About SAY Health

You’ve noticed something, and you’re not sure what it means yet. That’s okay.

Maybe it’s how your child plays, or how big their feelings get. Maybe it’s something a teacher mentioned, or just a quiet feeling you can’t shake.

You don’t need to have the answers, or a diagnosis, to reach out. You just need to know your child. We’ll take it from there, together.

SAY stands for Seen As You.

Somewhere between the forms, the appointments and the reports, it can start to feel as if your child has become a list of what’s hard. But you know the child behind that list: the funny little sayings, the big loves, the hand that reaches for yours when the world gets loud.

A diagnosis can help explain what’s hard. It can never tell you who your child is.

That’s why we meet your child first: their personality, their strengths, what makes them laugh and what makes the world feel too big. Everything we do grows from there.

And we see you too: the worry you carry quietly, the love behind every question, how hard you’re already trying. There’s no judgement here, no blame and no question too small. Just an honest conversation about the child you know best.

Sangeetha (Sang) Varghese, Occupational Therapist

Meet Sang

Hi, I’m Sang.

I’ve spent my career alongside children and the families who love them. First as an occupational therapist in a busy child development centre, then as a mental health clinician supporting infants, children and families.

Over those years, I learned that the most important part of therapy happens before any activity begins. It’s the moment a child feels safe enough to be themselves, and a parent feels heard.

That’s what I want every family to feel here. You’ll never be on the sidelines. You know your child best, and together, we’ll help the world see them the way you do.

Sang

Experience & training

Sangeetha Varghese, Occupational Therapist
Ahpra Reg. OCC0002692106

6+ years
supporting children
Birth to 18
with a particular interest in early childhood
Two backgrounds
occupational therapy and children’s mental health

Experience

Occupational therapist

In a multidisciplinary child development centre, working alongside speech pathologists, psychologists, physiotherapists and special educators. Sang also supervised and trained the OT team.

Mental health clinician

In a public infant, child and youth mental health service in South West Victoria, including parent–child and family sessions, school observations, and working with GPs and other agencies.

Schools and parent groups

School-based early intervention and community parent groups on emotional regulation, anxiety and school refusal.

Assessments

  • Handwriting
  • Visual-motor skills
  • Sensory processing
  • Everyday function
  • ADOS-2
  • Bayley Scales

A particular interest in

  • Autism
  • ADHD
  • Anxiety
  • Emotional regulation
  • Sensory differences
  • School refusal
  • Parent–child relationships
  • Motor and developmental delays

Qualifications and training

Occupational therapy and movement
  • Bachelor of Occupational Therapy, Manipal Academy of Higher Education
  • Unlocking Opportunities for Children with Motor Coordination Difficulties, OT Australia
Autism and development
  • ADOS-2 (an autism assessment tool), Mindful
  • Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 4th Edition, Pearson Clinical Assessment
  • ASD Fundamentals and Co-occurring Conditions, Mindful and the University of Melbourne
Infant and child mental health
  • Developmental Psychiatry Course, Mindful and the University of Melbourne
  • Circle of Security Parenting facilitator, Circle of Security International
  • Engaging Infants: An Introduction to Training in Infant Mental Health, Royal Children’s Hospital
  • Currently completing MERTIL (My Early Relational Trauma Informed Learning), La Trobe University and The Bouverie Centre
Families and culture
  • Single Session Family Consultation in Practice, The Bouverie Centre and La Trobe University
  • Culturally Safe and Trauma-Informed Care, Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency (VACCA)

Memberships and checks

  • Member, Occupational Therapy Australia
  • Working with Children Check
  • NDIS Worker Screening

Our mission

To help every child feel understood and every family feel supported, through therapy that starts with who your child is.

Our vision

A community where every child is seen as who they are, not as a diagnosis.

How we work

  • We start with connection.

    Children grow best when they feel safe and accepted. Trust comes first, because it’s the foundation of everything else.

  • We build on strengths.

    We focus on what your child can do, and we respect the many different ways children think, feel and experience the world.

  • We look at the whole picture.

    Your child isn’t just a set of skills. We think about home, school, friendships and family life, because that’s where change really matters.

  • We care about feelings, not just skills.

    With a background in both occupational therapy and children’s mental health, we pay attention to how your child feels, as well as what they do.

  • We walk beside you.

    You’ll understand what we’re doing and why, with ideas you can use at home. Your choices and your goals guide the way.

Let’s get to know your child.

Tell us a little about your family, and we’ll be in touch to talk about how we can help. There’s no pressure and no wrong question.

Get started