Sonali Haridass
SaLT
HCPC Registration: SL040531
Hello, my name is Sonali, and I am a South African Speech and Language Therapist. I graduated with distinction in Speech and Hearing Therapy from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2016.
My career began at a children’s hospital in Johannesburg, where I gained invaluable experience supporting children with complex communication and feeding needs across diverse communities. In 2021, I took a leap of faith and established my own practice in Cape Town, embracing the principles of child-centred care to support meaningful outcomes. This empowering chapter of my journey ultimately inspired another bold step: transitioning my career to the UK.
At Words First, I have found my niche as a Pathway Lead and Clinical Specialist in Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH). I support therapists across the company to develop their confidence in SEMH practice while continuing to work directly with students myself. The best part of my role is building meaningful relationships with students. I am particularly passionate about understanding the wider factors that contribute to school disengagement and exclusions. I enjoy piecing together the different parts of a young person’s story to understand what may be driving their communication and behaviour, and how we can better respond to their individual needs.
The Words First value that resonates most with me is flexibility. Life rarely goes exactly to plan, and I value the ability to adapt, remain open-minded and embrace whatever comes my way.
As someone who finds a lot of joy in quiet reflection, one of my most treasured reads is Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. I love its thoughtful exploration of connection and what it means to love and be loved.
