About us
Get to know us
Our Team
Nicole Sanders
BSc (OT), MHPE, GradCertMentalHlth
Our director, Nicole is an AHPRA registered Occupational Therapist based in Perth, Western Australia. She completed her undergraduate degree in Occupational Therapy in 2005. Since then, she has worked in Australia and England and has extensive clinical experience in the disability sector.
Nicole is a loving wife and proud mother of two school-aged children. She has a British cat, an Aussie dog and a not so furry bearded dragon. She is neurospicy, passionate and dedicated to her family and her clients. Outside her professional life, she enjoys pilates, consuming copious amounts of chocolate and coffee, travelling down to the South West and spending time with friends and family.
In 2022 Nicole completed a Masters degree in Health Professions Education which included a research thesis, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Mental Health in 2025. Nicole strives to deliver evidence-based services and is committed to regular professional development. As a compassionate therapist, she believes in empowering others through education and training and enhancing opportunities to support self-management, promote independence and break down barriers to social and community participation.
Nicole is passionate about animals and promoting the benefits achieved through human-animal interactions and maximising capacity and self-determination without jeopardising safety or independence. For this reason, she created Paws and Thrive back in 2023 and started offering animal-assisted services (assistance animal assessments/ NDIS funding applications & canine-assisted therapy) across Australia and has never looked back. She is an Assistance Animal Ambassador and a professional member of Animal Therapies Ltd.
Nicole is APHRA registered and a current member of Occupational Therapy Australia. She frequently attends Special Interest Groups, webinars and events with other clinicians and peers within animal-assisted services. For more information about Nicole’s clinical experience and details of relevant skills and training, please visit LinkedIn.
Ruby Sanders
Therapy Dog
Ruby is a 7 year old Border Collie. She completed her Therapy Dog training in 2023 and helps Nicole to provide Occupational Therapy intervention (Canine Assisted Occupational Therapy Services). She enjoys learning new tricks and tasks, playing hide and seek, playing with the footy, walks along the beach and spending time with adults and children. She is a great listener, gentle natured and very affectionate.
*Please note, Canine Assisted OT is strictly risk assessed for suitability. Paws and Thrive do not provide clinic-based services. Therapy Dogs do not have the same public access rights as Assistance Dogs and are not permitted on public transport. Community access requires explicit permission from each proprietor before entry.