GVDC aims to cater for people of all ages who have neurodevelopmental and associated mental health challenges and need assessment and/or ongoing support.
'No need to travel to Melbourne' is our motto.
We take pride in our understanding of neurodiversity as well as our ability to assess and support people of all ages, across the lifespan, from infancy and childhood through adolescence into adulthood.
Our multidisciplinary team is made up of clinicians who have had many years of experience in the public and private sectors.
Our clinical psychologist Tracy, and counselling psychologist, Susan, were members and co-ordinators of the former GV Autism Spectrum Assessment Team (ASAT) at GV Health (GVH) under the clinical leadership of Dr Michael Welham, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist.
Our mission is to identify and provide the assessment and support services that are right for each individual, regardless of age. Our aim is to help people function and feel better.
2022
We celebrated Sanjana's successful completion of her internship, and her full registration as a psychologist, and we welcomed Jess Nelson, Music Therapist, as a new member of our team.
During this 3rd calendar year of the COVID pandemic, we are being challenged by our team members becoming close contacts, and/or positive cases, having to work from home, or being unable to work at all, due to illness with COVID.
Not all of us agreed with the Victorian vaccination mandates, but we all complied, and got our three shots.
We are maintaining our COVID-Safe Plan, with the ongoing hope of preventing transmissions, infections, and reinfections inside our clinic building - conscious of the number of COVID deaths in 2022, and the risk of long COVID for many.
This year, we are also conscious of the expiry of our 5-year lease, and the need for us to find and move into a larger building, by December 2023. A huge challenge!
2021
We continued to work in collaboration with referring GPs, Paediatricians, Psychiatrists, as well as local agencies and government departments. Our clinical team was expanded by a provisional psychologist, a new senior psychologist, and a consultant psychiatrist.
We continued to work under DHHS guidelines, directives, and restrictions (as they arise), during this second year of the COVID pandemic. Like members of our general community, we experienced COVID-fatigue, and, by mid-May, most of us received our first jabs of a COVID vaccine.
We were among the first local agencies to introduce CO2 monitors, and air purifiers in our waiting area, and consulting rooms.
We had a turnover of admin staff: we farewelled Sacha and Sarah, and welcomed Kristin, as our new Office Administrator.
By the end of the year, some of us were at risk of burnout, and we welcomed our end-of-year break.
2020
During the first year of the COVID pandemic, we continued to provide information, assessments and support for individuals, families, schools and agencies/organisations, here in our beautiful Goulburn Valley. We mastered telehealth, shut down and opened up a few times, and learnt to go digital, and to work remotely from our home offices, as needed. It was a very challenging year for all of us.
2019
GV Developmental Clinic Pty Ltd was nominated and we were proud finalists for the Shepparton Chamber of Commerce and Industry's 2019 White King - Pental / 95.3 Triple M Best New Business Award (Under 2 Years' Operation). We were most surprised by and appreciative of the nomination. We still do not know who nominated us [no, we did not nominate ourselves] and we thank them dearly, whoever they might be.
2018
GV Developmental Clinic (GVDC) Pty Ltd was established, with Susan as one of its Directors. We welcomed Sacha Finlayson as GVDC's first Practice Manager, and moved into our current building where we have 4 consulting rooms to work from. Our waiting area and consulting rooms are child-friendly, and our tea room is open to families.
Our Clinic was represented on the GVH Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Clinic's Community Resource Group. The FASD Clinic was the first of its kind in Victoria and we were proud supporters of this very important local initiative.
2017
Twenty years after arriving in Shepparton, Susan founded the Goulburn Valley Developmental Clinic, with a very small part-time team, working out of two rooms in the Greater Shepparton Business Centre (GSBC).
1997
Susan established a small, part-time, private practice in Shepparton.
1996
Susan moved from Melbourne to Shepparton, and planned to live and work here for 2 years, as part of her supervised practice. Those 2 years have turned into 26 years, and still counting.