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Mental Health and Everyday Life
The practical side of recovery.
Skills to live well.
Occupational Therapy for mental health is about the practical side of living with a mental health condition. Not your thoughts and feelings, which is the psychologist’s work, but what your day actually looks like: getting out of bed, getting to appointments, keeping up with work or study, staying connected to people. An occupational therapist helps you build the routines and strategies that make daily life work.
A mental health condition affects more than how you feel. Depression can make getting out of bed feel like too much. Showering or making a meal can feel the same way. Anxiety works differently: leaving the house or starting a task can feel out of reach. These are daily living skills, and they’re where the work happens.
Our occupational therapists work with people experiencing depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other mental health conditions, across our clinics in NSW and Tasmania, plus mobile visits and telehealth. Every plan is built around what matters to you, not a clinical checklist. NDIS, DVA, private health, and self-funded clients are all welcome.
Patients and families
For referrers and Support Coordinators
Our team of Occupational Therapists at Optimum Health Solutions are experienced in offering support to participants and their mental health treatment. They work across our clinics in NSW and Tasmania, alongside our Positive Behaviour Support Practitioners. Mental Health support can benefit people of every age and across many diagnoses, so the first question is always the same: how does this person currently feel, and what is the best way to help them? NDIS, Medicare, DVA, private health, and self-funded clients are all welcome.
How do I fund
mental health occupational therapy?
Mental health focused Occupational Therapy is available through several funding pathways at Optimum Health Solutions.
Medicare covers up to 10 allied health sessions per year through a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP.
NDIS participants can include occupational therapy under Improved Daily Living in their plan.
We also accept private health insurance, DVA and self-funded appointments.
Our team can help you work out which funding option suits your situation.
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How Occupational Therapy
supports participant's Mental Health
01
The Everyday Side of
Mental Health
A mental health condition shows up in what you can and cannot get done. Depression can make it hard to get out of bed, prepare meals, or keep up with personal care. Anxiety can make leaving the house, attending an appointment, or starting a task feel out of reach.
An occupational therapist looks at how your mental health affects what you do each day, and works with you on the parts that have become hard.
This is about what gives your day shape and meaning, and doing more of it. Occupational Therapy Australia describes the profession as helping people take part in the activities they find meaningful.
02
The Practical Tools We Use
Routine building. Structure and predictability in the day, so it feels less like starting from zero each morning.
Graded activity. Building participation in meaningful tasks a step at a time, rather than all at once.
Sensory strategies. Practical ways to manage anxiety, overstimulation, or feeling emotionally flooded.
Workplace and study support. Reasonable-adjustment ideas, and a plan for work or study at a pace that suits you.
Social confidence. Rebuilding confidence in social settings, on your terms.
Goal setting. Built around what you want to achieve, not someone else’s benchmark.
03
Occupational Therapy VS Psychology
People often ask about the difference between seeing an occupational therapist and a psychologist for mental health.
A psychologist works mostly with your thoughts and feelings, through talking-based therapy.
An occupational therapist works mostly with what you do, the daily activities your mental health has made harder.
Both are valuable, and many people see both. The two fit together well, and our occupational therapists work alongside psychologists, psychiatrists, and GPs as part of your wider care team.
04
Conditions We Work With
- depression
- anxiety
- bipolar disorder
- schizophrenia
- personality disorders
- post-traumatic stress
- adjustment difficulties.
We also support people through big transitions: getting back to work after time away, settling into a new diagnosis, or rebuilding daily routines after a stay in hospital.
05
If You Need Support Now
If things are feeling like too much, or you are worried about someone’s immediate safety, support is here. You can reach any of these any time of day:
- In an emergency, or if someone’s life is in danger, call 000.
- To talk with someone any time, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or chat online at lifeline.org.au.
- For children and young people, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
- For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, 13YARN on 13 92 76, a line staffed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis supporters.
06
A Team, Not a Single Clinician
Mental health rarely sits in one box. The way you sleep, move, eat, and take part in daily life are all connected.
At Optimum Health Solutions, your occupational therapist works in a team that also includes Psychology, Physiotherapy, Exercise Physiology, Dietetics, and Positive Behaviour Support.
When more than one of your clinicians works under the same provider, they share what they see and line up their goals, so you get one plan rather than several that pull in different directions.
Working With our Occupational Therapists
Your first appointment takes about 60 minutes, and it is low pressure by design. We do not ask you to have your goals worked out, or to explain everything at once.
Mostly we talk with you about what your days actually look like: what is still working, what has become hard, what you have already tried, and what you want your week to look like.
We also check whether something else is making daily life harder, like sleep, pain, medication side effects, or a sensory environment that does not suit you, because that changes the plan.
You take part in whatever way feels comfortable, including bringing someone with you, keeping it short, or leaving parts for another day.
A Team, Not a Single Clinician
Mental health is rarely just one thing. The way you sleep, move, eat, and take part in daily life are all connected.
At Optimum Health Solutions, your occupational therapist works in a team that also includes Physiotherapy, Exercise Physiology, Dietetics, and Positive Behaviour Support.
When more than one of your clinicians works under the same provider, they share what they see and line up their goals, so you get one plan rather than several that pull in different directions.
NDIS Occupational Therapy for Psychosocial Disability
If your NDIS plan includes a psychosocial disability, Occupational Therapy can be funded as part of it, under Capacity Building. The everyday side usually comes under Improved Daily Living, and goals around getting out and connecting with people come under Increased Social and Community Participation. Your occupational therapist sets goals around what matters in your week and writes the reports your plan review needs.
Self-managed, plan-managed, or NDIA-managed, we work with all three, and we coordinate with your support coordinator and other providers so your supports line up. Our admin team checks your funding covers Occupational Therapy before your first appointment.
12 clinics across NSW & Tasmania
Email us
hello@opt.net.au
Speak to us
1800 678 647
Get in Touch.
Where to Access Mental Health Occupational Therapy
Optimum Health Solutions offers Occupational Therapy for mental health across our clinics in NSW and Tasmania: Blacktown, Liverpool, Croydon Park, Sylvania, Hornsby, Campbelltown, North Rocks, Batemans Bay, Nowra, Cessnock, Mornington, Moonah, and Launceston. We also offer mobile visits in some areas and telehealth, so you can meet your occupational therapist in the way that suits you.
Common Questions About Occupational Therapy and Mental Health
What does a mental health occupational therapist do?
Can an occupational therapist help with anxiety?
What is the difference between an occupational therapist and a psychologist for mental health?
Is Occupational Therapy for mental health covered by Medicare?
Does the NDIS cover Occupational Therapy for psychosocial disability?
What happens at the first appointment?
SARAH-LOUISE HIGGINS
BSc (hons) Occ Thy
OPTIMUM HEALTH SOLUTIONS
With over 10 years of clinical experience practicing in the United Kingdom and Australia, Sarah-Louise is an Occupational Therapist with a strong background in mental health, assistive technology, and home modifications.
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