Coffs Neuro Physio

Amanda Sleeman is principal therapist, founder and director of Coffs Neuro Physio. She developed her early passion for Neurological Physiotherapy during her university studies and ever since identified the lack of access to experienced, skilled private neuro physiotherapy across the Mid North Coast. The long distances those with neurological conditions had to travel to access these services became more evident while working in Sydney at the largest private practice provider of neurological services in New South Wales. The tyranny of distance and costs too often resulting in cessation of treatment and earlier than ideal. And so, Amanda returned to her home town Coffs Harbour to relieve this burden, bringing with her over six years of experience in the field and a truck load of enthusiasm.

Amanda’s passion and dedication are hard to miss. She thrives on bringing a smile to the faces of her clients and encourages them to work hard towards achieving their goals. Her aim is to ensure that every person with a neurological condition no longer misses out on the opportunity to maximize their potential and live the best life they possibly can.

Outside of work, you will find Amanda somewhere in the ocean, most of time with her surfboard. Nothing beats a morning surf or dunk in the ocean at sunrise before an enjoyable day in the office!

Helena brings spark and a variety in knowledge to our team, having completed her initial Physiotherapy studies over in Sweden! During her studies, she developed a keen interest in working with the neurological population particularly when her Mother-in-law was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Upon graduation, she commenced working in a ‘live-in’ rehabilitation center in a rural area of Sweden, where she worked with a diverse range of clients including neurological, orthopedic, dementia and palliative. Helena eventually returned to the motherland Australia and completed her masters in physiotherapy at the University of Queensland before moving to Coffs Harbour.

Helena is not afraid of a challenge, which may stem from her days in the military before physiotherapy! She loves working with clients with all types of conditions, particularly stroke, brain injury, Parkinson’s, balance and age-related impairments. She believes everyone deserves to live their best lives and she strives to achieve this with all her clients.

Merinda joined Coffs Neuro Physio in 2019 from Brisbane. She spent several years studying at the University of Queensland then took a great opportunity to continue to work in Brisbane in a full-time position at the well-reputed Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. She draws on her experiences in helping a vast number of clients across both the acute neurology and stroke wards, as well as the rehabilitation unit. 

Having grown up in our local area, Merinda is excited to have returned closer to her home and family. Her strong passion is helping people improve their function following a neurological event, whether it be stroke, brain injury or spinal cord injury. Equally, she enjoys working closely with people with neurological conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Gullian barre syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Cerebral Palsy and balance impairments. Merinda has always been a compassionate therapist, dedicated to really listening to her clients and developing individualised and meaningful treatment plans. 

Outside of work Merinda can be found somewhere in the great outdoors, most likely camping with her mates or enjoying time with her family. She’s travelled the world but always comes back to the fact that nothing beats the beauty of our own backyard!