Our Team
Angela Nikolas
Founder,
Senior Speech Pathologist, Orofacial Myologist
Angela Nikolas graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Speech Pathology) degree in 2000 and is a certified member of Speech Pathology Australia. She began her career exclusively working with children and adults who stutter at the Stuttering Unit at Bankstown Community Health Centre, and supporting adults with aphasia and dysphagia in Bankstown Hospital. She then moved to Learning Links where she worked with preschoolers and school aged children with learning difficulties and speech and language disorders.
Angela started her part time private practice in 2002 in Blakehurst, whilst continuing to work at Learning Links and in schools. After starting her family, she moved her practice to Ramsgate and returned to work at the Stuttering unit, extending her skills in assessing and treating children, adolescents and adults who stutter. Training further in the Lidcombe program (for preschoolers), the Westmead Program/Oakville Program (Syllable Timed Speech for school aged clients) and the Camperdown program (for adults). More recently in 2023, Angela furthered her study into a different approach to treating preschoolers who stutter called the Restart DCM Method.
In 2014, Angela was introduced to Orofacial Myofunctional Science, the study of normal and abnormal functional patterns of the orofacial complex (ie. teeth, jaws, lips, tongue etc) and their related functions (ie. breathing, eating/drinking and speech). She then undertook training in Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) and Buteyko Breathing / Breathing Re-education Programs as an adjunct to OMT.
Angela’s interest in OMT grew quickly and this new passion took her to the US for further training and professional collaboration. In 2016, with an aim to increase awareness of OMT in Australia, Angela joined the board of the Australasian Society for Tongue and Lip Ties (ASTLiT), a group of multidisciplinary health care professionals supporting optimal outcomes for individuals affected by tongue and lip ties. Angela held the role as board member and secretary in ASTLiT until 2019.
At that time, Angela also became a member of the Australian Association of Orofacial Myology (AAOM), a professional association for Orofacial Myologists and other and in 2019 became president, a position she held until 2023.
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In 2016, Angela became a professional practice educator at the Australian Catholic University, North Sydney, supervising 4th year students in the fluency and paediatric programs.
Joanna
Giakoumatos
Speech Pathologist,
Orofacial Myologist
Joanna graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Speech Pathology) and is a certified practicing member of Speech Pathology Australia.
Joanna is passionate about working with children with speech, language, social communication and literacy difficulties. She has experience working with children with a range of communication and learning disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, providing clinic-based therapy and assessment. Joanna is a Hanen certified clinician who is able to train parents of young children with language delays using the ‘It Takes Two to Talk’ Program. She has completed additional training and professional development in the areas of speech sound disorders (including PROMPT training), preschool and early language intervention and synthetic phonics literacy intervention.
Joanna is also trained in Orofacial Myology (OM), completed her training in 2019, and works closely with children and their families to provide holistic patient-centered care. She is a member of the Australian Association of Orofacial Myology, a professional association for Orofacial Myologists and other health professionals with an interest in OM. Joanna is a Myo Munchee Certified Practitioner.
Touli
Gobolos
Office Administrator
Touli joined Mouth and Mind Speech Pathology in 2019 following a 10 year career in hotel management.
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Touli's focus is on creating a positive and supportive environment for all our clients.
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Touli is your first point of contact for all new referrals and enquiries.
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She believes in individualised and holistic care and strives to ensure each client feels heard and understood. Her passion lies in helping all clients achieve their communication goals and improve their quality of life.
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Touli's other passions are her 2 children, tennis and CrossFit.