Hello parents!
We are a small paediatric practice temporarily operating from The Waratah Centre in Foster, making the move to Toora in late 2024.
Although our caseload to see new families for ongoing appointments is currently at capacity (eg. for therapy), we do have some limited availability to conduct assessments.
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For assessments enquiries, or to join our waitlist for therapy, please click the 'Join Waitlist' button below. You'll be able to provide your details, along with some history to help us best cater to your child's needs.
We'll be in touch, and look forward to welcoming you and your family to Gippsland Speech Pathology.
Kind regards,
Kristina Orfanidis
Principal Speech Pathologist
Our Story
A passion for plants; cooking as an evidence based therapy practice.
Gippsland Speech Pathology are an evidence based, paediatric clinic, who adopt family centered practices to support children in reaching their full communication potential, and assist their families through this journey.
A husband and wife team, Neil and Kristina, who made the move to South Gippsland in 2020, following their ambitions to live closer to nature, grow their own produce and pursue long-term interests in viticulture.
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After many years establishing, running and growing a neurodiverse affirming speech pathology practice in Melbourne, Kristina is back studying viticulture part-time at Charles Sturt University. While she is enjoying the study content, she retains her passion to ensure all children can reach their full communication potential.
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Neil, having grown up in rural NSW, is familiar with the challenges that exist within smaller communities, such as access to services. He is keen to borrow from his experience in the broader business world to help connect families to quality allied health care.
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Combining their interests and experiences, the resulting ethos at Gippsland Speech is one that empowers children, encouraging their personal interests to help them identify their individual communication styles, shaping their confidence to become the best advocate for themselves.
Hands on therapy methods involving cooking, navigating technology and fostering outdoor interests can become fun and effective ways of developing social skills.
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Our Team
Kristina Orfanidis
Principal Speech Pathologist
Kristina is the principal certified practising speech pathologist at Gippsland Speech Pathology, and brings with her experience the passion and dedication to ensure all children can reach their full communication potential. She has worked as a private practitioner for over 10 years, supporting children with a range of communication needs, and their families.
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Kristina has experience working with a range of neurotypes including dyslexia, autism, pathological demand avoidance (PDA), ADHD, hearing impairment and intellectual disability, through supporting speech, literacy, augmented and alternative communication (AAC), and key word sign.
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Kristina holds both a Master of Speech Pathology and Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, which she draws upon to fulfill her specialisation in working with children of all ages.
Neil Marshall
Operations Manager
Neil is a specialist in IT systems and process improvement. He keeps things running behind the scenes (and occasionally behind the front reception).
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Neil is a business consultant with experience in solving for all things regulatory and compliance, whilst putting customer needs first. He is also experienced in balancing technology and data collection processes with security, privacy considerations, customer well-being and safety.
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Neil holds a passion for creativity, motivated by opportunities that require innovative problem solving. He additionally enjoys film photography, performs locally as a musician, and when he is not tending to a fledgling orchard, you might find him in front of an old analogue sound desk producing music.