Course Beetle

Professional training with a personal approach

Our presenters

Our course presenters bring a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience to guide you through your learning. Course Beetle presenters bring decades of collective experience in diverse areas of speech, language and communication. They are recognised sector experts which means you can learn from the best.

Our presenters will not only cover essential content but will also provide practical insights, share case studies, and answer your questions delivering a dynamic and interactive learning experience. Get to know the faces behind the knowledge and the voices that will shape your Course Beetle training experience:

Freyja Bell headshot

Freyja Bell

Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, MRes Recipient of the NIHR Predoctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (PCAF)

Freyja Bell is a Clinical Academic Speech and Language Therapist with over 19 years’ experience across paediatric and adult services, specialising in the assessment and rehabilitation of adults with neurological conditions, with a particular focus on stroke care. She works across both NHS and private settings, combining specialist clinical practice with research, education, and service development.

Freyja leads and delivers Fibreoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) services and provides specialist training in instrumental swallowing assessment. Within her NHS Trust, she is the lead trainer for Therapy Outcome Measures (TOMs), having delivered formal TOMs training for over six years. She has co-developed and published the multidisciplinary Therapy Outcome Measure Scale for Stroke, supporting improved outcome measurement and evidence-based practice across stroke rehabilitation.

Her academic work focuses on improving multidisciplinary team communication, enhancing the use of outcome measures,  and improving rehabilitation pathways for people with neurological communication and swallowing difficulties. Freyja has recently published work relating to Therapy Outcome Measures and Wernicke’s aphasia and continues to advocate for the wider adoption of robust outcome measurement approaches across allied health professions.

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Helen Botham headshot

Helen Botham

Speech Pathologist - LACST, Dip Ed, M App Sci.

Helen Botham has worked as a Speech Pathologist for forty years in Melbourne and in the UK. She worked with preschool and young school-aged children in private practice and has a particular interest in speech and language problems associated with literacy difficulties.

Helen has consulted with and advised parents, teachers and carers, and she ran Cued Articulation courses for preschool and school teachers throughout Australia and overseas. She has a particular interest in issues concerning teaching Aboriginal students. Helen has conducted courses in northern Australia for teachers of Aboriginal students and has taken part in workshops for teachers of Aboriginal students in New South Wales.

Helen Botham completed a Master of Applied Science at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia, where she investigated outcomes for teachers attending a Cued Articulation course. She was interested to know whether their attendance can improve the phonological and letter-sound awareness required by teachers of reading.

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Jennifer Gray, MS CCC-SLP headshot

Jennifer Gray, MS CCC-SLP

Jennifer Gray is a speech-language pathologist, speaker, and author with over 20 years of experience specialising in communication and feeding for

individuals with Down’s syndrome. She owns private practices in Colorado and Texas and provides consultation services internationally. Jennifer presents at conferences, schools, and online platforms for families and professionals. She collaborates with organisations including GiGi’s Playhouse, LSVT Global, and Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group (DSMIG) to advance effective, evidence-based interventions. Her clinical and educational work emphasises speech clarity, verbal language development, and the belief that individuals with Down syndrome can achieve independence and meaningful participation across the lifespan.

Disclosures: Ms. Gray receives lecture honoraria from LSVT Global, Inc. and owns and operates Grays Peak Speech Services, LLC, a private practice in northern Colorado specialising in speech, language, and feeding for individuals with Down syndrome and other motor speech and intellectual disabilities.

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Jessica Galgano, PhD, CCC-SLP headshot

Jessica Galgano, PhD, CCC-SLP

Dr. Galgano received her doctoral degree in the department of Biobehavioral Sciences from Columbia University in NYC. She has presented at national and international conferences and has authored and co-authored publications related to neurologic communication and voice disorders. She is a specialist in treating cognitive communication, motor speech, voice, and swallowing difficulties due to stroke, TBI, head and neck cancer and other pathologies and holds secondary certifications in nutrition and meditation. Dr. Galgano is a faculty instructor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and is the Founder and CEO of Open Lines Speech and Communication (OpenLines.com), where she provides LSVT LOUD® and other types of therapy to adults and children with a wide variety of speech and language diagnoses.

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Judy Halden headshot

Judy Halden

MA (Ed), BA (Hons), MRCSLT​ ​

Remembering Judy Halden

Judy Halden worked with children and adults for many years as a dually qualified Specialist SaLT and Teacher of deaf children, across a range of settings. She was also a lecturer, tutor, and advisor at City University, UCL and Hertfordshire University at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Judy was a founder member of Communication Skills Development (CSD), developing and providing specialist training for therapists and teachers working with deaf people. Judy had several publications in the field including Beazley, S. and Halden, J., (2025) Working with Deaf Children and Young People: A Guide for Practitioners. Routledge.
By Sarah Beazley, CSD consultant, www.csdconsultants.com Forthcoming book Working-with-Deaf-Children-and-Young-People-A-Guide-for-Practitioners/Beazley-Halden
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Laura Holmes headshot

Laura Holmes

Speech and Language Therapist and Talking Mats Associate Director

Laura Holmes is Associate Director with Talking Mats and has worked for Talking Mats since 2016. She has worked as a Speech and Language Therapist for over 20 years in NHS as well as in independent practice.

Laura has experience working with both children and adults, across a diverse range of settings including mainstream schools, specialist schools and resource bases (primary and secondary), and community clinics. Laura Holmes also worked for NHS Stockport Foundation Trust as a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist with the Stockport Virtual Schools Team. She has a particular interest in using Talking Mats with children and young people who have experienced adverse childhood experiences. Laura supports them to have their voices heard and responded to by those around them.

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