A smiling woman with blonde hair, wearing a sleeveless brown blazer and dark jeans, standing with arms crossed in front of a plain white wall.

Claire Barbagallo (she/her)

I bring extensive experience across education, health, and community services, having worked within Queensland Education, Child and Youth Mental Health Services—including community and specialty programs such as Day Program—and the Queensland Children’s Gender Service. I am trained as a clinical family therapist through the Queensland Institute of Family Therapy and am a clinical member of the Australian Association of Family Therapy. As Co-Founder of The Courageous Space, I am deeply committed to creating affirming, accessible, and inclusive supports, while also providing supervision and training to speech therapy teams and allied health professionals. I contribute to the broader field as a COMPASS Seminars Australia trainer, delivering workshops on Neuroqueer Identities, and as a conference speaker, including at AUSPATH where I presented on voice and communication with neurodivergent people seeking gender-affirming care, and at the Australian Association of Family Therapy (AAFT) conference where I spoke on systemic assessment with neuroqueer families.

Approach 

I am a neurodivergent (ADHDer) speech therapist and clinical family therapist who is passionate about supporting people in an affirming, functional, and compassionate way. My practice is grounded in systemic, trauma-informed, values-based, and strengths-based approaches. Simply put, I will meet you where you are and support you as a human with a unique backpack of life. I will never pretend to be an expert, and forever see myself as a learner. As a clinical family therapist, I have a strong passion working systemically with neuroqueer individuals, families, and broader systems, helping to strengthen connections, navigate challenges, and create environments that celebrate diversity. I integrate my speech therapy into family therapy sessions by acknowledging each person’s communication preferences, the double empathy problem, sensory needs, and signs of masking. To me this is especially important for each person to feel heard, understood and connected. 

I also support trans, gender diverse, and non-binary people to explore their gender expression, including voice and communication, in ways that align with their authentic self. My focus is on creating supportive spaces where people feel comfortable and confident to express themselves in ways that are meaningful to them. 

In addition to therapy, I am deeply committed to education and capacity-building, providing training and supervision to speech therapy students, new graduates, and experienced clinicians. Through this work, I aim to contribute to a more inclusive, affirming, and socially just future in speech therapy and healthcare. 

Outside of work, I am a parent and will never say no to a sunny walk or a cuddle with my two caboodles. 

Summary

  • Neurodivergent and LGBTIQAP+ individuals and families. 

  • Supervising and Training speech therapists and other allied health to create more affirming and systemic practice. 

  • Speech Therapist (Certified Practising Speech Pathologist, Speech Pathology Australia (SPA)) 

  • Clinical Family Therapist and Member (Australian Association of Family Therapy (AAFT))

  • Member of the Australian Professional Association of Trans Health (AUSPATH) 

  • Available Monday, Thursday and Friday in the Coorparoo space.