Hannelie Kroon

Hannelie Kroon

Practice Owner

Hannelie qualified as a dual speech-language therapist and audiologist (BCommunication Pathology) at the University of Pretoria in 2007. She holds her Master’s degree in Tinnitus (2018, UP).  Hannelie has always been mesmerised by the phenomenon of Tinnitus and strived to enter this grey field of the profession.  She pursued her dream of a world class Tinnitus Clinic by entering intensive training courses in Denmark in 2016 and in England in 2017 & 2019  on the latest developments in the assessment and treatment of tinnitus and hyperacusis. While engaging in this field she attracted many hyperacusis cases and discovered a new interest in helping people with sound sensitivity to restore their quality of life.  She helps patients with tinnitus and hyperacusis on a daily basis and is regarded as a leader in the field.  She acts as a guest lecturer and external examiner at the University of Pretoria and frequently presents at seminars and conferences.  Hannelie was so inspired by her colleague Nandel’s passion for balance disorders that she pursued it herself.  She was accredited by the American Institute of Balance in Florida, USA to evaluate and manage balance disorders. Since then there was no looking back as the practice is now equipped to offer the patients with complex pathology a holistic approach to better hearing, balance and quality of life – as was her ultimate dream when founding the practice in 2011. Hannelie also leads a neuro speech therapy team at a sub-acute facility in Midstream, providing rehabilitation therapy to patients with brain injuries.

Nandel Gouws

Nandel obtained her BsocSci (Psychology) degree in 2001, her BsocSci (Psychology) Hons in 2002 and her BCommunication Pathology degree in speech therapy and audiology at UP in 2006.  She completed her Master’s degree in Audiology in 2017.  Nandel’s passion lies in understanding the vestibular system, wanting to evaluate and treat patients with balance disorders.  She attended post graduate courses in balance testing at UCT and was trained and accredited by the American Institute of Balance (Florida, USA). Apart from the complex diagnostics, she is especially interested in the relations between psychological aspects and balance and hearing conditions. Fitting in with the holistic philosophy of the practice, she joined Hannelie at the Birkbeck University in London to receive further specialised training in Tinnitus management.  Nandel is now using her knowledge of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in both fields of Balance disorders and Tinnitus.  This holistic approach is especially valuable for the patients presenting with both dizziness and tinnitus. Since joining our team in 2017, Nandel has added a whole new dimension to the clinic with her knowledge and expertise.

Tamara Holdstock

Tamara obtained her BCommunication Pathology degree with dual qualification for Speech-language Therapy and Audiology at the University of Pretoria in 2010. She is especially passionate about Neuro Speech Therapy and directed her career directly towards that field, working in rehabilitation clinics since 2011. Tamara joined our practice with a vast knowledge of Aphasia, Apraxia, Traumatic Brain Injury and Dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) as she has worked in various multidisciplinary rehabilitation clinics treating patients with brain injuries. She is highly trained in dysphagia, with additional courses completed in Modified Barium Swallow assessments as well as being qualified in VitalStim and VocaStim. She loves training patients with Aphasia according to the Life Participation Model, which includes training the patient’s loved ones in supportive communication and encouraging patients to integrate maximum quality of life through all their daily activities. She trains both the patient and their families to optimise communication and participation. Tamara was a presenter at the 2019 Aphasia Forward Conference.

Refiloe Masinge

Refiloe changed our speech-language service offering to patients in the sub-acute setting completely. She is able to treat most of our African language Aphasic patients in their own language.  Patients presenting with Aphasia after a stroke are often more affected in their second language than in their first language.  It is therefore such a bonus that we have someone who can treat these patients using familiar language concepts and materials. Refiloe is proficient in Sepedi, English, Xitsonga and isiZulu. Refiloe’s interest in speech therapy started long before her studies. She used to wonder why people who suffered a stroke struggled to communicate. It is something that she longed to understand and she felt that there was a great need for families to understand what happened to their loved ones.

Refiloe loves the Adult Neuro component of Speech therapy – working with Dysphagia (feeding difficulties), Apraxia (speech motor planning difficulties) and Aphasia (language planning difficulties).  She says: “When a patient is hungry but cannot eat (orally) and both the patient and family go into distress about it, it deeply touches my soul and I want to help”.  She obtained her degree in Speech-language Therapy from the University in 2019 and joined our team in 2021. She loves working in such a dynamic team of various disciplines, reflecting that it is indeed wonderful to bring her own therapy style into the team, while simultaneously learning so much from other therapists.

Nicole Botha

Emmie Fourie