About Brave Bodies: Your Family's Guide to Potential

At Brave Bodies, we believe every child, from their earliest moments to young adulthood, deserves the chance to thrive, achieve their dreams, and experience the joy of a fun-filled life. Our passion is 'Partnering with Parents, Empowering Children.' We support families like yours when your baby, child, or teen faces challenges with their movement, development, learning, play, eating, or participation in everyday activities. Our dedicated, multidisciplinary team provides expert and caring Physiotherapy & Occupational Therapy to help them overcome hurdles and truly shine.

Our Mission:

To Support, Empower, and Celebrate

The heart of Brave Bodies beats with a clear mission: to support families and empower children and young adults (0-25 years) with physical or developmental challenges to discover their strengths and reach their unique potential. We provide exceptional, evidence-based allied health care (Physiotherapy & Occupational Therapy) within a caring, hopeful, and family-centred framework. For us, it's about more than just therapy; it's about fostering bravery, celebrating every step of progress, and working hand-in-hand with parents to help their children live full, fun, and meaningful lives right here in the South West.

The Principles That Guide Us

Everything we do at Brave Bodies is guided by a set of core values that reflect our commitment to the children and families we serve

Family Centred

'Family-Centred' means you are the most important member of your child's team. We believe you know your child best. We actively listen to your insights and concerns, collaborate closely with you to set meaningful goals, and ensure you feel informed, respected, and involved in every decision regarding your child's care. We also provide practical strategies and support so you can confidently continue progress at home.

Evidence-Based

Your child's health and well-being are our top priority. 'Evidence-Based' means we are committed to using therapeutic approaches that are grounded in the latest scientific research and proven best practices. This commitment ensures your child receives the most effective, safe, and appropriate care to achieve meaningful outcomes. Each of our therapists are qualified health professionals with several years experience. We are grateful to have team members who are experts in their field and that contribute to ongoing research and teaching in their field. Each therapist is committed to ongoing learning and development through mentoring, clinical supervision, and external courses.

Fun & Playful

'Fun and Playful' is at the heart of how we engage with children. We know that learning and development flourish when children are motivated, happy, and actively participating. Our skilled therapists creatively integrate evidence-based techniques into enjoyable, age-appropriate activities and games, making therapy sessions a positive experience that your child will look forward to.

Empowering

'Empowering' to us means focusing on your child’s unique strengths and building their confidence and independence. We celebrate every achievement, no matter how small. We also empower you, as parents and caregivers, by providing clear information, practical skills, and ongoing encouragement, so you feel capable and well-equipped to support your child's journey both during and beyond therapy sessions.

Our Story: Inspired by a Vision for Thriving Children

Brave Bodies was born in 2023 from a shared vision between us, Ruan and Tarryn, a husband-and-wife physiotherapy team. Our journey has taken us from South Africa, where we saw the deep impact of poverty on children's health, to volunteering in West Africa at Guinea's first Paediatric Hospital, and working with the Yolngu people in remote Arnhem Land.

These experiences instilled in us a profound belief, one echoed by Nelson Mandela, that 'There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.' We saw that a lack of accessible healthcare, not a lack of parental love, often hindered a child's chance to thrive.

When we made the South West of WA our home, our passion for paediatrics and the desire to make a difference locally grew. We identified a gap in specialised paediatric allied health services and were driven to create Brave Bodies. Our goal is simple: to provide expert care that empowers children and partners with families, giving every child the opportunity to flourish right here in our beautiful regional community.

We are so proud that our dedicated team has grown, now including expert Paediatric Physiotherapist and Clinical Lead, Dr. Annie Chappell, and offering dedicated Occupational Therapy services. Our vision is to continue expanding our holistic support for families, always striving to increase accessibility and help every child discover their bravery and potential.

Our Founders: Ruan & Tarryn

We hope sharing our mission, values, and story gives you a sense of the heart behind Brave Bodies. If you feel a connection with our approach and believe we could be the right partner for your family, we invite you to:

Explore Our Servicesto see how we can support your child's specific needs.

Meet Our Teamto learn about our dedicated therapists.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What age group do you see?

We provide service to babies, teens and young adults from 0-25 years old. We are a paediatric service but we recognise that some young adults still need a paediatric approach to their care.

What conditions do you see?

We see a wide range of conditions and diagnoses. These include but are not limited to: developmental delays, baby neck or head issues, sporting injuries, scoliosis, hypermobility, autism spectrum, cerebral palsy, acquired brain injuries, genetic disorders plus more. Please contact if you are unsure if we can help!

How often are therapy sessions scheduled?

Each child's goals, needs, and family capacity is unique. Therefore we take a tailored and individualised approach to your child. We can provide intensive therapies, coach you as the parent or their care givers in the therapy strategies or provide maintenance therapy.

Can parents be involved in the therapy process?

For sure, we always encourage parents to get involved with their children to get the best results. Parents are provided tools and resources to guide their children at home.

Let's Chat & Get Started

We are here to help you, send us a message...

Open Hours:
Monday – Friday | 8am – 6pm

Service Area:

Bunbury, Busselton, Vasse, Dunsborough, Yallingup, Margaret River & Katanning