Occupational Therapy Services
Mental Health Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapists have a holistic understanding of both the mind and body, and a unique perspective on its connection to occupation and performance.
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MHOT’s can complete functional capacity assessments (FCA’s) and reports under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to support people with psychosocial disabilities to enter the scheme or if they require a plan review. These assessments may be completed over a number of sessions to collect information via observation as well as interview with the client themselves and their caregivers. Sessions can be conducted either in person, or via Telehealth. The following formal assessments may also be conducted to gain further functional information:
- WHODAS
- Vineland
- Care and Needs Assessment Scale
- Sensory Profile
- Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21
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The cost of assessment and intervention NDIS clients is charged at the NDIS rate of $193.99 per hour. This is invoiced to either yourself directly (if you are self managed) or to your plan managers.
Services are offered nation wide via Telehealth or if face to face services are required then referrals are only accepted in the Northern Beaches and North Shore areas of Sydney.
Please not we are not an NDIS registered provider and therefore cannot see NDIA/Agency managed participants.
Interventions
Occupational Therapists working in a mental health setting (Mental Health Occupational Therapist’s) utilise a wide array of frameworks and models to deliver strengths-based, behaviourally oriented interventions aimed at enhancing mental health and well-being.
They are trained in both occupational therapy-specific tools and approaches, as well as psychological techniques used by other mental health professionals (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, ACT, Mindfulness and much more). Their unique, goal-directed focus addresses the activities and occupations that are meaningful and important to an individual's daily life. Their goal is to build your capacity to be as independent as possible in your daily tasks.
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These practical interventions address a person's diagnosis and considers how their mental health diagnosis impacts their ability to function in daily life. This includes their capacity to engage in employment, manage household tasks, attend school, sleep, engage in personal care, or communicate and interact socially.
MHOT’s work with individuals with psychosocial disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder, borderline personality disorder and much more.
Mental Health Occupational Therapists have an in-depth knowledge of the sensory system and how this impacts emotional regulation. This includes the development of interoception (internal body awareness). The benefits of sensory interventions include:
• Reduction in client distress levels.
• Prevention and reduction of autistic burnout
• Reduction in the need for restrictive practices.
• Clients will use less maladaptive coping strategies to manage their distress.
MHOT’s work closely and collaboratively with psychologists, speech pathologists and behaviour support clinicians for positive behaviour support. MHOT’s can support clients reduce challenging behaviours through a sensory lens.
At Nesting Space, our Mental Health Occupational Therapist work from a neuroaffirming framework. Neurodivergent is an umbrella term that identifies anyone whose brain diverges from what is seen as “typical” or “normal”. An example of some common diagnoses which identify as neurodivergent include autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia and mental health conditions like bipolar, personality disorders and more.
Neurodiversity acknowledges the diversity of all minds. Neurodivergent people can be disabled by noise, light and other things in the environment. People’s expectations can be disabling too. But it’s not up to neurodivergent people to change. Rather, environments and expectations need to change to better include and embrace neurodivergent people’s differences.
Being neuroaffirming is not all about celebrating being neurodivergent as a positive experience but instead connecting with an individual and supporting them to understand that they are not “disordered” or “broken” for how they function. When using the neurodiversity paradigm as a clinician, you are recognising neurodiversity as a natural form of diversity, and the idea of a “normal” or “healthy brain” is a mere social construct. Being neuroaffirming as a mental health clinician means:
• Not placing neurotypical expectations on clients and educating others not to do the same e.g mental health clinician does not enforce eye contact as a goal as this does not mean the neurodivergent person is not paying attention.
• Using person first language over identity first language
• Using the neurodiversity paradigm over the medical and social models of disability
• Recognising that mental illness/ mental health disorders are also considered neurodivergent and applying neurodiversity affirming frameworks to therapy
• Considering and planning for sensory needs and embracing an individuals need to stim and allowing them to fidget and or move around in the session without experiencing any judgement or shame. This also includes advocating for this in the client’s environment e.g workplace, home, school etc.
• Using special interests to engage with the individual
• Respecting when an individual does not want to do something, and if they don’t, trying to identify why
• Centring and amplifying the voices of our neurodivergent clients
• Allowing neurodivergent individuals to define their own goals and outcomes as well as allowing them to identify what is ideal functioning for them
• Accepting and accommodating multiple forms of communication, expressed by movement, feeling and function.
• Offering different forms of communication to suit the needs of the client e.g face to face or video/ telehealth options where the individual can use written communication if they please.
• Providing sensory accommodations within your practice e.g reducing background noise, using dimmable lighting and offering alternative forms of seating.
• Focusing on increasing chosen executive functioning skills and providing accommodations and tools that suit the neurodivergent clients functioning differences.
• Accepts co-regulation and interdependence as valid coping strategies.
• Foster an environment that enables a client to “unmask”.
• Understanding the importance of lived experience being as valid as knowledge that comes from professionals, textbooks and research articles.
• Understanding the large prevalence of neurodivergent folks who experience gender dysphoria and may identify as non-binary, gender fluid, trans. By being neuroaffirming you must be LQBTQIA+ affirming.
Please note that we are not an NDIS registered provider and therefore can only see clients who are self or plan managed.
Occupational Therapy Services
Clinical Supervision
I provide clinical supervision for anyone wanting support with building their Mental Health OT clinical skills with their NDIS caseload. I have worked as a Mental Health OT with the NDIS for over 8 years. Clinical supervision with me will be a semi-formal partnership guided by you. I adopt a growth mindset and a coaching approach, meeting each supervisee at their current professional stage without judgment or expectation of prior knowledge. This relationship provides a platform to set and achieve goals that foster the supervisee's professional growth.
I take great joy in sharing my expertise to enhance the learning, development, and confidence of each Occupational Therapist I work with.
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Comprehensive supervision across a wide range of age groups: teens, young adults, adults, and older adults.
Expertise in managing diverse identities and mental health diagnoses, including autism, ADHD, intellectual disabilities, and physical disabilities.
Guidance on a wide array of assessments and interventions such as sensory processing, co- and self-regulation, emotional communication, executive functioning improvement, neuro-affirming social connections and capacity building in independent living skills.
Support in developing essential OT skills, including information gathering, case management, diary management, clinician self-care to prevent burnout, report writing, and enhancing clinical reasoning.
Due to the wide geographics I support, sessions are preferably conducted over Zoom. I can also support in session appointments e.g at a participant's home (if in the Sydney area).
Costs: $193.99 per hour
FAQ’s
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Telehealth has many benefits for you including providing a service when you can’t physically attend leave the house as well as limiting person-to-person interactions in waiting rooms and with front desk staff. As a new mum or dad, telehealth can have even more benefits including flexible and convenient appointment times, ability to get support without having to leave home and possibly reducing the need to access childcare.
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All appointments are scheduled for 50 minutes. You will be phoned or admitted to your Zoom meeting room by your clinician if you are attending via telehealth.
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Each person attending therapy will have different needs. You will agree the frequency of your appointments with your clinician after an assessment phase and adjust this as necessary during your treatment. At the most frequent you would have weekly appointments.
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As above, each person attending therapy will have different needs. You will agree the number of sessions you require with your clinician after an assessment phase and adjust this as necessary during your treatment. At present, Medicare is funding up to 10 sessions through a Mental Health Care Plan.
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In your first session, the clinician will ask you some questions to understand your current situation and what assistance and treatment may be beneficial for you. This might include topics like:
What is currently challenging for you – mood, sleep, eating patterns, behaviours, thoughts, relationships
Your mental health history
Who your family and current social supports
Your living situation
Your clinician may also ask you to complete some assessments to assess your mental health. You will develop a treatment plan together and subsequent sessions will be spent working together on your goals.