
supporting staff and families in problem solving strategies when challenges arise

Shayna has presented at Australian Physiotherapy Association professional development events including the 2013 and 2015 conferences, joint aquatics and paediatrics national special group lectures, and the aquatic physiotherapy level 1 and 3 courses.

Courses we offer

Shayna also offers professional mentoring to physiotherapists and allied health professionals who work in rural and remote locations without access to local mentoring or supervision. She uses the Strengths Based Approach (Bernadette Glass) and seeks to promote clinical reasoning as well as professional and self care skills.

For allied health professionals, allied health assistants and special school teachers working with babies and children

Do you work with babies and children in the water? Do you ever wonder if there is more you could be achieving in your sessions?

Shayna provides group professional development sessions, as well as consulting for a particular child, at therapy centres and special schools.

She is particularly interested in:

using time in the water as an opportunity to further gross motor, fine motor, communication, social, play, problem solving, oromotor and self care skills
using a Contemporary Neuro Developmental Treatment approach to interdisciplinary aquatic therapy
transition into community based swimming, either with families or in swim schools
incorporating swim safer messages and behaviours in every session
assisting with systems around risk screening and management
supporting staff and families in problem solving strategies when challenges arise

Shayna is developed and taught the aquatic physiotherapy units of RMIT's first Allied Health Assistance course. That course is not running in 2017.

She is able to provide training to organisations to suit the needs of their staff.

Courses we offer

For swimming teachers

Shayna is passionate about providing training and support to swimming teachers. It's exciting to see how adding to their already rich knowledge base helps teachers be more effective with their learners!

She is involved in the ongoing training and professional development of swimming teachers at the Sydenham Street Swimming School and Van Dyk's Swimming Academy.

She also takes on a consulting role to support other swim schools. This can be done as:

a project role in further developing the swim school's teaching approach
1 to 2 day training sessions in your centre. Here's a story about one session she ran.

She is a registered course presenter with the Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association (ASCTA) and is able to provide these qualifications:

Swimming Australia Teacher SAT
SAT Babies and Toddlers (read more)
SAT Learners with a Disability

She often combines these courses with additional training specific to the needs of your organisation. Here's a story about the SAT LWD combined with her own additional content, run regularly for 2 swimming schools.

She specialises in:

using a developmental approach to working with babies and children
inclusion and participation of learners with specific needs into swimming schools
incorporating swim safer messages and behaviours in every session
communication strategies for learners with specific needs
setting up procedures to screen for risks associated with learners with specific needs
setting up a 'parent interview' for swim schools to understand a learner's specific needs, and to plan for these, before their first session
supporting teachers and families in problem solving strategies when challenges arise

She uses a variety of teaching methods to cater to the audience's learning styles and may include:

whole group and small group discussions
video demonstration
facilitating problem solving through scenarios or video examples
practical sessions in the water, facilitating your teachers in applying their new skills
comprehensive notes and resources