Some News (and what it might mean for you)

I have some exciting news to share with the Heart and Hope for Her community.

I am now an Endorsed Mental Health Occupational Therapist - which means that for women who come to work with me, Medicare rebates may now be an option.

I know that therapy costs can be a real barrier when you are already navigating so much. I am genuinely pleased to be able to offer this.

What Does This Mean?

As an Endorsed Mental Health OT, I am approved under Medicare's Better Access to Mental Health Care initiative to deliver focused mental health therapy. If you hold a valid referral from your GP, you may be eligible to claim a Medicare rebate back after each of our sessions, which may help reduce the out-of-pocket cost of your care.

Sessions are billed privately and paid in full at the time of your appointment. The rebate is something you then claim back from Medicare directly; typically a straightforward process through the Medicare app or myGov.

What Is an Endorsed Mental Health OT?

Many people are surprised to learn that Occupational Therapists can work in mental health at all… let alone deliver therapy. So I want to explain a little, because I think it matters.

Mental Health OTs have always sat at the intersection of the psychological and the practical. We are trained to understand how a person's inner world; their nervous system, their thought patterns, their sense of self, shapes their ability to live the life they want to live. That has always been the foundation of this work, long before any Medicare endorsement.

The endorsement itself means I am now formally approved to deliver what Medicare calls Focussed Psychological Strategies (FPS) - evidence-based therapeutic approaches that support mental health and daily functioning.

In practice, I draw on a range of approaches depending on what each woman needs, including narrative therapy, cognitive behavioural approaches, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), solution-focused therapy, motivational interviewing, and behavioural strategies. I don't work from a single model, I follow the person.

What Does This Work Actually Look Like?

My focus, and my intention, is to walk alongside each woman using these approaches… not to fix or fast-track, but to accompany. The work is guided by the APSATS Multidimensional Partner Trauma Model (MPTM), a research-informed framework developed specifically for women navigating the trauma of intimate betrayal. In my practice, I work through three phases from a lens of steadying, understanding, and integration.

Steadying is where we begin. When the ground has shifted beneath you, the first work is simply finding your footing; calming the nervous system, making sense of what is happening and building enough safety to begin to look at it.

Understanding is where we move into the experience itself… the grief, the anger, the hurt, the isolation. Finding words for what has felt unspeakable. Exploring how the betrayal has touched your sense of who you are, how you function, what you now believe about yourself and others.

Integration is the slow work of bringing past, present and future into relationship with each other. Reconnecting with your values and needs. Re-envisaging and re-creating life in your own preferred ways.

Throughout all three phases, I draw on focussed psychological strategies including narrative therapy, cognitive behavioural approaches, ACT, solution-focused therapy, motivational interviewing, and behavioural strategies, woven in as each woman and each moment calls for.
This is slow, careful work but it is work with direction and support.

Is This Something for You?

If you have been thinking about reaching out, or if the possibility of a rebate makes that feel more within reach - I would love to hear from you.

The first step is simply a conversation. We can talk about what you are going through, what support might look like, and whether Heart and Hope for Her feels like the right fit. There is no pressure and no commitment in that call.

If it feels right, I can walk you through the Medicare pathway from there.

* Please note: Eligibility for Medicare rebates is determined by your GP. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions before booking or arranging a plan and referral.