OPTIONAL WORKSHOPS
Enhance your time at The Sound Exchange with an optional pre-conference workshop
– broadening your learning before diving into your chosen stream.
All workshops run from 1.30pm-5pm on Monday 11 May 2026
Meet Celia
Celia is an audiologist with over two decades of clinical experience, including more than 10 years specialising in vestibular assessment. Currently working as an audiologist and product consultant at Interacoustics, Celia brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise
to her role.
With a diverse range of skills spanning hearing aid rehabilitation, paediatric audiology and vestibular testing, Celia is well-equipped to provide invaluable support to clinics seeking to optimise their services.
In her role, Celia works closely with clinicians to build confidence in testing and support the integration of best-practice assessment into everyday clinical work. She is particularly passionate about practical, clinically relevant education that helps audiologists expand their diagnostic capabilities and optimise patient care.
The Right Balance: Enhancing your vHIT and VEMP Technique
Celia Gomes Chapman & Trong Nguyen, Interacoustics
Meet Celia
Celia is an audiologist with over two decades of clinical experience, including more than 10 years specialising in vestibular assessment. Currently working as an audiologist and product consultant at Interacoustics, Celia brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise
to her role.
With a diverse range of skills spanning hearing aid rehabilitation, paediatric audiology and vestibular testing, Celia is well-equipped to provide invaluable support to clinics seeking to optimise their services.
In her role, Celia works closely with clinicians to build confidence in testing and support the integration of best-practice assessment into everyday clinical work. She is particularly passionate about practical, clinically relevant education that helps audiologists expand their diagnostic capabilities and optimise patient care.
Whether you’re new or regularly performing vestibular assessments, this workshop is designed for those looking to enhance their technique for vHIT and VEMPs. In the workshop, you’ll learn about factors in patient preparation, protocol and setting refinements and combine it all in a hands-on practical session.
The workshop assumes knowledge on anatomy and physiology, as well as the basic principles of vHIT and VEMPs assessment.
Cost
Attending The Sound Exchange: Member $170 / Non-Member $235
Attending Workshop Only: Member $247 / Non-Member $289
CPD Points
3 Points (Category 1.4)
Delivering a Deaf Diagnosis with Care, Clarity and Confidence
Meet Fiona
Fiona Duncan is a highly experienced audiologist, specialising in the diagnosis and management of hearing –related concerns for neonates and children. Fiona is currently based in Sydney, Australia, leading one of only three specialty diagnostic centres. In London, she led the Audiology Departments at Great
Ormond Street, and Guy’s & St Thomas’ specialty hospitals and was a senior teaching fellow at University College London.
Meet Renee
Renee brings extensive experience across marketing, public relations, and events, with a strong background in strategic planning. Prior to joining Deaf Children Australia, she worked across a range of sectors, delivering thoughtful and effective campaigns in fast-paced environments. Renee is known for her collaborative approach, clear communication, and ability to bring structure and creativity to complex projects.
Meet Tamara
Since Tamara started her career at Deaf Children Australia (DCA) in 2001, she has worked in several roles, including as a Sign for Work Employment Consultant and in Family Case Management. Her career at DCA also includes working as a Support Coordinator and as a Team Leader in Support
Coordination. As a Deaf woman and mother of two Deaf daughters, Tamara brings not only lived experience, but also a deep insight into the lives and daily
challenges of young people with hearing loss. Her rich insight also extends to understanding the unique experience of parents who have deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children and being able to provide unbiased information to assist these families.
Meet Alice
Alice Brennan is a Clinical Psychologist working in Melbourne with lived experience of Deafness. She currently works in a public hospital setting within the Infant, Child and Youth Mental Health Service (ICYMHS). She also provides psychological therapy to adults and couples in private practice. Before becoming a psychologist, Alice previously worked at Deaf Children Australia as a Family Support Worker, Youth Worker, and Support Coordinator. She also travelled to the UK to gain additional experience and knowledge, working for the NHS in Deaf Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in London, in both the community and inpatient teams, and completed a postgraduate course in Deafness and Mental Health. She has also worked as a Research Assistant in a number of research projects with Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. The combination of her lived experience and clinical knowledge helps her to contribute a unique perspective to supporting Deaf and Hard of Hearing children, youth and their families.
We are proud to welcome Tamara Trinder-Scacco and Alice Brennan to Sound Exchange 2026—two powerful voices bringing both professional expertise and deeply personal lived experience within the Deaf community.
Tamara and Alice each bring a unique perspective shaped by their connection to deafness—through their own journeys, their families, and their work alongside Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Their insight bridges the gap between clinical practice and real-life impact, offering audiologists a rare opportunity to understand not just what to say, but how it feels to receive life-changing news.
This workshop will explore one of the most critical moments in an audiologist’s role: delivering a deaf diagnosis to families. The way this conversation is handled can shape a family’s emotional trajectory, influence decision-making, and have lasting effects on mental health and identity—for both the child and their support network.
Tamara and Alice will share practical, experience-led guidance, including their top tips for audiologists, such as:
• Leading with empathy and humanity, not just clinical facts
• Using clear, strengths-based and non-deficit language
• Allowing space for emotional processing and questions
• Avoiding assumptions about communication choices or outcomes
• Providing balanced, culturally informed information about Deaf identity and community
A key feature of this session will be interactive role-play activities, where participants will step into real-world scenarios. These exercises are designed to:
• Build confidence in delivering difficult news
• Practice language that is supportive, inclusive and empowering
• Reflect on tone, body language and pacing
• Understand how small shifts in delivery can significantly change how a message is received
At the heart of this workshop is a critical message:
The delivery of a diagnosis is not just a clinical task—it is a defining emotional moment.
Cost
Attending The Sound Exchange: Member $170 / Non-Member $235
Attending Workshop Only: Member $247 / Non-Member $289
CPD Points
3 Points (Category 1.4)
Meet Fiona
Fiona Duncan is a highly experienced audiologist, specialising in the diagnosis and management of hearing –related concerns for neonates and children. Fiona is currently based in Sydney, Australia, leading one of only three specialty diagnostic centres. In London, she led the Audiology Departments at Great
Ormond Street, and Guy’s & St Thomas’ specialty hospitals and was a senior teaching fellow at University College London.
Meet Renee
Renee brings extensive experience across marketing, public relations, and events, with a strong background in strategic planning. Prior to joining Deaf Children Australia, she worked across a range of sectors, delivering thoughtful and effective campaigns in fast-paced environments. Renee is known for her collaborative approach, clear communication, and ability to bring structure and creativity to complex projects.
Meet Tamara
Since Tamara started her career at Deaf Children Australia (DCA) in 2001, she has worked in several roles, including as a Sign for Work Employment Consultant and in Family Case Management. Her career at DCA also includes working as a Support Coordinator and as a Team Leader in Support
Coordination. As a Deaf woman and mother of two Deaf daughters, Tamara brings not only lived experience, but also a deep insight into the lives and daily
challenges of young people with hearing loss. Her rich insight also extends to understanding the unique experience of parents who have deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children and being able to provide unbiased information to assist these families.
Meet Alice
Alice Brennan is a Clinical Psychologist working in Melbourne with lived experience of Deafness. She currently works in a public hospital setting within the Infant, Child and Youth Mental Health Service (ICYMHS). She also provides psychological therapy to adults and couples in private practice. Before becoming a psychologist, Alice previously worked at Deaf Children Australia as a Family Support Worker, Youth Worker, and Support Coordinator. She also travelled to the UK to gain additional experience and knowledge, working for the NHS in Deaf Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in London, in both the community and inpatient teams, and completed a postgraduate course in Deafness and Mental Health. She has also worked as a Research Assistant in a number of research projects with Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. The combination of her lived experience and clinical knowledge helps her to contribute a unique perspective to supporting Deaf and Hard of Hearing children, youth and their families.
Meet Bec
Dr Bec Bennett is a Principal Audiologist at the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) and a leading researcher in adult audiological rehabilitation, hearing help-seeking, and the social and emotional impacts of hearing loss. Her work focuses on improving clinical care pathways and developing tools and educational resources that support both clinicians and adults with hearing difficulties, including those with sub-clinical hearing difficulties (SCHDs). Bec is also passionate about implementation science, supporting clinicians to translate emerging evidence into meaningful clinical practice.
Meet Sriram
Sriram Boothalingam studies how the ear and brain work together to support human communication, using otoacoustic emissions, EEG, and neuromodulation. His research seeks to link ear function, brain activity, and behavior to enable earlier detection and more personalized, effective diagnostics and treatments for people with hearing difficulties. He is trained as an audiologist and scientist, with appointments at the National Acoustic
Laboratories and Macquarie University.
Meet Matt
Matt Croteau is an accredited audiologist working as a researcher with the National Acoustic Laboratories. His areas of interest are in evaluating and developing new hearing technologies, improving how we address the needs of those with hearing difficulties, and working to inform current and future provision of hearing healthcare.
Meet Jessica
Jessica Monaghan is a Senior Research Scientist leading artificial intelligence research at the National Acoustic Laboratories. With a background developing noise-reduction technologies for hearing aids and cochlear implants, her current work applies machine learning to tackle key challenges in hearing healthcare - developing advanced diagnostic tools and improving communication for people with hearing loss.
Towards Managing Sub-Clinical Hearing Difficulties: From Identification to Intervention
Sold out!
Dr Bec Bennett - Principal Audiologist, National Acoustic Laboratories
Dr Sriram Boothalingam, Senior Research Scientist, National Acoustic Laboratories & Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University
Dr Jessica Monaghan , Senior Research Scientist, National Acoustic Laboratories
Matt Croteau, Research Audiologist, National Acoustic Laboratories
Meet Bec
Dr Bec Bennett is a Principal Audiologist at the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) and a leading researcher in adult audiological rehabilitation, hearing help-seeking, and the social and emotional impacts of hearing loss. Her work focuses on improving clinical care pathways and developing tools and educational resources that support both clinicians and adults with hearing difficulties, including those with sub-clinical hearing difficulties (SCHDs). Bec is also passionate about implementation science, supporting clinicians to translate emerging evidence into meaningful clinical practice.
Meet Sriram
Sriram Boothalingam studies how the ear and brain work together to support human communication, using otoacoustic emissions, EEG, and neuromodulation. His research seeks to link ear function, brain activity, and behavior to enable earlier detection and more personalized, effective diagnostics and treatments for people with hearing difficulties. He is trained as an audiologist and scientist, with appointments at the National Acoustic
Laboratories and Macquarie University.
Meet Matt
Matt Croteau is an accredited audiologist working as a researcher with the National Acoustic Laboratories. His areas of interest are in evaluating and developing new hearing technologies, improving how we address the needs of those with hearing difficulties, and working to inform current and future provision of hearing healthcare.
Meet Jessica
Jessica Monaghan is a Senior Research Scientist leading artificial intelligence research at the National Acoustic Laboratories. With a background developing noise-reduction technologies for hearing aids and cochlear implants, her current work applies machine learning to tackle key challenges in hearing healthcare - developing advanced diagnostic tools and improving communication for people with hearing loss.
Sub-clinical hearing difficulties (SCHDs) describe a heterogeneous group of adults who experience real-world communication challenges despite having clinically normal hearing thresholds. This pre-conference workshop will introduce clinicians to the physiological background, practical tools, and emerging evidence base for intervention strategies to work effectively with this underserved population.
This interactive session will combine presentations, case examples, hands-on hearing aid fitting exercises, and group discussion. Participants can expect to leave with a clear understanding of SCHDs, how to identify and potentially assess them, and how to apply the new NAL-NL3 Minimal Hearing Loss Module (MHL Module) in clinical practice.
Cost
Attending The Sound Exchange: Member $170 / Non-Member $235
Attending Workshop Only: Member $247 / Non-Member $289
CPD Points
3 Points (Category 1.4)