Tania Teitzel

Centre Director & Principal Speech Pathologist

B Sp Thy (Hons), MSPA, CPSP

Tania Teitzel established Therapy Matters in 1995 after having worked in the public sector, for Community Health and Disability agencies as well as at the University of Queensland, as a researcher, in the field of speech sound disorders and early literacy development.

Tania attained her speech pathology degree with First Class Honours from the University of Queensland and was the recipient of a University Medal for academic excellence. Tania has interests in the treatment of learning disabilities, AAC and complex communication disorders such as childhood apraxia of speech, autism and developmental disabilities.

Tania is an accredited Key Word Sign Presenter. Tania has presented at local, national and international conferences on speech sound disorders, language-literacy links, Down Syndrome, Autism and the inclusion of children with disabilities. Tania lectures at Griffith University’s Master of Speech Pathology Program in speech sound disorders. She has co-authored two publications: Preschool and Primary Inventory of Phonological Awareness (PIPA) and an Inclusion Resource Guide for Young Children with Disabilities.

Tania is a compassionate leader dedicated to mentoring her team to achieve high standards of excellence. She is a passionate, innovative and knowledgeable speech pathologist who enjoys designing flexible and tailored sessions that embrace a child’s interests. Tania is supportive of Neurodiversity Affirming Approaches and open to learning from the perspectives of autistic people on how speech pathology can make a difference in their lives.

Tania enjoys nurturing other speech pathologists and allied health professionals in their business needs through coaching, mentoring and supervision opportunities. Tania employs a coach approach to help allied health professionals find a way to achieve their goals authentically while connected with their values. Tania delights in supporting other allied health clinics to flourish and make a unique difference in their own communities.

Tania became a qualified speech pathologist in 1991 .

She has completed further training in:

  • PROMPT
  • Hanen “It Takes Two to Talk”, “More Than Words” and “Talkability””
  • Key Word Signing
  • PODD

  • PECS

  • Thrass
  • High & Low Tech AAC
  • Zones of Regulation
  • MindWing Story Grammar Marker

  • Dynamic Tactile Temporal Cuing (DTTC)

  • Neurodiverse Affirming Approaches

  • Michelle Bihary Leadership & Supervision Training

Tania sees clients at the West Burleigh Clinic on Thursdays.

What’s your favourite toy?

“I’ve loved building with Lego since I was little AND I’ve loved Star Wars ever since I saw the first movie at the cinemas. So, it was an easy choice for me to showcase my most recent Lego Build, The Child from the new series the Mandalorian.

Many of our clients are passionate Lego and Star Wars fans too so we often have a lot in common!

I’ve always wanted to be trained in Lego Based Therapy and COVID provided that opportunity on-line in 2020 (when usually you have to travel to the UK).

I have loved using Lego in therapy with my clients as it is so versatile and engaging.

Lego can be used in groups to build social skills, to learn how to follow and give directions, to talk about colours and shapes and to engage in pretend play. Lego is the perfect tool in any therapist’s tool kit!”