Jill van Heerden

Jill is a highly experienced Occupational Therapist who has been supporting children and families for more than 25 years. Originally from South Africa, she relocated to Brisbane in 2014 and has worked across both school-based services and private paediatric practice throughout her career.

Jill is passionate about partnering with families to help children develop the skills and confidence to participate more fully in everyday life. She has particular interests in early childhood development, sensory processing, developmental differences, and supporting children through play-based, relationship-focused therapy.

Known for her calm, nurturing, and collaborative approach, Jill values building strong relationships with children, parents, educators, and other professionals to help children achieve meaningful outcomes across home, kindy, school, and the wider community.

Jill is one of Kids Matters’ Consultant Occupational Therapists, bringing more than 25 years of experience supporting children and families through the critical early years of development. Her career has spanned both school-based services and private paediatric practice, giving her a broad understanding of how children learn, develop, and participate across different environments.

Jill is particularly recognised for her expertise in early intervention, sensory processing, and developmental therapy. She is passionate about empowering not only children, but also the parents, educators, and professionals who support them, believing that the best outcomes are achieved when everyone works together.

As a Consultant Occupational Therapist, Jill also provides supervision and mentoring to early career therapists, sharing her clinical knowledge and helping to build capability across the Kids Matters team. She is a strong advocate for educator training and early childhood partnerships, recognising the lasting impact that supporting a child’s wider community can have on their development.

Jill has many years of experience supporting children and families across a broad range of developmental presentations, with particular interests in:

• Sensory processing and regulation differences
• Autism
• ADHD
• Developmental Coordination
• Disorder (DCD/Dyspraxia)
• Developmental differences and delays
• Executive functioning differences
• Learning differences
• Dysgraphia and handwriting challenges
• Emotional regulation and wellbeing
• Motor planning and postural development
• Babies, toddlers, and early childhood development
• Parent coaching and family-centred intervention

• Jill is a certified Sensory Integration therapist through the South African Institute of Sensory Integration
• Mental Health Endorsement through OT Australia
• Supporting Occupational Role of Infants
• Self Regulation – It’s a State of Mind Workshop (Chris Chapparo)
• PlayConnect: Relationship-Focused Early Intervention for Young Children with Developmental Delays (Jacqui Barfoot)
• Developing Pretend Play Skills in Children (Karen Stagnitti)
• Occupational Performance Coaching
• DCD/Dyspraxia – The Role of Occupational Therapy
• An Introduction to DIR ^®and DIRFloortime^® by ICDL (Introductory Course – DIR 101)
• King of Swings Workshop
• Sensory Motor Workshop
• Getting the Most Out of Supervision (Michele Bihary)
• Gravity Online Workshop – Supporting Postural and Motor Needs of Children
• Traffic Jam in my Brain
• The art of Paediatric Therapy (Alice Svensk)
• Sensory Approaches in OT Clinical Practices
• Essential Competencies in Sensory Integration
• Sensory Spaces – Working with the Younger Child
• Applying SI Theory and Strategies to Diverse Populations

Jill takes a child-led, relationship-based, and family-centred approach to therapy. She enjoys meeting children at their current developmental stage and using play to build trust, confidence, and meaningful participation in everyday activities.

With advanced training in Sensory Integration, DIR-Floortime, and developmental approaches, Jill combines strong clinical reasoning with a deep understanding of child development to tailor therapy to each child’s individual strengths and needs. She believes that meaningful progress occurs when children feel safe, connected, and supported.

Jill is a passionate advocate for involving parents throughout the therapy journey and frequently uses coaching approaches to empower families to confidently support their child’s development outside of therapy sessions. She also enjoys collaborating with educators, early childhood professionals, and the wider allied health team to create consistent, meaningful outcomes across all environments.

Jill was born and raised in South Africa before relocating to Brisbane in 2014. With much of her extended family still living overseas, she understands the importance of connection, community, and having a strong support network around families.

This has shaped her belief that therapy is most successful when everyone works together, embracing the philosophy that “it takes a village to raise a child.” She values building trusted partnerships with families and supporting not only the child, but the important people in their everyday lives.

Jill believes some of life’s best moments happen around the table. In her family, preparing and sharing meals is a way of connecting, with a traditional South African braai being a favourite way to bring everyone together. She and her family also enjoy making their own homemade biltong, keeping a little piece of South African tradition alive in Australia.

Outside of work, Jill enjoys spending time with her son, travelling to new places, and embracing outdoor adventures with her family. She is also a proud member of the Brisbane River Dragon Boat Club, paddling alongside the Dragons Abreast Brisbane team in support of breast cancer survivors: a cause that reflects her commitment to community, resilience, and supporting others.

Jill is passionate about lifelong learning and continually expanding her knowledge to provide the best possible support to children and families. Whether she is working with a child, coaching parents, mentoring therapists, or supporting educators, Jill brings warmth, generosity, and a genuine desire to help others thrive.

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.