Occupational therapists are skilled in a number of areas, including mental health, rehabilitation, pain management, driving assessments, and pediatrics. They can help you to identify interests and goals, manage daily routines at home and in the community, modify daily tasks to make them easier to perform, and recommend activities that you can participate effectively in. Occupational therapists work with people across the lifespan to provide a range of supports and services to NDIS participants, including:

Assistive technology (aids and equipment)

Home modifications

Vehicle modifications and driving assessments

Assessment of personal support needs (personal care)

Coordinating respite care

Housing assessments for participants requiring Specialist Disability Accommodation

Transport assistance

Orientation and mobility training

Supported employment evaluation and training services

Helping children to reach their developmental goals through interventions such as play-based therapy

Whole of life personal planning

Occupational therapists in mental health work to increase an individual’s ability to live as independently as possible in the community while engaging in meaningful and productive life roles. OTs achieve this by helping clients address barriers to achieving their goals through interventions that focus on enhancing existing skills, creating opportunities, promoting wellness, remediating or restoring skills, modifying or adapting the environment or activity, and preventing relapse. It can significantly benefit an individual’s ability to participate and engage in the community and daily life activities and routines that are meaningful to lead productive lives.

Occupational Therapists work in achieving an optimal state of personal, social, and emotional wellbeing, as defined by each individual. This includes an individual’s life skills to enhance everyday functioning within life skill areas, such as:

Emotional Regulation

Social Interaction

Self-Care

Self-Management

Communication

Learning

Mobility

Your Mental Health OTs help participants who struggle, feel overwhelmed, or hopeless trying to cope with psychological or emotional challenges. This may include difficulties sleeping, managing their emotions, concentrating, communicating, functioning normally within their local community, or getting out of bed in the morning. Strategies used by Your mental health OTs may include:

Assessing and adapting the environment at home, work, school, and other environments

Providing individual or group therapy and educational programs to address assertiveness, self-awareness, interpersonal and social skills, stress management, and role development.

Working with clients to develop leisure or avocational interests and pursuits.

Facilitating the development of skills needed for independent living such as using community resources, managing one’s home, managing time, managing medication, and being safe at home and in the community.

Providing training in activities of daily living (e.g., hygiene and grooming)

Conducting functional evaluations and ongoing monitoring for successful accommodation and job placement.

Providing guidance and consultation to persons in all employment settings, including supportive employment.

Providing assessment and treatment for sensory processing deficits.

Providing education and support for service providers working with clients with mental health issues to ensure optimal support and care is provided with a focus on developing consistency for the client, safety for the client and care provider, and maximising skill-building.

We work with people who are living with, or recovering from, a mental health condition.

An occupational therapist is a practitioner who helps patients recover and improve their daily lives which have been affected by injury, illness or disability, through means of therapeutic exercises.

When an occupational therapist comes to a participant's house, they may perform an assessment of the patient’s daily routine and discuss what and how certain tasks may be difficult to perform. They may also assess the client’s motor skills, endurance, coordination, and balance/strength.

An occupational therapist will usually have a look around and assess environmental factors around the patient’s home, such as stairs, the distance between vital parts of the home, the various heights of objects used in daily activities etc. They may recommend the use and/or installation of various aids such as ramps (to assist mobility), bars in places such as the toilet area/bathroom, or equipment such as walking sticks or wheelchairs.