FAQ

We know that you probably have a lot of questions. If the question that you are looking for is not listed, please send it to us and we will get back as soon as possible! You can also book a complimentary consult call if you are ready to discuss your personal questions over the phone.

What can I expect from Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy is an accredited health profession focused on the person and their long-term health and well-being. Occupational Therapists are trained in anatomy, physiology, psychology and analysis of the physical and social environment.  Instead of promising a quick fix, Occupational Therapists take a unique, holistic approach to the person’s care. Key to this approach is working with the person and their social supports as their ally, collaborator, coach and guide to address their health challenges and adapt their habits and environment so they can participate more fully in day-to-day life and live a life they love. Occupational Therapy is 100% proactive. Choosing Occupational Therapy, you are made to feel empowered, not passive in the intervention process. An Occupational Therapist will always work collaboratively with the person to find practices and tools that suit their unique needs.

We all have the power to influence our health. With any challenge including injury, disability, or illness a huge part of the healthcare process involves being able to participate in life in ways that are meaningful to the person. What is meaningful will always look different to the individual but may include things like independently going to the toilet, playing on playground equipment, being able to stay calm throughout the day and participate in a group activity with friends. Identifying and drawing on the person’s strengths and meaningful activities an Occupational Therapist will develop a therapy plan tailored to suit a person’s needs.

You can find out more about the Rebloom Occupational Therapy planning and intervention process here.

At some point, there will come a time when the person no longer needs to see a therapist to continue making progress. This does not mean there is no longer a need to support their health and well-being. Occupational Therapists can provide additional education to the person and their social supports so they can continue therapy on their own.  

What can I tell my child to expect from Occupational Therapy?

One of the best places to start the conversation may be around the term ‘Occupational Therapy’.

Your child may feel confused about the term ‘occupational’. You can explain that it is related to the word ‘occupation’ which explains things like what their parents may do for work. Although your child doesn’t go to work, you can tell them that they have other occupations including being a student, sibling, or friend. You might like to tell them that they are coming to Rebloom to learn some tips to help with these occupations. For example, making handwriting easier, learning to look after themselves, to be calm and happy in their day and getting ready for school.

The word ‘therapy’ can also create confusion. At Rebloom, we aim to break down stigma and normalise support and the seeking of therapy. There is great progress being made in this regard throughout society and here at Rebloom, we will continue to advocate for progress. Making the decision to seek out therapy isn’t a sign of weakness. Seeking therapy is a courageous and wise act of self-care to reach out for support from professionals when you need help addressing the challenges you’re facing.

After deciding you would like to proceed with Occupational Therapy, Emily can talk with you more about how to prepare your child for their first session according to their individual needs.

What kind of clients does Rebloom work with?

Here at Rebloom we work with individual children, young people, their families and social supports of all different ages, ethnicities, gender expressions, sexual orientations, religions, family backgrounds and lifestyles. Emily draws on extensive experience to work with children and young people with and without specific diagnoses.  This includes working with children with learning difficulties, sensory processing difficulties, emotional regulation difficulties, behavioural challenges, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, developmental delays, intellectual disability, neurological and chromosomal disorders. Emily also works with children with delayed skills in the areas of social skills, fine and gross motor skills, handwriting, self-care, visual perceptual skills, motor planning and motor coordination.

What can you help me with?

During sessions, there is really no limit to what goals Emily can work on with your family. A small snapshot of previous client goals, big and small, includes:

• Strategies to support a child to get themselves ready for school
• Promoting a calm environment in the home by implementing and practicing routines
• Optimizing a child’s classroom setup to support their attention and focus
• Achieving a calm and confident return to school and social circles
• Reducing reliance on screens for leisure
• Overcoming a fear of toileting
• Improving sleep habits
• Physical and mental preparation to assist with handwriting and concentration in the classroom
• Strategies to build confidence and skill in gross motor activities such as crawling, walking and climbing
• Engage in self-awareness of emotions and sensory preferences
• Attend a social group and participate in group activities
• Strategies to support a child to have a positive relationship with different foods

Some of the areas Rebloom may be able to collaborate with children and families to enable participation in their everyday:

• Social, emotional, and mental health skills
• Independent living skills development
• Gross motor milestones such as crawling, balancing, coordination, walking, or jumping
• Fine motor skills such as tying shoelaces and managing clothing fasteners, colouring with a pencil, cutting with scissors and using utensils to eat food
• Focusing and maintaining attention
• Managing preferences for certain fabrics, sounds, tastes or other sensory experiences
• Toileting
• Handwriting and visual perception
• Advocating participation in meaningful activities
• Partnering with your child’s teacher to support their needs in the classroom
• Individual and group therapeutic yoga and meditation classes

What locations do you service?

Rebloom Occupational Therapy travels to all suburbs within a 10km radius of Sydney CBD. If you live or access a school beyond this area please contact us to determine if additional travel charges apply or if your needs can be met via secure telehealth.

What is the cost per session?

Fees are set in line with the NDIS pricing Guidelines for 2020/2021 and can be tailored for your needs.

You can find out more information about the NDIS pricing guidelines here. 

Payment is due in full at the time of service.

How long does therapy last?

A typical session lasts 50 minutes plus follow up (session notes and recommendations occurring either via email or text after the session each week). How long a person works with a therapist, looks differently for everyone. You can trust that Emily will regularly check in with you throughout your work together to determine if it feels appropriate and timely to end therapy.  

I only want therapy every fortnight. Is this something you offer?

While we understand that fortnightly sessions may be the only time that works for your family, here at Rebloom we only see clients on a weekly basis at least for the first stage of therapy. Therapy works best within the context of a trusting relationship. Realistically, it takes weekly sessions to build this kind of relationship and allow for progress to occur. Following this initial stage of therapy, Emily can talk with you about what frequency of sessions might be most appropriate for you.  

What if I need to cancel my session?

Please provide 24 hours notice of cancellation via phone, text or email. If less than 24 hours is provided a 100% cancellation fee will be incurred. Unfortunately, when one client cancels without giving enough notice, this prevents another client from having a session.

Please email, phone, or text us at either of the following if you do need to cancel :

Email - info@rebloom.com.au

Phone - +61 438 972 085.

Do I need a referral?

No Doctor's referral is required. If you have concerns regarding your child’s development or participation, please contact us.

You can Click here to book a complimentary 20-minute consult call. This will help Emily learn what's been going on for you so she can set you up with the best plan.  

Are there funding options I can access?

Yes! There are a range of funding options you can access for Rebloom Occupational Therapy. These include the following:

Private Health Insurance: 

Occupational Therapy can usually be claimed through your private health fund depending on your level of cover. We strongly recommend that you verify your insurance coverage before requesting services.

Following consultation and payment, we will provide you with a receipt that you can then submit to your insurance provider, if you choose, so your insurance company can reimburse you according to your plan.

Medicare Rebates: 

Rebloom is registered with the Australian Department of Human Services (Medicare) which means if you are eligible for government rebates, you may be able to claim a Medicare rebate for Rebloom services. Medicare rebates require your General Practitioner to provide you with a specific care plan. At Rebloom, we accept the following plan:

• The Chronic and Complex Plan: 5 individual sessions per year.

Please note that Medicare covered sessions offer a rebate. The whole therapy session cost will not be rebated unless you have reached the Medicare Safety Net. For further information regarding eligibility, speak with your general practitioner. After your Occupational Therapy session and payment, you can submit a Medicare claim online.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS): 

The NDIS was established to provide support for people with developmental or participation difficulties including occupational therapy. Children and young people with any developmental difficulty or formal diagnosis are able to apply for NDIS funded support. To find out if your child is eligible to receive Occupational Therapy under the NDIS, please contact 1800 800 110 or visit www.ndis.gov.au.

To access Occupational Therapy under the NDIS, it is important to understand that a person must have adequate funding in the ‘capacity building’ support category. The goal of this area of supports, is to boost the person’s ability to take care of themselves, complete their necessary daily tasks and participate in other meaningful social and recreational pursuits.

Rebloom accepts plan-managed and self-managed NDIS participants. At Rebloom, we will work with you to plan Occupational Therapy sessions according to your funding and provide you with necessary documentation to have your sessions funded. This may include a comprehensive report which can be completed on request for review of funding options.

What technology do I need to use for telehealth?

Rebloom uses Coviu, an online telehealth platform to deliver therapy sessions. Coviu provides a secure and reliable platform for video and audio conferencing. Your smartphone, tablet or a computer with the latest versions of Firefox, Safari, Chrome or Microsoft Edge browsers are compatible with the platform used for consultations. You will be emailed with further instructions prior to your call.