Yaksha Makan

SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPIST and AUDIOLOGIST
BA. SP&H, HCPC SLT/HAD, MRCSLT,MBSHAA, MBSA
Y
aksha is the founding director of Happy S.L.O.T.H.

Yaksha graduated with an honours degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, S.A. in 2012 where she studied a dual degree, namely Audiology and Speech & Language Therapy. Her undergraduate training exposed her to working with a variety of ages, health and development needs, strategies, environments, and socio-economic backgrounds. She was exposed to a broad range of specialities in both fields, receiving training from highly specialised professionals in their fields. 

Hereafter, she served a year of community service in a rural location, where she worked in both fields covering sectors in neuro- rehabilitation, psychiatry, paediatric intervention, geriatric care, neonatal wards, and palliative care. Here, she was faced with limited resources and complex cases loads, which gave her the opportunity to enhance skills of critical thinking, leadership, multi-disciplinary team work and evidence-based practice.

She then worked in a tertiary hospital, which was the largest of its kind, specialised in neurodiverse populations in rural communities. She also filled the role of head of department. Her passion for paediatric neuro-development was afforded the opportunity here to work with enhancing quality of life for individuals, families and communities. The challenges faced felt at times insurmountable, but with team work and persistence, she was able to contribute to comprehensive service development that really did make a difference.

She then left South Africa to work in the U.K. Being new to the country, the way of life, and having to understand the model of health service provision was an immense but adventurous task. She worked for 5 years in independent audiology and SLT practices. 

She then went onto taking a full-time role as a community specialist SLT. Here she worked predominantly in SEN and dysphagia, and also partook in service development. 

She became passionate about how communication and connection to the world was a fundamental to human life.  

With over a decade of experience, her passion has brought her to founding, Happy S.L.O.T.H. A.H.P. , where she is actively working in SLT and Audiology. She believes that as long as values, ethics, human connection, and thirst for learning exist, one can always make a difference to those whom they have the honour of working with!

Her favourite activties include playing with her 2 beautiful daughters, going on safari's and watching repeats of Harry Potter.

Candice Hay

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
BSc. O.T. BOAT, RCOT
Candice is a highly knowledgable, enthusiastic and dedicated Occupational Therapist with 15 years’ experience in private practice. Candice qualified as an O.T. in 2008 with a BSc. from WITS University, S.A. Following this she completed her community service year at Tara H. Moross Hospital. In 2014, Candice opened her own Paediatric OT clinic at the Manor Medical Centre, which she sold, after emigrating to the UK with her family in 2016. Since moving to the UK, Candice has worked at a paediatric clinic in the greater London area where her love for Paediatrics, integrated with Mental Health, only strengthened. Candice furthered her training in The Science of Happiness and Well-Being, Mental Health First Aid, Self-Harm and Suicide Awareness, Anatomy of Upper and Lower Extremities, and Integrated Learning Therapy, and Counselling Skills and Overcoming Dyslexia.







Lorna Hays
SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPIST
BSc. SLT, HCPC SLT, MRCSLT

Lorna  is a registered Speech and Language Therapist and has been working with neurodiverse children and young people for 6 years. She is specialised in working with people with autism and supporting the people around them to provide an inclusive and nurturing environment. She also has a special interest in Selective Mutism and also enjoys working with children, families and relevant adults to support other areas including speech sounds and language difficulties. Lorna is also skilled in providing remote therapy i.e. tele-therapy/ When she is not working, she loves spending time with her baby boy, meeting up with friends and family and travelling.

Would you like to join the team?

Do you think you could be part of our growing multidisciplinary practice? If you are an SLT/OT or other professional in child/adolescent development , and are looking to be part of an excellent multi-disciplinary practice, please get in touch!