Our Story

The Soundmill Centre was founded in 2018 by Dr Karyn Carson, driven by a passion for supporting young learners and empowering families. Drawing on Karyn’s strong academic and research background, the vision from the beginning was to create a service that combined best-practice, evidence-based therapy with a warm, family-centred approach - even if it mean building and starting to work from a small clinic in the backyard!

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What began as work with a small number of families quickly grew into a trusted service and small team of therapists supporting children across southern Adelaide. Over time, The Soundmill Centre expanded to offer comprehensive assessments, therapy across a wide range of communication and feeding needs, and specialist literacy support for children with dyslexia and related learning differences.

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In 2023, Rob Carson joined the team, bringing experience in leadership, systems, and operational management. Rob’s role focuses on administration, scheduling, finance, and systems development, strengthening the operational foundations of the practice and enabling clinicians to focus on what matters most — caring for children and families.  Our current staff include Tegan who joined our team in July 2023, Ella who joined the team in January 2024, Jemma who joined us in March 2025 and Jacob who become part of the Soundmill family in September 2025.

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Why We’re Called The Soundmill Centre

The name The Soundmill Centre reflects how we think about communication development. Just as a windmill works by breaking movement into smaller, manageable parts and then bringing them together to create something powerful, our work with children focuses on breaking communication down into its core building blocks — sounds, words, language, and interaction — and carefully rebuilding them into a stronger, more functional communication system.

A soundmill also represents movement, connection, and momentum. It takes what’s already there and helps it flow, supporting growth over time rather than forcing change. This mirrors our belief that children develop best when support is intentional, respectful, and grounded in care, guided by both evidence and genuine human connection.

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Like a windmill, we work with the strengths a child brings, turning effort into gentle momentum.  In that momentum, communication begins to travel - between home, school and community.

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What Makes The Soundmill Centre Unique

We believe it’s often the small, human moments — feeling understood, feeling safe, feeling supported — that shape a child’s progress the most. Our work is guided by genuine connection, strong relationships, and a deep respect for every child and family we support.

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Family-Centred Care

The Soundmill Centre isn’t just about therapy sessions — it’s about partnership. We work alongside parents, caregivers, and schools to ensure skills develop and generalise beyond the clinic. Our clinicians value connection as much as progress, building trust, confidence, and shared understanding with families every step of the way.

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Integrated Expertise and Research-Informed Practice

We combine strong clinical practice with academic leadership and research expertise. Through Dr Karyn Carson’s research background and our team’s commitment to evidence-based care, every assessment, program, and recommendation is informed by current research — not habit.

Importantly, we translate that research into practical, everyday strategies that families can realistically use at home, in early learning settings, and at school.

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Genuine Connection and Professional Integrity

Families choose The Soundmill Centre for how we work as much as what we do. Our approach is grounded in authenticity, transparency, and respect. We take time to understand each family’s goals, priorities, and concerns, and we communicate clearly and honestly throughout the therapy journey. Even as the practice has grown, our heart has stayed the same: every child is seen as an individual, every family’s story matters, and every small step forward is worth celebrating.

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Where We Are Today

Today, The Soundmill Centre is proud to be a team-based practice, offering clinic-based, school-based, and telehealth services. While our services have grown, we remain deeply connected to the values and family-friendly ethos that shaped our beginnings.  Our focus remains on providing care that is thoughtful, ethical, evidence-based, and genuinely supportive — always guided by what is in the best interests of the child and their family.

 

We’re proud to be a team that combines heart, expertise, and evidence — and we’d love to support your child’s journey. 👉 Visit our team' page to meet our current team members.

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