Occupational Therapy

An Occupational Therapist can help children and adults live more independently and improve their capacity to learn, play and improve skills that are impacting on their success in everyday activities.

One-on-one Occupational Therapy sessions are the most common ways to help with development delays and skill development.

Sessions are typically held in our Bacchus Marsh clinic, or in some cases at your home or in the community (school, kindergarten).

During one-on-one sessions, your OT will work with you on specific goals through a range of activities and each session is tailored to each individual’s needs and interests.

We Can Help You With

Emotional and sensory regulation skills (reducing meltdowns and increasing performance)

Sensory regulation skills such as coping with loud noises, bright lights, inability to sit still, ‘fussy eating’, difficulties with toilet training, toe walking, floor rolling, chewing items, and more

Handwriting and pre-handwriting skills

Gross motor skills such as riding a bike or even a skateboard!

Fine motor skills such as tying shoelaces, using cutlery and managing zips/buttons

Coordination skills such as opening a lunch box, jumping, and more

School readiness skills

Independence with everyday tasks such as showering, dressing, toileting, eating

Home modifications such as ramps, bathrooms and stair lifts

Interpersonal effectiveness and social skills

Many factors determine how this may look, but the most important ones to us are your interests and strengths. We are driven by YOU and love to find ways to ensure you feel empowered to live a fulfilled and wonderful life.

If you are new to Occupational Therapy, we have outlined the process below.

You will be booked in with one of our Occupational Therapists to conduct a thorough initial consultation. This is usually a phone or zoom interview with the client or carer/parent. If you have a young child, we do not believe it is necessary for them to be present at this time, as it can involve discussions that could negatively impact a child’s confidence and self-esteem.

During the initial consultation, the Occupational Therapist will determine if further assessments are necessary. Assessments generally take 1.5 hours and involves a series of standardised and non-standardised tests specifically chosen to the individual. Assessments are important so that we can thoroughly understand the challenges and needs of an individual to ensure their OT sessions are tailored to meet their needs. It also acts as a benchmark to understand the degree to which your child is struggling in certain areas and to measure their progress throughout their therapy. Following the assessment a comprehensive report will be written, outlining the goals and a therapy plan with interventions can be designed.

After the initial consultation and assessments have been completed, the OT will have a very strong understanding of what your interests are, your strengths and what motivates you. We pride ourselves on being strength based and driven by YOU. At this stage, the OT will work with clients and parents to develop clear Occupational Therapy goals and discuss the therapy plan.

Once the assessment and goal setting phases have been complete, we can get started on the fun part, interventions! This looks very different from client to client as we love to find innovative ways to empower our clients to achieve goals.

Frequency of OT sessions can depend on clients’ level of funding, level of impairment, importance of goal achievement and the impacts of therapy. Each individual may prioritise OT differently and we like to be mindful of the other weekly demands on a client and their family (other therapies, siblings, school, work, etc).