Category: Occupational Therapy

If you’ve ever wondered what does an occupational therapist do, you’re not alone. Many people hear the term “OT” but aren’t exactly sure what it means or how it could help them or their child. 

Occupational therapists play an important role in supporting people of all ages to build independence, develop skills, and participate fully in everyday life. In this blog, we break down what occupational therapy involves, who it can help, and what to expect from working with an OT. 

What Is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy focuses on helping people participate in the “occupations” of daily life. These occupations aren’t just jobs they include everyday activities such as: 

• Getting dressed  

• Eating and feeding  

• Playing and learning  

• Writing and using school tools  

• Managing emotions and behaviour  

• Completing work or study tasks  

• Living independently at home  

So, when people ask what does an occupational therapist do, the simplest answer is: they help people do the things they need and want to do in everyday life. 

What Does an Occupational Therapist Do for Children?

For children, occupational therapists focus on building foundational skills that support learning, development, and participation in daily routines. 

An OT may help a child with: 

1. Fine motor skills

These are the small movements needed for tasks like: 

• Holding a pencil  

• Using scissors  

• Buttoning clothes  

• Drawing and handwriting  

2. Gross motor and coordination skills

This includes: 

• Balance and coordination  

• Running, jumping, and playground play  

• Body awareness  

3. Sensory processing

Some children find it hard to process sensory information like sound, touch, or movement. OTs help children: 

• Manage sensory sensitivities  

• Stay calm and regulated  

• Engage more comfortably in everyday environments  

4. Emotional regulation and behaviour

Occupational therapists support children to: 

• Understand and manage emotions  

• Develop coping strategies  

• Improve attention and focus  

5. Play and social participation

Play is a key part of development. OTs help children: 

• Build play skills  
• Interact with peers  
• Join group activities  

What Does an Occupational Therapist Do for Adults?

Occupational therapy is not just for children. Adults also benefit from OT support in many areas of life. 

An OT may assist adults with:

• Recovery after injury or surgery 

• Managing disability or chronic conditions 

• Improving workplace performance 

• Building independent living skills 

• Mental health support and daily routines 

The goal is always the same: improving independence and quality of life.

Where Do Occupational Therapists Work?

Occupational therapists work in many different settings, including: 

• Homes 

• Schools and childcare centres 

• Clinics 

• Hospitals 

• Community settings 

• Aged care facilities 

At organisations like National 360, OTs often work as part of a multidisciplinary team alongside Speech Pathologists, Physiotherapists, Behaviour Support Practitioners and Early Childhood Practitioners.

What Happens in an Occupational Therapy Session?

If you’re still wondering what does an occupational therapist do in a session, here’s what you can usually expect: 

1. Initial assessment

The OT will learn about strengths, challenges, routines and goals.

2. Goal setting

Goals are developed based on what is most important to the individual or family.

3. Therapy activities

Sessions may include play-based activities, practical skill-building tasks, or environmental strategies.

4. Home or school strategies

OTs often provide recommendations to support progress outside of sessions.

5. Assessments and Reports

Occupational Therapists may also complete targeted assessments and write reports to support funding, equipment, or support applications. For example, an OT may conduct a Functional Capacity Assessment as part of a NDIS access request or prepare reports to support the prescription of equipment’s such as wheelchairs, or other assistive technology. While these assessments are often completed as part of ongoing therapy, they may also be provided as a standalone service when required.  

When Should You See an Occupational Therapist?

You might consider seeing an OT if a child or adult is experiencing challenges with:

• Everyday self-care tasks 

• Learning or school participation 

• Behaviour or emotional regulation 

• Sensory sensitivities 

• Motor skill development 

• Independence at home or in the community 

Early support can make a meaningful difference in building long-term skills and confidence.

How Occupational Therapy Supports Families

Occupational therapists don’t just work with individuals they also support families and caregivers by: 

• Providing practical strategies for home routines  

• Supporting behaviour and emotional understanding  

• Helping adapt environments for success  

• Building confidence in daily caregiving routines  

The goal is to make everyday life easier, more functional, and more enjoyable for the whole family. 

How National 360 Can Support You:

At National 360, our Occupational Therapists work with children, adults and families across Australia to support independence, participation and wellbeing. Whether you’re exploring occupational therapy for yourself, your child or a loved one, our team can provide personalised support to help achieve meaningful goals.

• NDIS

• Private funding, including Medicare-funded sessions through GP referral (where eligible)

• Aged Care pathways

No matter your age or stage of life, our team can help you access the right supports to achieve your goals and participate more fully in everyday activities.

Our team works alongside Speech Pathologists, Physiotherapists, Behaviour Support Practitioners and Early Childhood Practitioners to deliver coordinated, person-centred care. 

Start Your Journey

If you’ve been asking what does an occupational therapist do and think OT might help you or your child, we’re here to support you. 

Visit our Get Started page to learn more or book an appointment with our team. 

Introducing Jess, our wonderful Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead at National 360!

Jess joined National 360 in June 2024 after making the exciting move from the UK to Australia. Since qualifying as an occupational therapist in 2014, Jess has built an extensive career across mental health and forensic settings, including secure hospitals, prison personality disorder services, and community mental health teams.

Jess has brought a wealth of clinical knowledge, leadership experience, and passion for supporting both clinicians and clients to National 360. Through her role as Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead, she plays an important part in driving clinical quality, supporting clinician development, and helping shape systems and processes that enable teams to deliver high-quality care.

It has been fantastic having Jess as part of the National 360 team, where she continues to share her expertise, curiosity, and commitment to positive outcomes across the business.

To find out more about Jess, we asked her some questions about her career journey, her role as Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead, what it’s like working at National 360 and more!

Read our full interview with Jess.

We would love to learn more about your journey as an Occupational Therapist. Could you share some details about your career history with us?

I qualified as an occupational therapist in the UK in 2014 and went straight into forensic learning disability services. Since then, I’ve worked exclusively within mental health and forensic settings, including secure hospitals, prison personality disorder services, and community mental health teams.

A lot of my work has involved supporting people who either meet criteria for personality disorder or have had similar life experiences – particularly people with significant trauma backgrounds. I felt an affiliation with that client group almost immediately.

I’ve always been intrigued by the grey areas in human life. I don’t tend to think about people in a very black-and-white way I think humans are complex, layered, and often two things can be true at the same time. I’m naturally a very curious person, and I think the mental health and forensic space really allows for that curiosity. It’s not always about concrete right or wrong answers in the same way some more technical areas can be.

What interested you in working in the allied health space?

Originally, I completed a degree in psychology and education. I loved learning about brain development, how people learn, and how adaptable human beings are. Humans are incredibly ingenious we adapt to almost any situation, and I’ve always found that fascinating.

At one point I considered becoming an educational psychologist, but after realising how long that pathway was, I wasn’t convinced it was the right fit for me. To be honest, I felt a little directionless for a while.

Then I had a chance conversation at a dinner party with someone who was an occupational therapist, and something just clicked. I loved the idea that OT wasn’t about “fixing” people – it was about helping people achieve their own goals and supporting them to overcome barriers in a meaningful way.

When did you start working at National 360 and why did you want to join the team?

I started at National 360 in June 2024, which was actually part of a direct move from the UK to Australia.

After spending 10 years in the National Health Service, I was really interested in experiencing a different healthcare system. Australia has a fascinating mix of public and private healthcare, and there are also unique cultural considerations here that I was excited to learn more about.

On a personal level, I love travelling and experiencing different places, but I also wanted stability for my family as I have young children. Moving to Australia allowed us to have both.

In terms of why National 360 specifically, I really connected with the company’s ethos and what it was trying to achieve within the private allied health space. I was interested in seeing how a large private organisation balanced quality clinical work, sustainability, and meeting community need.

I also genuinely loved the culture straight away – the relaxed environment, the friendliness of the team… and honestly, I even liked the blue branding.

What does your role as Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead involve, and what do you enjoy about it?

My role as an Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead is really about supporting clinical quality and clinician experience at a broader systems level. That includes looking at policies, training, templates, governance processes, and asking: how do we make it easier for clinicians to do great work?

A lot of the role involves thinking about the bigger picture – how systems impact clinicians, and in turn, how that impacts client outcomes. I really enjoy that macro-level thinking.

I also love coaching and supporting people. Supervision and mentorship are huge passions of mine, and this role gives me a unique opportunity to influence practice on a much larger scale.

One of the most rewarding parts is knowing that even if I’m not directly providing every intervention myself, the work I do behind the scenes helps clinicians feel supported and ultimately helps clients receive better care.

How is having an Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead beneficial to our clients?

I think every strong clinical system needs people in the background who are constantly thinking ahead looking at where the industry is moving, how funding bodies like the NDIS are changing, and how we adapt in the best possible way.

Having a clinical lead helps create consistency, streamline processes, and maintain quality across a large workforce. It allows clinicians on the ground to focus on doing the work, knowing there’s someone thinking about the broader strategy, governance, and future direction of the service.

Has there been a highlight of your time working at National 360?

Honestly, it’s been quite a ride in the best possible way.

I’ve had multiple opportunities for growth and progression since joining the company, which has been incredibly validating and rewarding. I started as a Senior Level 2 Occupational Therapist, then backfilled the Mental Health Clinical Practice Advisor role before moving into that permanently. Later, I backfilled the Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead role, which also became permanent.

I’ve really appreciated being trusted with opportunities to challenge myself and continue developing professionally.

What do you think makes National 360 different from other community allied health providers?

That’s a good question.

I think one of the biggest differences is the compassion within the senior leadership team and their willingness to think critically about the industry and advocate for change where needed.

I also think there’s a genuinely strong focus on work-life balance. Clinicians are trusted to structure their weeks in a way that works for them, provided they’re meeting expectations and delivering good outcomes. That flexibility makes people feel valued and supported, and I think that has a huge impact on workplace culture.

It certainly has for me.

Do you have any advice for someone wanting to work in the NDIS community health space?

I think my biggest piece of advice is to focus on what you can influence.

No system is perfect. Having worked in both the National Health Service and now within the Australian system, there are strengths and challenges in every model, particularly when systems are under financial pressure.

You can’t change everything overnight, but you can consistently advocate, provide feedback, and do the best possible work for the clients in front of you. Small changes over time genuinely do shape industries.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

I love a good TikTok, a really good book, and an excellent cup of coffee.

I also absolutely love rainy weather… which is slightly ironic given that I now live in one of the sunniest places in the world. I own three different raincoats and a beautiful umbrella, which probably does raise the question of why exactly I moved to Australia.

That said, I really do love it here.

Learn more about Occupational Therapy at National 360

Our Occupational Therapy stream is growing across Australia! If you’re looking to commence your career as an Occupational Therapist or are wanting to make the change to working in a flexible community focused role, National 360 is the perfect place for you to grow in your career.

Learn more about our Occupational Therapy service, and 360 Career opportunities by getting in touch with our friendly team:

• 1300 340 440
• careers@national360.com.au
• client.support@national360.com.au
• National 360 LinkedIn

Occupational Therapy began with humble beginnings where people were employed to occupy patients in hospital during the first world war. It was soon recognised that by having a person engage in a meaningful task, that great things can happen!

Over time, the science of occupational practice evolved into what we know now as Occupational Therapy. Occupational Therapy is a client centred health profession which promotes health and wellbeing through occupation (WFOT, 2012).

Occupational Therapists will work with individuals across the lifespan (infants to elderly) to enhance their occupational engagement. This can be by improving participation or modifying the occupation or environment to maximise a person’s occupational engagement.

When OT’s talk about occupation, we are not talking jobs…. well, not all the time!

Occupation is a term to describe all the roles that we perform that occupy time and are meaningful to us as individuals. An occupation can be something we need to do, want to do, or are expected to do. This can include things like being a brother, mother, volunteer, or sports enthusiast.

Occupation enables OT’s to be holistic in their approach. It is important to understanding what an individual finds meaningful and what they prioritise in their life. This then supports the OT’s to be person centred as they understand their client’s motivation.

How do we use occupation?

Assessment:  OT’s observe individuals performing “occupations” and determine if there are any challenges for the person or environment that can help them achieve their goal

Planning: OT’s support individuals to goal set using their occupational goals – i.e. At the end of my therapy block I will be able to read a bus timetable and plan my weekly trip to the grocery store without any additional support

Intervention: Occupation will be the centre of any therapy that is provided by an OT. It may be broken down into smaller tasks or practiced with the use of adaptive technology (equipment) to support the person to achieve their goal.

What’s the benefit of occupation-based therapy?

Evidence shows that when using occupation that is meaningful as a goal, there is an increase in purpose, motivation, and engagement for the individual (Lawson & Creek, 2010).

Occupation isn’t just a way to describe what we do; it explains who we are and what is meaningful and purposeful for us as individuals.

OT’s use occupation to ensure we are client-centred to support people to reach their goals.

At National 360 we are passionate in supporting individuals to achieve goals through occupation.
We have OT’s working in people’s homes and communities across Australia and work with clients of all ages to support independence, inclusion, and participation.

If you or your participant are dealing with sensory processing issues, Occupational Therapy can provide valuable support. Occupational Therapists can help people with sensory processing difficulties by providing individualised interventions that address their specific needs and goals. Sensory processing issues can impact an individual’s ability to engage in daily activities and interact with the environment. Occupational Therapy can help individuals with sensory processing difficulties by providing assessment, therapy, and recommendations to support a person to engage in the activities that are meaningful to them.

To further understand sensory processing and how Occupational Therapy for Sensory Processing can assist you or your participant, we outline what sensory processing is, how Occupational Therapy can assist, what sensory processing assessments, therapy and equipment are, and how NDIS Occupational Therapy for Sensory Processing can benefit participants.

What is Sensory Processing?

Sensory processing refers to the way our brain receives, interprets, and responds to sensory information from the environment. Most people are familiar with the five basic senses: sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing. However, there are three more senses that are essential for our well-being and functioning: vestibular, proprioceptive and interoception.

• The vestibular sense is related to our balance and movement in space. It helps us to coordinate our head and eye movements, and to adjust our posture and equilibrium.
• The proprioceptive sense is related to our body awareness and position. It helps us to sense how much force and pressure we need to use our muscles and joints, and to plan and execute our movements.
• The interoception sense is related to our internal sensations and emotions. It helps us to recognize and regulate our hunger, thirst, pain, temperature, heart rate, breathing and other bodily functions.

People with sensory processing difficulties may have trouble with everyday activities such as dressing, eating, playing, learning, or socialising. They may experience sensory overload, sensory seeking, or sensory avoidance behaviours. They may struggle to filter out irrelevant sensory information or become overwhelmed by certain sensory stimuli. This can lead to difficulties in processing sensory information and cause challenges in daily activities such as eating, dressing, socialising, or participating in leisure activities.

What is Occupational Therapy and how can they assist with Sensory Processing?

Occupational Therapy focuses on improving an individual’s ability to engage in the daily activities they want and need to do. Occupational Therapists work with individuals with sensory processing difficulties to develop strategies and skills to cope with sensory information and improve their daily functioning.

Occupational Therapists can help people by using sensory strategies to improve their participation in daily activities. Sensory strategies are techniques that use one or more of the senses to provide the optimal level of stimulation for the individual.

For example, some people may benefit from calming sensory strategies, such as deep pressure, slow rocking, soft music or tactile strategies, to reduce stress and anxiety. Others may benefit from alerting sensory strategies, such as bright colours, fast movements, loud sounds or strong tastes, to increase their attention and motivation. Occupational Therapists can assess the sensory preferences and needs of each person, and design a personalised sensory plan that can be implemented at home, school, work or other settings.

Occupational Therapy is available to eligible participants under the NDIS scheme. Occupational Therapists can provide sensory processing assessments to identify specific sensory difficulties and develop individualised treatment plans. Therapy sessions can be conducted in a clinic, home, or community setting and may include a range of sensory-based interventions to help individuals improve their sensory processing skills.

What is a Sensory Processing Assessment?

An Occupational Therapy Sensory Processing Assessment is a process of evaluating how a person responds to different types of sensory input from their environment. The assessment can help identify the person’s sensory strengths and challenges, and how they affect their daily activities, such as self-care, learning, socialising, and playing. This may include information about sensory sensitivities, preferences, and coping strategies.

This information can then be used to establish what the person’s sensory preferences are and how they can be supported to achieve the regulated state they need to participate in day-to-day activities. It should be noted that it is possible to process sensory information differently to most other people and have no difficulties with activities of daily living. It is only when a person’s sensory preferences conflict with aspects of the environment or demands of a task (causing difficulty performing those activities the person needs to or wants to do) that there is a need to intervene.

An Occupational Therapist can use various tools and methods to conduct a Sensory Processing Assessment, such as observations, interviews, standardised tests, and questionnaires. Based on the results of the assessment, the Occupational Therapist can provide recommendations and strategies to support the person’s sensory needs and enhance their participation and well-being.

Can sensory items be funded through a person’s NDIS plan?

Sensory equipment and sensory strategies are supports that can help people with sensory processing difficulties to regulate their sensory input and participate in daily activities. The NDIS may fund sensory equipment or sensory strategies for people with NDIS plans if they meet the reasonable and necessary criteria. This means that the supports must be related to the person’s disability, represent value for money, be likely to be effective and beneficial, and take into account informal supports and other funded supports.

Some examples of sensory equipment or sensory strategies that may be funded by the NDIS are noise-cancelling headphones. The NDIS have advised they do not typically fund some sensory equipment items, including weighted blankets, lycra bedsheets, trampolines and swings. The NDIS do not fund items they may place a person at risk of harm, are not evidence-based, and if they could be considered everyday household items.

Some people may choose to self-fund sensory items that are effective, beneficial, and safe for them. More information about the NDIS and funding for sensory equipment can be found by clicking here.

How can National 360 assist with Occupational Therapy for people with Sensory Processing challenges?

National 360 Occupational Therapists can assist NDIS participants with a range of services, including Sensory Assessments. Our team of local Occupational Therapists can visit participants in their homes, school, workplace, in the community, in our local clinics, or via Telehealth. Using a wide range of technology, tools, equipment, and systems, our National 360 Occupational Therapists can assist in improving the life of people with disabilities by allowing them to fully participate in activities at home, work, at school, or for play.

Contact National 360 Today!

If you would like to learn more about our Occupational Therapy services, please click here to read more about how we can assist you or you participant to achieve their goals.

For all enquiries or referrals, please use the details below to get in touch with our friendly team:

• Phone: 1300 340 440
• Email: info@national360.com.au
• Enquiry Form: Click here to complete.
• Referral Form: Click here to complete.

No matter which therapist arrives at your door, you can be confident that the therapist will work with you to achieve your goals and to reach your clinical outcomes. The National 360 Difference.

Meet Terry! Terry is a 45 year old gentleman with cerebral palsy who was referred for Occupational Therapy (OT) for a Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) and Assistive Technology (AT). One of our National 360 Sydney based OTs worked collaboratively with Terry to understand his goals and clinical outcomes.

Terry had multiple goals that he wanted us to work with him, to achieve his goals and reach his clinical outcomes.  These included:

• Increasing Terry’s ability to communicate with others
• Increasing Terry’s ability to conduct independent transfers from his mobile shower commode

One of Terry’s goals was to be able to communicate with others using an iPad. It was identified that Terry required a replacement web-enabled iPad to use as a phone and communication device. Terry’s previous tablet broke during use at the Easter Show when a Support Worker was holding it for him to use in his chair.

In his day-to-day life, Terry uses his tablet device to communicate with friends and family online, buy and sell model slot cars, play video games, watch videos, and listen to music. Since it’s prescription, Terry has also engaged in Telehealth, and corresponds with clinicians via email using this new iPad independently.

Through analysis of Terry’s day-to-day tasks and activities, gathering an understanding of what Terry enjoys and what Terry would like to achieve, the OT determined that a referral to a Speech Pathologist (SP) would be beneficial for Terry to consider augmentative and assistive (AAC) technology. The OT referred internally to our Speech Pathologist (SP) to assist with an AAC aid, in Terry’s situation an eye-gaze device, which was compatible with an iPad.

Terry and the clinicians worked together to trial a mounting bracket fitted to Terry’s wheelchair to hold an iPad.  This meant that Terry would be able to use his iPad independently whilst in his wheelchair, without support workers needing to assist to hold Terry’s iPad for him.  Working together, Terry and the therapists could determine the best place to position the iPad for Terry to be able to communicate effectively.

Following the successful trial, our OT and SP wrote a letter of support to the NDIS justifying the need for a mounting bracket and new iPad which was compatible with the eye-gaze.

To further assist Terry to independently use his iPad, our OT and Speech Pathology sought Clinical Supervision, AAC and AT Mentoring with our Clinical Practice Advisors (CPA) to receive guidance on the style and considerations for an AAC and mounting bracket for Terry’s wheelchair.

In the second last week before Christmas in 2022, the NDIS approved AAC and mounting bracket was installed.

During the installation of the AAC and mounting bracket, Terry reported he wanted somewhere to place his stylus, which he used with his mouth to operate the iPad. A Speech Pathologist who was shadowing the visit, suggested a toothbrush holder attached to the chin controls of his wheelchair. Later that afternoon, Terry sent the OT images of the toothbrush mounting bracket with his stylus sitting securely within the holder.

Terry was very happy with the result. He has since used the iPad and mounting bracket to attend Telehealth sessions with clinicians, send emails about his ongoing therapy priorities and to say thank you. With set-up assistance to attach iPad to the mounting bracket, Terry is now able to use his iPad independently within the home and community.

In addition to Terry’s communication goal, Terry required a new mobile shower commode, which was customised with a handle to enable Terry to conduct safe and independent transfers onto and off the mobile shower commode.

The OT was able to trial assistive technology with Terry in his home, with the features that Terry required to facilitate his independent transfers.  Terry worked with the OT and his support workers to communicate what he wanted to achieve.

The OT was able to access Neuro and Assistive Technology CPA mentoring to provide guidance on the customisation of the mobile shower commode and manual handling plan required by the Supported Independent Living / Specialist Disability Accommodation (SIL/SDA) home to ensure safe techniques and strategies were applied, to enable Terry to conduct safe and independent transfers onto and off his mobile shower commode in his home.

With clinical supervision and mentoring, the OT wrote an Assistive Technology (AT) application to the NDIS, which was successfully funded.

Education and training was provided to Terry and his Support Workers with a Manual Handling Plan devised for the transfers.

The National 360 Difference

To assist Terry, our OT and SP engaged in Clinical Supervision, CPA Mentoring, shadowing and collaboration to gain further insights and knowledge from experienced and specialised therapists to ensure they could best address Terry’s goals and improve his day-to-day life, by achieving his clinical outcomes.

We are excited that Terry can now use his iPad independently within the community and he can conduct independent transfers onto and off his customised mobile shower commode. We are thrilled that our team could tap into the fantastic National 360 mentoring and resources to assist clients achieve their goals and reach their clinical outcomes to make this fantastic outcome happen.

If you’d like to learn more about The National 360 Difference and our Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech Pathology, or Behaviour Support services, please get in touch with our team today!

Call: 1300 340 440

Enquiries: Click here

Referrals: Click here