Discover tailored OT support to help you move forward following injury, illness or disability.
With 20years of experience in Occupational Therapy, my focus is on listening to your unique situation and challenges, identifying priorities for change and working together on actions that create positive momentum.
Experiencing an injury, a physical or cognitive impairment or a prolonged illness can be a very challenging time.
Navigating the medical system and process of recovery, can feel daunting and often involves continuous problem solving and difficult decisions. This can take the energy away from your recovery.
Questions can arise, such as:
What now? What happens after doctors and physiotherapists have reviewed my condition?
Do I need to see a Specialist? Should I have surgery?
How do I improve my symptoms/situation further?
How do I get back to work and resume my prior responsibilities?
How do I start to feel more “normal” again?
The recovery process can be overwhelming..
My role is to guide you through the recovery journey, leveraging your strengths and past experiences, ensuring you receive tailored, best practice treatment.
Together, we will work towards making this experience feel more manageable and empowering for you.
Explore OT services now
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Explore OT services now *
Injury Management and Rehabilitation: Supporting Your Recovery Journey
Our initial meeting involves a review of your current symptoms, treatments to date, current daily functioning and routines, compared to your pre-injury/illness status, to establish recovery goals and therapy needs.
Initial sessions can be provided in person or via telehealth/video platforms.
Further sessions will build on your functional capacity for activities of daily living, including self-care tasks, home-based duties and community access, therapy sessions for physical and cognitive retraining, mood and mindset reframing, meaningful goal setting and achievable steps.
Examples where OT services are most helpful:
Following Spinal Surgery or Joint replacement procedures to the shoulder, hip or knee
Persistent Back, Neck or Shoulder pain
Managing Migraines, Vestibular issues and visual disturbances
Stroke recovery and post concussive syndromes
Women’s health and post-natal recovery programs
Returning to work after a period of leave or unemployment
Returning to Work: The Importance of Workplace Assessments and effective planning
Following the acute recovery period, meeting with an OT can be highly beneficial to take the guess work out of your rehabilitation timeframes.
A review of your work readiness and clarification of your work demands, will enable a more timely return to work and help establish proactive communication with your employer.
Workplace meetings, ergonomic desk assessments and medical case conferences can also be provided to assist in setting up a smooth and successful return to work.
A review of your “home office” also ensures consistency in your work performance across all work environments, and can include simple yet adjustable office equipment, implementation of healthy postures and work routines, as well as online organisational skills as you rebuild your physical and cognitive endurance for work.
Return to work planning involves:
1. Assessing your rehabilitation needs
2. Prioritising your recovery goals
3. Building work capacity through simplified routines/work adjustments.
4. Monitoring and adapting the return to work plan as needed.
By following these steps, Positive Change OT can assist the return to work process and ensure effective support for the employee, while improving the experience for the employer.
Managing Chronic Fatigue and Burnout
High levels of stress and anxiety in various areas of your life, over prolonged periods can lead to significant over-stimulation of the nervous system and severe exhaustion.
OT services can meet you where you’re at, establishing your baseline function and helping you identify small steps to start building your daily capacity again. This is done through graded exposure to safe and meaningful activities, to retrain your mind and body towards greater functioning.
The focus during occupational therapy will be on reviewing elements of the person, their environment and their daily occupations, to establish the interplay between these factors and make positive changes to achieve greater performance.
Acknowledging that chronic fatigue can present with heightened physical, cognitive or emotional elements, OT services can help to identify and address these factors more effectively, in a practical manner, to move the person forward with recovery.
Working with OT alongside your medical specialists, psychologists, physiotherapists and exercise physiologists, helps to provide the most holistic approach to your active recovery program.
Managing Persistent Pain Symptoms
High levels of persistent pain post injury can lead to significant emotional distress, poor sleep and low mood, thus reducing engagement in life activities. This cycle can wear you down over time and is very challenging to overcome, especially if seeing multiple specialists, trying different treatment providers or considering surgical intervention.
Occupational therapy support centres around reducing the stress and anxiety you feel during the recovery process, helping you focus your energy on best practice treatments, positive changes in your daily routine and symptom management, including navigating the ups and downs that can occur as you overcome your pain experience.
Persistent pain can lead to reduced movement in an attempt to avoid the pain experience, however this can cause secondary impacts to your body and mind over time.
OT support can help you safely navigate this stage and calm your nervous system to help you move beyond the physical pain and any secondary emotional distress.
Acknowledging too, that chronic pain can present with heightened physical, cognitive or emotional elements, that may be impacting recovery progress to varying degrees.
Working with an OT alongside your medical specialists, psychologists, physiotherapists and exercise physiologists will help to provide a holistic approach during recovery.
We start with small steps to build on your daily capacity again. Working together to set goals and create gradual exposure to safe and meaningful activities, to retrain your body and mind towards recovery and a positive future.
A hint of hope for change and an open mind is needed, to find out what’s next for you…
Why choose Occupational Therapy intervention?
Occupational Therapy intervention navigates the bridge between common physiotherapy and psychology services, offering a holistic approach to rehabilitation and recovery programs.
While physiotherapy primarily focuses on physical rehabilitation and restoring movement following injury, OT addresses the broader spectrum of an individual’s daily functioning and well-being.
Building functional ability encompasses not only the physical aspects of recovery but also considers psychological factors such as motivation, emotional resilience, and coping strategies. By integrating insights from both physiotherapy and psychology, occupational therapy enables individuals to regain independence and re-engage in meaningful activities, ultimately supporting a smoother transition back to everyday life and work.
Clear benefits of occupational therapy include improved functional capabilities, enhanced quality of life, and effective management of physical or mental health challenges. These services specifically support individuals in their rehabilitation journey, facilitating a return to daily activities and promoting independence.
Occupational therapy empowers clients by providing personalized strategies and interventions that address their unique needs. This can include ergonomic assessments to reduce back pain, tailored exercises to improve mobility, or cognitive strategies to support mental health recovery.
By focusing on meaningful activities, occupational therapy helps individuals regain confidence and achieve their personal goals, ultimately leading to better overall well-being.
Furthermore, occupational therapy assists in injury management by promoting healing and preventing future injuries. This holistic approach ensures that clients not only recover physically but also adapt psychologically to changes in their condition, enabling a smoother transition back to work or daily routines.
Are you ready to explore a positive change together?
Or, is someone you know struggling with recovery post illness, managing an injury or permanent disability?
At Positive Change OT, specialised occupational therapy services are available and designed to support your journey back to optimal health and well-being.
Now is the perfect time to take the first step. Don’t let a sense of overwhelm hold you back from change for the better.
Enquire today and discover how I can help you achieve your recovery and wellbeing goals.
Set up a complimentary call
About me
I’m Emma, an Occupational Therapist and Rehabilitation Consultant with a sound knowledge of best practice rehabilitation needs following musculoskeletal injuries, neurological conditions, brain injury, cancer recovery, persistent pain, chronic fatigue and secondary mental illness.
My career highlights have included working with highly experienced medical professionals and rehabilitation consultants across Australia and the United Kingdom during my clinical work in the field of Neurological and Acquired brain injury and again as a rehabilitation consultant within the road trauma and life insurance industry.
I believe in the importance of proactive injury prevention and the benefits of early intervention post injury, taking action to improve recovery expectations and timely return to wellbeing.
I follow the RACP “Health Benefits of Good Work” initiative as a key principle in my daily practice and finding the right fit and role at work, can be the difference between prolonged disability or a positive return to work experience. Psychological safety is also a key element of what “good work” really means to each individual in their role and can be explored during the rehabilitation process.
I value each individual’s story, building connection and approaching their situation with curiosity and connection, to achieve the best outcomes for all.
Additional expertise:
Tailored capacity building activities and enforcing simple habits, to achieve greater wellbeing
Support with burnout presentations and chronic fatigue recovery programs
Proactive return to work guidance via graded work plans and medical management services, including GP case conferences and employer contact where indicated.
Ergonomic assessments, postural awareness and symptom management
Goal based health coaching, routine building and career mentoring.
Funding Options
Positive Change OT can assist you with a range of functional assessments and practical therapy options.
Positive Change OT is a registered provider under Medicare, TAC and Worksafe Victoria.
Sessions can be paid for privately and claimed back via HICAPS at your appointment.
If accessing OT services via Medicare, please speak with your treating GP about your condition and current physical, psychological or cognitive limitations.
Your GP can then create a referral to Positive Change OT under a “Care plan” so you can access funding support, through Medicare assistance.
Sessions are usually 45 to 60mins depending on your needs and can be in person or via phone or video call, if preferred.
Services are charged at $180 per hour (with Medicare rebate, if applicable).
Many issues can be resolved in 2-3 OT sessions, helping you regain control of your recovery.
If accessing OT services via an insurer, please provide your claim number in your enquiry so we can confirm whether OT services are covered in your current therapy plan. If unsure, please ask your case manager.
If you have other regular physiotherapy or psychology input, please let me know so we can work collaboratively with you on goal setting and meaningful engagement in new routines and if suitable healthy work options.
