Meet the Crew

Head shot of Charlotte Barfoot smiling, wearing a white blouse

Hi, Charlotte here (she/her) - the resident speechie, founder, and magic-maker at Mermaid Speech.

People generally want to know a bit about the Chief Mermaid before embarking on their maiden voyage at Mermaid Speech so I've splashed out on a funky acronym - because words are supposed to be fun too.

C heerful

H umble

A rty

R eal

L oving

O utside-the-box

T herapist-y

T raveller

E mpathetic

Cheerful

Consider this Pollyanna your personal cheerleader! Mermaid Speech is a welcoming, warm, and joyful environment and I love spreading that joy to others.

Humble

We don't pretend to know all the answers. After all, a parent is the expert on their child, if not the child themselves. We have, however, committed a lifetime to supporting communication challenges. The day we therapists stop learning is the day we stop being therapists.

Arty

You better believe we're going to get those paints out!

Real

We believe in telling you how it is which is why we have transparency as one of our core values. You can find the others here.

Loving

We're lovers of all people from all places and walks of life. I am a proud LGBTQIA+ & BIPoC ally (pronouns she/her.) We advocate for disability equanimity and operate through a neurodiversity-positive paradigm.

Outside-the-box

Sorry, we don't do conventional, we do quirky outside-the-box thinking. We still follow all the rules though (don't get your knickers in a twist!)

Therapist-y

Ok that's a made-up word. I am so passionate about my work I can talk about it for days on end. When I'm not swing dancing I'm training up in my professions evidence-based courses like Sensory Intensive and Learn to Play.

Traveller

Before founding Mermaid Speech, I worked and lived in Singapore, Malaysia, China, Ireland.

Empathetic

Self-confessed HSP, INFP, and Cancerian (yes, we do star signs at Mermaid), I am a listening ear, a warm voice, and an open heart.

Phew, thankfully my name doesn't have more letters.

Seriously,

Charlotte is a fully certified and registered clinician with Speech Pathology Australia (CPSP) and Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists (IASLT).

She holds a Masters of Science in Speech and Language Therapy from University of Limerick, Ireland and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from globally esteemed Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Having worked over a decade with children, and six years in private practice, Charlotte is a passionate and engaging therapist who puts her families at the forefront of priorities.

Charlotte is the business owner and founder of Mermaid Speech and chief speech and language pathologist at the HQ Robina (Pinniger Clinic) location.