Meet our team…

Kate Neilson

Kate is the Director and Leading Therapist at K.N.O.T. She studied a Bachelor of Occupational Science and Therapy at Deakin University. Throughout her career, she has worked across a number of private practices and not for profit organisations in paediatrics. She also enjoys teaching and supervising students and new graduate Occupational Therapists in their early careers.
Throughout her career Kate has developed a special interest in supporting autistic children, ADHDer’s and their family’s across many different aspects of their lives. She continues to learn and develop as an OT, making sure she is up to date with the latest evidence based practice. This most recently includes learning more about Neurodiversity Affirming approaches and the Dr Ross Greene CPS method, and integrating this into her practice. 
Kate is passionate about offering family centered practice and collaborating with families to ensure they feel confident in supporting their child’s needs. She recognises that a parent is the ‘expert’ in knowing their child, and offers guidance and expertise in helping the family to work on goals that are important and meaningful to them. 
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 daughters, cycling and camping.

Rebekah Cayford

Rebekah has a Bachelor of Health Sciences and Master of Occupational Therapy Practice, graduating from La Trobe University in 2015.
In her career, Rebekah has worked across many Victorian hospitals, most recently specialising in neuro-rehabilitation before joining Kate Neilson Occupational Therapy in 2023. Rebekah is passionate about making a difference in each child's life, and enjoys working closely with their families to create meaningful goals and empower them to achieve the best possible outcomes. Rebekah aims to provide therapy that is nurturing, fun, and promotes independence and overall wellbeing. 

Kirralee Blanche

Kirralee holds a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy from Monash University and joined the K.N.O.T. team in 2023.
She is passionate about empowering children to live their best and most meaningful lives. She strives to establish a strong therapeutic relationship with the child and their families to create a safe and engaging environment for family-centered practice.
Utilising a collaborative approach to help the child achieve their goals, Kirralee works alongside the family, educators, and allied health team (including speech pathologists, psychologists, etc.) to ensure a holistic service is provided and the best possible outcomes are achieved.