Built from a belief that
every child deserves support
Therapy for Kids Perth was founded in 2021 by Mia Tarpey — a clinician who saw the gaps, felt the urgency, and decided to do something about it.
Mia Tarpey
Founder, Therapy for Kids Perth
One child.
Then many more.
Mia Tarpey didn't set out to build a business. She set out to help one child. In 2021, while working full-time in aged care, Mia began seeing paediatric clients on the side — not because it was strategic, but because the need was impossible to ignore. Families were calling, waiting, searching. The waitlists were long and the gaps were real.
Mia had no capital, no clinic, and no master plan. She had one client, a deep well of clinical experience, and an understanding of what it feels like to navigate the system from the other side.
"I knew there was demand for it because people would say they'd been looking and had been on a waitlist... they couldn't find anyone. When children are experiencing challenges with their emotional regulation, sensory differences, anxiety or school-based difficulties, their wellbeing can be really impacted."
Mia's commitment to this work isn't just professional — it's personal. As a parent, she has her own lived experience navigating mental health challenges with a child, including school refusal. That experience sits at the centre of everything she has built.
"This is something I have lived experience with and what really fuels me to keep going with this business."
Therapy for Kids Perth officially opened in 2021. Within 18 months, Mia had established three clinics across Perth and grown a team of around 35 professionals across occupational therapy, speech pathology, physiotherapy, psychology, and support roles.
The Beckenham opening in January 2024 marked a deliberate step toward something bigger — a paediatric model designed to address waitlist blowouts across Western Australia, including an innovative group programme approach to make therapy more affordable and accessible for families.
"It's quite a big undertaking, but we're really looking to revolutionise therapy to make it affordable for all children. Our goal is to not have any child ever turned away — there'll always be a therapist and group availability."
What we're here to do
Family-centred care
We work alongside families as partners — not just as clinicians. Every decision is made with the child and family at the centre.
Neuroaffirming practice
We celebrate neurodiversity and difference. Our approach is strengths-based, affirming, and never deficit-focused.
Meeting families where they are
Across four clinics, mobile therapy, and telehealth — we work to reduce the barriers of distance and availability so more families can access the support their child needs.
Multidisciplinary under one roof
OT, speech pathology, psychology, and physiotherapy — together. Because children's needs rarely fit neatly into a single discipline.
The values we live by
Everything we do — how we work, how we communicate, and how we grow — is guided by four core values.
Growing together — as clinicians, as a team, and as a practice — so we can do more for more families.
Rooted in the communities we serve. Building real relationships with families, schools, and the networks around our clients.
Caring deeply — for the children we support, the families we walk alongside, and the team we have built.
Marking every milestone, big and small. Progress deserves to be seen, named, and celebrated.
Recognised for what's possible
Mia's work has been recognised by Business News WA through the 40 Under 40 awards, which celebrate Western Australia's leading entrepreneurs, innovators, and community contributors under the age of 40.
Her story has been featured in PerthNow and across West Australian media as a case study in what is possible when clinical expertise meets the courage to act.
Business News WA — 40 Under 40
Recognised among WA's leading entrepreneurs and community contributors under 40
Featured in PerthNow & West Australian Media
Recognised as a case study in clinical expertise and entrepreneurial courage
"It's not that I'm completely fearless, but my parents taught me that taking risks is okay. I've had to embrace it and go: I'm doing it, and I'll find a way."— Mia Tarpey, Founder
Three businesses, one vision
Therapy for Kids Perth is part of a wider ecosystem of services built by Mia — each one driven by the same belief that the right support should be accessible to everyone.
Therapy Hub
Therapy Hub extends the reach of our multidisciplinary model to adults — offering the same quality, neuroaffirming allied health care to clients across the lifespan. When young clients of Therapy for Kids Perth transition to adulthood, Therapy Hub is there to continue that care.
Visit Therapy HubTherapy Sensory Store
Opened in November 2024 in Myaree, Therapy Sensory Store brings OT-recommended sensory tools, therapy resources, and developmental toys directly to parents, educators, and therapists — in-store and online. Because the right tools shouldn't only be available inside clinic walls.
Visit the Store