Frequently Asked Questions
We know that you probably have a lot of questions. We want to make sure that you feel comfortable with working with us and here are some of the common questions that are asked.
Send your questionAs an experienced Occupational Therapist, I have seen that the best way to make sustainable, effective change is to provide recommendations that take into account your needs and the impact of your environment. Having university qualifications in both Occupational Therapy and Psychology also means I am equipped to work with you in addressing a range of health conditions from mental health to musculoskeletal concerns. But you don’t need to have a health condition to work with me. I am passionate about working with women who value a happy, successful life and want to take proactive steps in making that a reality amongst the challenges of everyday life.
An Occupational Therapist is a university qualified health professional whose purpose is to promote health and wellbeing through occupation. In Occupational Therapy, occupations refer to the everyday activities that people do to occupy time and bring meaning and purpose to life. Occupational Therapists are trained in anatomy, physiology, psychology and analysis of the physical and social environment. This enables us to provide holistic, client-centred care that focuses on helping clients to make practical changes to achieve their goals, whatever they may be.
As an Occupational Therapist working in women's health, I work with women in all stages of life. I predominantly work with women who are pregnant, post birth, returning to work or who have a medical condition impacting their day to day life. Working in this area, I have undertaken additional education in the areas of perinatal mental health, pre and post-natal health and female anatomy.
Elevation Women’s Health travels to all suburbs within a 25km radius of Melbourne CBD. If you live beyond this area please contact me to determine if additional travel charges apply or if your needs can be met via secure Telehealth.
There is really no limit to what goals we can work on. A small snapshot of previous client goals includes:
- Physical, mental and practical preparation to assist with the transition into motherhood
- Improving the sleep habits of the whole family
- Overcoming a fear of going out in public with a baby due to postnatal anxiety
- Strategies to remain at work despite pregnancy-related back pain
- Achieving a relaxed and confident return to work after maternity leave
- Rediscovering a sense of self after having a baby
- Promoting a calm environment in the household by implementing systems and routines
- Attending children’s social events despite depression and anxiety
- Optimising home set up for shoulder pain from breastfeeding
- Reducing reliance on screens for leisure
- Enjoying the last few months of pregnancy despite significant pelvic girdle pain
- Returning to work and parenting following serious illness
- Enjoying an active life with a newborn.
Before we meet, I will ask you to complete a short questionnaire to let me know a bit more about you. I will then come to your house (or a location of your choosing) and we will start by having a chat about your health, your family and what you would like to achieve as a result of our time together. Based on this, we will then work together on addressing your goals. This may be through one or several of the following activities:
- Assessment of your physical home environment to make sure furniture heights or layout meet your current needs.
- Assessment of the way you carry out day to day occupations, such as lifting a baby on and off the floor, getting in and out of your bed, in order to provide you with techniques that support your body.
- Sitting down and talking through ways you can care for yourself, such as how to get a good night’s sleep with a baby or how to structure your day to manage fatigue, pain or anxiety.
- Talking through any difficulties or fears you are facing and coming up with strategies together to address or manage them.
- Recommending specific equipment if required, such as a shower chair, an alternative seat for breastfeeding or cot.
- Providing you with written recommendations or educational material to support our session.
- Providing you with written recommendations or educational material to support our session.
- If your goals are based in the community, we can base the session in that context to ensure the strategies are successful. For example, if you were having difficulty managing pregnancy back pain primarily when shopping, we may take a trip to the shops together so you can test my recommended strategies in that environment to make sure they will work for you.
- If your consultation is via Telehealth, it is recommended that you use a device that is portable such as a tablet computer so I can provide guidance on different areas of your home.
Women’s Health Physiotherapists focus on the body structure and provide exercises or hands on treatment to help improve the function of that area of the body. Occupational Therapists can work with Women’s Health Physiotherapists (or generalist Physiotherapists) by incorporating physiotherapist prescribed exercises into daily routines and by enabling you to carry out activities important to you whilst maintaining any physical restrictions recommended by your Physiotherapist or doctor.
Postnatal Doulas are a wonderful short-term support to help you care for your baby and complete household chores for you whilst recovering. An Occupational Therapist will equip you to achieve goals and tasks for yourself, rather than having them done for you. Postnatal Doulas are a non-clinical support role and as such, cannot provide health advice on your pregnancy or birth recovery.
Elevation Women’s Health provides inclusive care to all families regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. However, Elevation Women’s Health does not provide education and recommendations regarding male pelvic floor and continence concerns.
I have significant experience and knowledge working with adults and am most passionate about working with women and families. Whilst I have knowledge regarding Paediatric Occupational Therapy, this is a specialised area and I am more than happy to recommend or refer to an appropriate Paediatric Occupational Therapist to meet your needs.
Many private health funds have rebates for Occupational Therapy services so check with your fund directly to see if your policy qualifies. Clients with certain health conditions are eligible for Medicare rebates. Please contact me regarding your health condition and I will be able to advise you if you are eligible for Medicare rebates.
