Vicki Ridgeway

Vicki Ridgeway has been empowering communication across South Sydney for over 30 years and has had long-running clinics in St George and Sutherland Shire areas.

Vicki’s journey to becoming a speech pathologist began in her childhood when she witnessed the profession’s immense impact on a close family member. This early inspiration led her to move from the country to the city at 18, driven by her dream.

After graduating from the University of Sydney, Vicki gained valuable experience in disability services, community health services, and literacy support units while building her long-running speech pathology clinics in the St George and Sutherland Shire areas. As a paediatric therapist, she prioritises a family-centred approach and compassionate client care. 

She co-founded the Shire Speech and Language Centre in 2003 before founding Communitalk Speech Pathology in 2019. Under her leadership, Communitalk provides comprehensive speech pathology services for young children, teenagers, and adults.

As a business owner, Vicki wears many hats to ensure the success of her clinic. Her dedication to lifelong learning and staying abreast of industry advancements is critical in keeping her clinic at the forefront of evidence-based practice.

Outside of work, Vicki loves exercising, boxing, running, and walking through the suburbs of Sydney and bushland. She also enjoys shopping and going to the movies. Her passion for empowering others through effective communication continues to drive her mission at Communitalk Speech Pathology, supporting the Sutherland Shire to communicate with confidence.

Sophie Smith

Sophie is a caring and dedicated Speech Pathologist, who has been a part of the Communitalk Speech Pathology family for the past 5 years. She completed a Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) degree from the University of Newcastle in 2016.

Over the past 8 ½ years she has worked in private practices with children aged 0-18. Sophie is keenly interested in the early language development of preschool and school-aged children and truly loves to see the confidence that comes with flourishing communication skills.

​

Sophie also has extensive experience and interest in working with neurodivergent children. She is passionate about delivering therapy that is meaningful to the child and interest-based. Sophie loves empowering families to be their child’s biggest advocate and providing a space where all communication and play is valid.

She advocates for Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) systems as needed, through visuals, Key Word Sign and communication devices that foster a child’s understanding and expressive skills. She truly believes in the importance of taking the time to listen to her clients and making changes to best support their learning.  

​

On the weekends you’ll find Sophie enjoying walks with her gorgeous (and very cheeky) Golden Retriever puppy Abby, playing a new board game, reading a good book, cooking, playing soccer and spending time with her treasured family and friends.