Home works with humans! However, we have an interest in supporting higher functioning teens that feel like they just don’t quite ‘fit in’, to help them lead lives they are stoked on living. You know the type. The ones who are often forgotten. Who kind of float. That are too young for adult services, too higher functioning for typical support groups, and too cool for paediatrics.

We work with the neurotypical to the neurodivergent, those living with mental health concerns, disengaged youth, genetic disorders, and neurological and physical challenges. If you feel you don’t fit any of these, or feel unsure if Home can help, drop us a line and we can see if we are able to help!

Master Yoda once said ‘Doing, Being, Becoming, and Belonging’.

That’s a fib. An Occupational Therapist once did. And Master Yoda and an OT (slang for Occupational Therapist/Therapy) are the same-same but different. Both are awesome, but hopefully the OT isn’t a small, green alien. Be epic if they were though! Anyway, enough about the similarities between Master Yoda and OTs. This statement describes the essence of OT: supporting someone to move thru each of the 4 areas so they can be as epic as possible (a.k.a being their own hero).

OT isn’t always the act of ‘doing’, it is so much more than that. The ‘Doing’ is simply the small daily habits and actions that lead to ‘Being’ someone. Think of the ‘Doing’ as the act of casting votes for who you will end up ‘Being’. The more votes you cast towards a particular version of ‘Being’, the more likely you are going to be that version. Pretty simple hey. The ‘Being’ then leads to the ‘Becoming’. This is where you begin to embody your identity (the ‘I am…’ part) where new possibilities of capacity and self-expression happen. This then ultimately leads to ‘Belonging’. Feeling like we belong within ourselves and within the world. Feeling like we are Home.

We have found that most of the clients we work with have spent years of their life feeling like there was something inherently wrong with them, often being in the ‘therapy’ game since being a young tacker, having things done ‘to’ them as if being just as they are isn’t ‘good enough’, often at the expense of their expression of who they inherently are and focusing continually on everything they find challenging. Now it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that if you are made to feel as if being you is inherently wrong for some reason unbeknownst to you, and focusing on everything you are not good at all the time can become pretty demotivating pretty quickly. All the supports are well meaning, and everything has a time and place, however, it disenchants us with life and the possibility that the ‘therapy process’ is worth it or creates meaningful change. This is where we get the teens who disengage from supports and often end up isolated and lacking true connection, meaning, and direction at such a pivotal point in their life where they are trying to figure out who they are and where they fit in this world.

Losing faith in the ‘process’, many any of us want to go it alone as no one has ever quite ‘gotten us’. Despite wanting to go it alone, quite often we just want to ‘be gotten’, and need a solid support; a guide so to speak, just like Master Yoda. And that is where Home steps in.

At Home, we don’t do ‘to’, we do ‘with’. We use our guiding principles of 1. Play Always, and 2. Fun First. If you are not having fun then why do it? This is how we have #thegoodtimes.

Often when we work with humans, they come in with a laundry list of 20 ‘challenges’ that are all equally as important to address and all need addressing at the same time. But none of the humans seem to be having much fun. The moment we prioritise playing and having fun, 18 of the 20 ‘challenges’ fall away so we are left with the few things we can work our magic on to create meaningful change. Abracadabra baby! Minimal effort, maximal results. We put the ‘fun’ in functional. Legit.

At Home, we focus our magic on the dance between our frameworks foundational pillars of play, simplicity, connection, movement, sensory, and emotional. Taking clients from tripping over their two left feet, to shredding the salsa. Cha cha cha!

Head on over to our pricing page for all cost related info!

Home accepts the following funding types:

• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants who are either Plan Managed or Self Managed

• *Private Health (if you have OT as a part of your cover)

• *Medicare

• *General Practitioner Management Plan (GPMP) or Team Care Arrangements (TCA’s)

• Private paying

*Depending on your level of Private Health cover, your Private Health may cover the entire session cost, or it may cover a portion of the cost. Similarly, with Medicare and a GPMP or TCA, there may be a ‘gap’ between the amount of the session cost Medicare/the GPMP or TCA covers and the total session cost. This ‘gap’ is the part you pay for out of your own pocket.

Each session (sesh) is 1 hour long.

This involves 50 minutes of direct client contact and 10 minutes of administration time (so we can write our notes and plan our next epic sesh!).

Nope! The family and support networks of the people we support are often more important than the person we are working with! We have found that these factors can often be the biggest wins or the biggest blocks in the people we supports success in reaching their goals.

At Home, we often spend many sessions working directly with the family and support networks of the people we support to help better understand relationship dynamics, strengths, barriers, opportunities, development of and support in implementing meaningful and simple strategies, and helping the family and support networks to understand what is theirs and what is actually the person being supported’s. At Home, we believe and understand that meaningful progress is not down to one piece of the puzzle, but all parts.

If you are a family member or support network of someone requiring support to kick butt and take names, remember, you are paramount in creating meaningful change. At Home, we support you to be a part of a high vibe tribe as a rising tide lifts all boats. At Home, we empower those empowering others so everyone can be their own heroes.

STEP 1. DROP US A LINE!

Drop Drop us a line a line and we will be in touch ASAP to organise a time for a complimentary (that’s right, it’s free!) 15 minute chat over the phone where Home vibe checks you and you vibe check Home.

STEP 2. VIBE CHECK!

We have a motto here at Home, ‘If we ain’t vibing, we ain’t thriving!’

The vibe check is important as it makes sure we are a good fit for one another and that the people we work with understand our approach and how we work here at Home, and how we work works for you.

STEP 3. HERO TIME!

If we both pass the vibe check, then get your cape and swimming goggles out because it’s time to begin being your own hero!

Should you choose to accept the quest towards epicness, we can’t promise it will be easy, but it will be worth it.

To make it super easy for everyone in the long run we won’t begin working with you until we have:

• your NDIS Participant Number

• your current NDIS Plan start and end dates

• your current NDIS Plan goals

• your Plan Manager details for invoicing if you are Plan Managed

• a completed New Patient Information form

This information is needed to be completed and submitted to Home 24 hours prior to the commencement of your first sesh.

If this information isn’t completed and submitted 24 hours prior to the commencement of your first sesh, the sesh is cancelled, the full session fee will be charged. and the sesh will be rescheduled to a later date. Don’t worry, we give you a week before your first scheduled sesh so there is plenty of time for you to gather, complete, and send this information to us.

To make it super easy for everyone we won’t begin working with you until we have:

• a completed New Patient Information form

• any relevant funding information

This information is needed to be completed and submitted to Home 24 hours prior to the commencement of your first sesh.

If this information isn’t completed and submitted 24 hours prior to the commencement of your first sesh, the sesh is cancelled, the full session fee will be charged. and the sesh will be rescheduled to a later date. Don’t worry, we give you a week before your first scheduled sesh so there is plenty of time for you to gather, complete, and send this information to us.

Sesh’s are by appointment only.

Where possible, we set you up with a consistent, recurring, set and forget session time that becomes a part of your habits like brushing your teeth in the morning and before bed. Except this one you are way more excited about!

CANCELLATIONS BY THE CLIENT

We get it, life happens and sometimes we need to cancel a session! Remember your ABC’s; Always Be Communicating.

If you do need to cancel a sesh, we require 48 hours notice prior to the start of your scheduled session to avoid any cancellation charges. If it is within the 48 hour window prior to the start your scheduled session the full session fee will be charged.

All cancellations are to be sent by email to hello@thegoodtimes.au (just click on the email address highlighted and it will open an email to us in your email app that you can complete and send us! How easy is that?!)

**The only exception to this is a brand new client’s very first session. As we require a fair whack of information from you prior to your very first session, this is a 24 hour window prior to the commencement of your scheduled session. If the necessary information isn’t completed and submitted 24 hours prior to the commencement of your first sesh, the sesh is cancelled, the full session fee will be charged, and the sesh will be rescheduled to a later date. This applies for all first sessions, so for example, if you miss your rescheduled first session due to missing the original first scheduled session, this rule also applies. (See the ‘I’m an NDIS client / new client’ FAQ drop downs below for full information on this)

I GOT SICK AT THE LAST MINUTE / STUCK IN TRAFFIC AND WONT MAKE IT / ETC.

If it is a last minute cancellation and you can’t make it in, no stress! We can always do a Telehealth sesh. Even if the person being supported is sick and can’t participate, this is often an epic time to connect with the family and support networks to check in as to how the person being supported is going, how the family and support networks are going in their supporting roles, any wins and challenges, development of and support in implementing meaningful and simple strategies, etc. Seize the opportunity!

NO SHOWS

No shows will be charged the full session fee.

If a scheduled sesh really isn’t working for you and you are constantly late to sesh’s, etc., we will do our best to work with you to arrange a consistent alternative time that works better.

Remember your ABC’s described above folks! No one likes to be ghosted! Home reserves the right to withdraw supports and release repeat, no communication, no show clients.

CANCELLATIONS BY US

If for whatever reason, we need to cancel a sesh, we will give you as much advanced notice as possible and you wont be charged. We will work with you to either reschedule or save that session up our sleeve for the future.

LOOKING FOR MORE DETAILED CANCELLATION INFORMATION?

Click on this little link here and this will open our Terms and Conditions in a new window where, EVERYTHING, and we mean everything, is laid out!

As described in our about section, our framework here at Home is based upon the foundational pillars of play, simplicity, connection, movement, sensory, and emotional.

Each person we support here at Home is unique which makes it challenging to have a cookie-cutter process. So really the best answer is ‘it depends’. What we will do however, is be able to have some sort of an idea of what we will be able to do with and where we will be able to take the person we are supporting using our framework in our 15 minute complimentary phone call.

We meet you where you are at and go from there. We are not your hero in this process, all we do is support and guide you to be your own hero. You are your own hero. Should you choose to accept the quest towards epicness, we can’t promise it will be easy, but it will be worth it.

Heaps!

Have you ever tried to do everything only to realise you have done nothing? We have too. This is why at Home, we focus our magic on our frameworks foundational pillars of play, simplicity, connection, movement, sensory, and emotional, which you can read up on in our about section.

Although we are pretty good at what we do, we know where our expertise begins and where it ends, and we want the people we support to get the best possible service no matter what!

We refer out to people we know and trust who specialise in areas outside of our frameworks foundational pillars such as;

• complex assistive technology (AT) such as specialised wheelchairs, splints, etc.

• home modifications

• hand therapy

• etc.

For sure we can be involved in the process of these to make sure that what you are receiving is going to be appropriate and support your capacity, and not be a pain in your butt as quite often we will understand your specific context and how these things may help or hinder you functionally in everyday life. We just don’t play around in these areas personally.

Sometimes we’ve just never had the opportunity to develop experience in certain areas. This doesn’t mean we can’t or won’t support people in these areas. Here at Home, we are always excited to learn alongside the person we are supporting if they are willing to provide us with the opportunity.

Although we are pretty good at what we do, it is pretty unlikely to be honest.

As old Mr clever pants himself, Albatross Einstein once famously said ‘If I had only 1 hour to save the world, I would spend 55 minutes defining the problem, and 5 minutes finding the solution’.

Often what we work with here at Home can be likened to the similarities between ogre’s and onions as identified by Shrek and Donkey in the magnificent documentary series, Shrek. Yes, they both make you cry, but more importantly, they both have layers.

That’s what we do here at Home, spend time connecting, having fun, and understanding the layers with Einsteinien attention and watching ‘challenges’ fall away so we are left with the few things we can work our magic on to create meaningful change. Abracadabra baby!

What we can promise is that you will have fun, and leave feeling better than when you arrived. Win-win.

In the grand scheme of things, we don’t really get much time with you. Bugger all really.

To create and maintain meaningful change you need to do the homework we set you. And we get it… we have heard every excuse under the sun… The dog ate my car… I ran out of peanut butter… I was abducted by aliens… Cool story bro, needs more dragons…

Yep, some things just suck. And you know what else sucks? Wanting to sit in the shade of a tree on a hot day. But you didn’t plant the tree 10 years ago because of excuses, so now you have no shade on that hot hot day. And you know who lucks out on that? You. And everyone else that would benefit from you being your own hero.

Yep. Sometimes there is stuff we can do bugger all about: political climate, weather, environment, other people, what Subway sandwich a complete stranger is going to buy… But there are many things we can do lots of buggering about.

Stop being your own barrier. Here at Home we support you to get out of your own way. The homework we give you is simple both in what you have to do, and time demand. It might be as simple as 2 minutes a day of something. 2 minutes a day of something may not seem like much, but do that every day for a year and that is 730 minutes a year, or 12 hours a year. So yea, not a massive commitment. However, the more you commit to yourself, the bigger the change. Pretty easy huh.

So buckle up buddy. Time to be your own hero.

An FCA is an evaluation of a persons ‘functional’ abilities, and identifying any challenges they may have in performing everyday activities effectively, where the person may need support or assistance, and helps to develop a plan to help the person achieve their goals and improve their overall functioning.

An FCA is completed using both standardised and non-standardised assessment tools, and conducting interviews with the person, their family and support networks, and other healthcare professionals who may be involved in the persons care.

A FCA typically covers a range of areas including:

• Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) which are the most basic everyday tasks that are essential to our survival including sleeping, eating, toileting, bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, and mobility and transfers

• Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) which are basic but more complex everyday tasks that support our ability to engage in the world around us including meal preparation, shopping, phone use, housekeeping, laundry, medication management, financial management, and transportation

• Psychosocial emotional health

• Work

• Leisure activities

• Communication skills

• Cognitive functioning

• Depending on the clients specific needs, an FCA may include measures of strength, endurance, and range of motion (ROM).

The information gathered during the FCA is analysed and compiled into a detailed report outlining the persons functional abilities and challenges they may have in performing everyday activities effectively, as well as recommendations for supports and services to help them achieve their goals. An FCA may include recommendations for assistive technology (AT), modifications to the person’s home, educational setting, and/or workplace, specific therapies and/or interventions to support the development of the persons functioning.

It is recommended that an FCA be completed every approximately 12 months.

*It is recommended that brand new clients to Home that are NDIS Participants have an FCA completed so we have a baseline to be able to provide to the NDIS. If you have had an FCA completed within the past 6 months prior to beginning working with Home, it is asked that you share this with us so we can see if it is suitable or not to meet your needs. If we deem it insufficient in meeting your needs, we will discuss your options with you.

Nah sorry. That’s not our vibe.

Here at Home, we focus on developing meaningful long-term relationships with the people we support. We believe people take time, and inadvertently we become a part of their lives and quite often support them over many years.

We will only complete an FCA with a client who is, or who is going to be, a longstanding client.

NDIS PROGRESS REPORT (END OF PLAN REVIEW)

For clarity, an NDIS Progress Report is the same thing as an End Of Plan Review.

The NDIS Progress Report is a summary of the progress the person being supported by the services Home provides has made towards each of their NDIS goals being targeted by Home, any challenges and obstacles influencing progress, and what we plan on doing in future therapy to support progress towards these goals. The NDIS Progress Report also includes recommendations for future planning such as the amount and frequency of current and recommended future therapies and why these therapies are recommended, other supports such as carers, and appropriate consumables, assistive technology (AT), home modifications, etc. if necessary.

NDIS SERVICE QUOTE

The NDIS Service Quote is a breakdown and quote of the costs for recommended services provided by Home in the person being supported’s next NDIS Plan. We cannot provide a quotation for services outside of Home as we do not have access to their fee structure or what they would recommend for frequency and quantity of supports.

We aim to complete these 2 months prior to the end of the person being supported’s current NDIS Plan Period so they are ready to rock and roll for their NDIS Planning Meeting where they will plan out their next NDIS Plan with an NDIS Planner.