Ellie Thiess

Ellie is a warm and friendly Senior Occupational Therapist who places a strong emphasis on building rapport, connection and creating a safe environment for her clients and their families to learn and grow. She uses a collaborative, playful and evidence-based approach to enable children and their families to achieve their goals.

Ellie graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Exercise and Nutrition Science first, then a Master of Occupational Therapy Studies and has developed experience working across clinic, kindy, school and home settings.

Ellie values ongoing learning and is committed to continually developing her knowledge and skills to provide thoughtful, evidence-informed support to children and their families.

Ellie enjoys supporting children and their families across various settings including in-clinic, kindy, school and home. She enjoys working in collaboration with other members of the child’s care team.

Ellie has experience working with:

• Autistic children
• ADHDers
• Emotional regulation and wellbeing
• Executive Functioning differences
• Fine and gross motor skills
• Global Developmental Delay
• Handwriting
• Learning differences or delays
• Prep-readiness skills
• Self-care skills
• Sensory processing differences
• Social skills

• Introduction to DIR and DIRFloortime 101 (2022)
• Feeding Basics – Brisbane Feeding Clinic (2023)
• Learning to Conquer the Wees and Poos (2023)
• Neurodiversity Affirming Practice: 1 Day Workshop for Allied Health Professionals (2023)
• PDA and Autism: An Introduction – Professor Tony Attwood, Dr Michelle Garnett (2024)
• Collaborative & Proactive Solutions – Dr Ross Greene (2024)
• Assessment and Treatment of Selective Mutism – Selective Mutism Clinic (2025)
• The Power of Attachment: utilising relationship-based, developmental and trauma informed approaches in Occupational Therapy (2025)
• Brisbane Feeding Clinic: Top 5 things impacting mealtimes and how to address them (2025)
• Pathological Demand Avoidance for Professionals: Empowering Families to Help Their PDAers Thrive (2026)
• Empowering families by using parent coaching in practice (2026)
• Supporting the Occupational Roles of Infants (2026)

Ellie prioritises felt safety and regulation when getting to know children and their families and strives to help them feel supported and empowered to achieve their goals.

Ellie uses a collaborative, child-lead and evidence-based approach to therapy.  Ellie incorporates a child’s interests and strengths into therapy sessions to make learning enjoyable.

She values collaborating with the child, family, educators, and other health professionals to develop an understanding of the child’s experience as they navigate day-to-day tasks and identify underlying factors contributing to difficulties.  Ellie uses a developmental approach to meet children at their developmental level and build strong foundational skills.

Ellie grew up in Brisbane and now lives with her husband and two golden retrievers. She is very family-oriented and loves spending time with those closest to her. Ellie’s caring and supportive nature, along with her passion for making a meaningful difference in the lives of children and their families, inspired her to pursue a career in paediatric occupational therapy.

On the weekends, Ellie loves spending time with her family and friends, running, walking her dogs (Rio and Poppy), visiting cafes and going to the beach.

Sometimes, despite our best efforts you or the therapist may find that you are not a good fit. If your therapist feels that he or she is not best suited to you, he/ she will discuss this with you and recommend a more appropriate therapist.

If you feel that your therapist is not a good fit, simply discuss this with our admin team who will find a more suitable therapist.