About Wordswell Speech and Language Therapists

Who's Who at Wordswell

You’ll find all of our Speech and Language Therapists are State Registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC), and Registered Members of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (R.C.S.L.T.) so you can be totally confident in the service we offer. All our staff are also police checked with the Criminal Records Bureau.

Here are the current team of therapists, assistants and students who you will meet:

Janet O'Keefe - Principal Speech and Language Therapist

Janet qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist from the Central School of Speech and Drama, London in 1985.
Janet worked for Bexley HA from 1985-1989 working with children and adults in a range of clinics hospitals and schools including developing her special interest in children with hearing impairment.
Janet worked for the West Suffolk HA/Mid Anglia Trust from 1989-1997 as a Chief Speech and Language Therapist for Paediatrics and Learning Disabilities based at the Child Development Centre in Bury St Edmunds.
Janet became an independent Speech and Language Therapist in 1997 and built the Wordswell clinic in 1999. Wordswell became a Limited Company in 2004.
Janet has continued to develop her specialist knowledge of paediatric disorders including hearing impairment and autism and SEN statementing and Medico-Legal work.
Janet has 4 children and enjoys cooking, yoga, singing and activities with her family.

Murray O'Keefe - Practice Manager

Murray qualified as an analytical chemist from Leicester University in 1982.
Murray worked for Leicester University from 1982-1988 in the Chemistry Department as a Laboratory Technician.
Murray worked for Chemex plc from 1988-2000 as Head of Inorganic Analysis.
Murray worked for Johnsson-Matthey plc from 2001- 2008 initially in the laboratory and latterly as Regulatory Affairs Specialist.
Murray joined Janet in the business as Wordswell’s Practice Manager in 2008.
Murray enjoys reading, model railways, cars and archery.

Karen Blayney - Senior Speech and Language Therapist

Karen qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1994.
Karen worked for Lifespan, the Cambridge community NHS Trust from 1994-1996 working with adults and children in a variety of clinics and a community hospital.
Karen moved to Norfolk in 1996 and began working for West Norfolk Primary Care Trust, initially working with both adults and children in community and acute hospital settings.
Karen began to specialize in adult clients in 1998 with a special interest in head injury rehabilitation, progressive neurological conditions and voice.
Karen left Norfolk NHS in 2010 and began work with Wordswell.
Karen is married with two children and enjoys walking, travelling and spending time with her family.

Kathryn Spooner - McTimmoney Chiropractor

McTimoney Chiropractic is a safe, gentle and effective technique for manipulating the spine and other joints of the body.
The aim of a course of McTimoney Chiropractic treatment is to improve the alignment of the bones of the body, thereby restoring correct nerve function, resulting in improved health.
Kathryn holds clinics at Wordswell every Thursday and alternate Mondays. For appointments please telephone: 01379 898807

Victoria Blackburn - Speech and Language Therapist

Victoria has a first degree in French Language and Literature.
Victoria is a qualified Medical Herbalist. She has two children.
Victoria worked for 4 years in the Eastern and Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust, at the Royal School for Deaf Children, for two years as an assistant and in the Early Years Team, for two years as a Technical Instructor.
Victoria qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist following a 2 year MSc from the University of Essex in 2009.
Victoria is PECS and Makaton trained and has also achieved CACDP level 1 in BSL and has completed the course for CACDP level 2 but not been examined.
Victoria enjoys singing with the Colchester Operatic Society, reading, walking, pottery and quilt making.

Philippa Sonnex - Speech and Language Therapist

Pippa qualified from Leeds Metropolitan University with a BSc Second Class Honours in Clinical Language Sciences (Speech and Language Therapy) in 2009.
Pippa was a Voluntary Helper within a Church Holiday Club - Pre-school – Year 6 (August 2007 and August 2009).
Pippa was a Voluntary Teacher Assistant within an Autistic Primary School (July 2009).
Pippa worked at Burnt Ash Primary School in Bromley, Kent, supporting two children with speech and language difficulties in class as well as following therapy plans for individual children, advising learning support assistants and running groups.
Pippa also has experience working with children who use PECS and Makaton.
Pippa enjoys socializing, travelling, reading and fitness.

Genevieve Else

Genevieve has a first class honours degree in Communication, Culture and Media (BA) from Coventry University, School of Art and Design.
Gen was a creative consultant for All Occasions Ltd: Bubbles Balloons and Wardrobe Wizard from 2004-2009.
Gen was the area manager for a cleaning contractors from 2004-2009.
Genevieve worked at Cranfield University as a Marketing Web Assistant from 2007–2010.
Gen designed the website for The Perfect Wedding Guild in 2008.
Gen has joined Wordswell as an Administrative Assistant in May 2010. She is in the office Monday-Friday 9am-1pm.
Gen enjoys watching films, listening to music, cooking, and animals. She is interested in sugar craft and baking. She also enjoys outdoor activities, such as camping, water sports, archery and rifle shooting.

About Wordswell

Photo of Brian Keenan Why Wordswell?

Let me explain how Janet came up with the name “Wordswell” for the business. To be fair, she didn’t come up with the name. Brian Keenan did. Janet met Brian in Henley in 1997 and wrote to him asking him to name the building. This is the letter he wrote in return:

“I thought a lot about this. So for what it is worth, here it is. I focussed on the notion of a language therapist being a kind of WORD smith – like a blacksmith! For some reason the wooden building and the work being done there made me think of a NUT. But the Nuthouse would be entirely inappropriate!!! My wife, who is a physiotherapist suggested “awakenings” as you awaken up the lost but residual capacity in people. I thought “The Wakenings” might be a good name for the place but it’s hardly a corporate term. – Awakenings or Wakenings might be more suitable.

But still that didn’t suit my own “draw” on things. I went back to my original thought about blacksmiths, and foundries and workshops. I liked the term “Smithy” - a place where new forms are created. But I also liked the notion of a well, a permanent place of substance – we draw from the well, water, life perhaps meaning. I thought of something like “Holywell” being the well of nourishment and Holy, meaning to make whole. So it became “The Holywell Clinic”.

Still I wasn’t sure and juggled again in my Blacksmith’s forge and finally came up with “WORDSWELL”. It has a plethora of associations for me too long for me to elaborate, but that’s what I resolved on. It may not be up your street but it seems to me to have a corporate and personal ring to it. It also “fixes” exactly what you do – I think!”

Janet thinks so too. Thank you Brian.

Read more about Brian Keenan: (External websites)

Times Online

BBC

Guardian

The Wordswell Clinic

Here is a photograph of the clinic building taken on Easter Sunday, 23rd March 2008!