TESSA LESCHEN
Brand Engagement Manager at Therapy Focus
Awarded an AIM WA + WA Scholarship for the Strategic Social Media Course, 2019
What sort of work does your organisation do?
Therapy Focus is Western Australia’s leading provider of professional therapy services for people living with disability, employing more than 250 allied health therapists. Our therapy teams take a transdisciplinary approach to service delivery, working collaboratively to help children and adults with of all ages and with varying diagnoses develop skills, address challenges and achieve their goals. Describe a typical day's work.
There is definitely no such thing as a ‘typical day’ in my role – and that’s why I love my job! As the Brand Engagement Manager at Therapy Focus I oversee all marketing, public relations and communications activities, whilst also driving customer and employee engagement initiatives. What were some of the key learnings from the Strategic Social Media Course ?
Key takeaways from AIMWA’s Strategic Social Media course included how to apply critical thinking to the way we utilise social media, and how to effectively demonstrate return on investment. At Therapy Focus we recognise that social media can significantly influence customer engagement, service access and brand visibility, and that it provides an effective medium to advocate for the rights of people living with disability. By integrating our social media activities into broader digital transformation, we are better placed to achieve our strategic goals in a measured, cost effective way, whilst also improving the customer experience and contributing to social justice matters. How has it impacted / changed / benefited your role and your organisation as a whole?
The increased choice afforded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme has naturally led to a more competitive market. Social media provides a cost-effective channel to communicate and engage with existing and potential customers, but the endless content streams make for a noisy environment where cut-through can be hard to achieve. Participation in this course has helped me refine our social media activities to ensure we deliver valuable content and foster online communities where customers can connect and engage. This has involved consultation at all levels of the organisation, to ensure activities are considered, timely and integrated. How did you come to be working in the not-for-profit sector?
I studied film and television, photography and public relations as part of my Mass Communications degree in the hopes of one day becoming a television producer. But while looking for an internship in my last year of university I stumbled across Therapy Focus. My older sister has intellectual disability and autism, and whilst I had always been very passionate about social justice, human rights and advocacy, I never considered a career in the NFP sector. I was lucky enough to secure the internship at Therapy Focus and 10 years on I haven’t looked back. I can’t imagine working in any other sector - I get to use my skills for a cause I’m passionate about, and work alongside people who genuinely care. It’s also incredibly rewarding, humbling and challenging. What do you feel is most needed to sustain and build the impact of the not-for-profit sector?
Collaboration. Both cross-sector and inter-agency collaboration. I have always felt that whilst so many NFPs are working for the same or similar causes, we are often competing – for funding, resources and support. It’s a bit of a Utopian view, but I think the efforts of NFP organisations would be more effective if we collaborated more where possible What is something interesting / unique / unusual about you?
As a teenager I loved dancing so much that I tried to audition for a job as a cabaret dancer on cruise ships– but my Mum swiftly put a stop to that!
Click here to read about other ASF scholars.
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