Mental Health OT Australia

30/10/2026

💚 Being included is not the same as truly belonging.

Real participation means having a voice, making choices and being part of something meaningful.

OT Week 2026 | Participation Matters

Sometimes, participation looks like joining a conversation, creating something, building confidence or reconnecting with community.

Other times, it starts with a small moment of trust, the right support or a simple change to the environment.

At Mental Health OT Australia, we believe occupational therapy is about more than independence. It’s about helping people participate in the everyday activities that matter most to them.

✨ Every person. Every story. Every meaningful moment.

Because participation is personal. And belonging matters.

💬 What does meaningful participation look like to you?

# ndis

18/10/2026

She didn’t just take a few steps. She danced. 💚

Some moments remind me exactly why I love being an Occupational Therapist.

When we first met, she was walking with a stick. Frequent falls, chronic pain, reduced balance and the challenges of living with complex, progressive health conditions had made everyday movement increasingly difficult.

We began working together through occupational therapy, focusing on her everyday function, movement and independence.

And then something beautiful happened.

After just a few sessions, I watched her walk without her stick.

And then… she started dancing. 🥹💚

Not because her medical conditions had disappeared. Not because every challenge had been overcome.

But because, in that moment, she could move with greater freedom, balance and confidence.

This is what occupational therapy means to me.

It’s not just about assessments, equipment or exercises.

It’s about helping people participate in life.

To move. To feel capable. To reconnect with the activities that bring them joy.

Her journey is ongoing, and every person’s progress is different.

But this moment deserved to be celebrated.

Sometimes progress isn’t measured in numbers. Sometimes, it looks like a dance. 💚✨

With love,
Mental Health OT Australia

15/10/2026

🧠 ADHD is more than attention.

At the ADHD WA Conference, Dr Andrew Sheridan, Clinical Psychologist and Neuropsychologist, explored the connection between ADHD, anxiety, depression and emotional regulation.

🌿 From an Occupational Therapy perspective, effective support goes beyond managing symptoms. It’s about building confidence, emotional wellbeing and independence in everyday life.

Swipe through for research insights, case studies and practical strategies. 💚

ADHD WA
Kirwan Clinic

MentalHealthOTAustralia

14/10/2026

🧠 The Cost of Fitting In: When Being “Normal” Comes at a Cost

What happens when someone spends years trying to fit into a world that doesn’t fully understand how their brain works?

At the ADHD WA Conference 2026, Clinical Psychologist Dr Ozgur (Oz) Yalcin delivered an insightful presentation exploring how neurotypical expectations can contribute to shame, trauma, masking and negative self-beliefs in neurodivergent individuals.

💭 What may appear to others as laziness, rigidity, procrastination or difficult behaviour may actually reflect sensory overwhelm, executive functioning challenges, emotional distress or unmet support needs.

For many people with ADHD and autism, constantly trying to meet expectations can be exhausting.

🌿 From an Occupational Therapy perspective, we need to look beyond behaviour and understand the person.

At Mental Health OT Australia, our neurodiversity-affirming approach focuses on:

✨ Understanding individual strengths and support needs.

✨ Supporting emotional regulation and executive functioning.

✨ Developing flexible, sustainable daily routines.

✨ Identifying sensory and environmental barriers.

✨ Reducing the demands of masking and supporting authentic participation.

✨ Building independence, confidence and self-advocacy.

The goal isn’t to make someone more neurotypical. It’s to help them thrive as themselves. 💚

Sometimes, meaningful progress doesn’t begin by changing the person. It begins by changing the environment, expectations and support around them.

📲 Swipe through our 20-slide carousel to explore the key insights from this important presentation.

💚 Save this post, share it with someone who may benefit, and follow Mental Health OT Australia for more evidence-informed ADHD, autism and mental health insights.

If you or your child would benefit from individualised Occupational Therapy support, we’d love to hear from you.

Mental Health OT Australia
Supporting minds. Empowering everyday life.

12/10/2026

🧠 ADHD in Women: When Hormones Change, So Can Everyday Functioning

Have you noticed your ADHD symptoms becoming more challenging before your period, after childbirth or during perimenopause?

At the ADHD WA Conference, Dr Mojdeh Bassiri, Psychiatrist, delivered an insightful presentation exploring how hormonal changes throughout a woman’s lifespan can influence ADHD symptoms, emotional regulation, attention, sleep and executive functioning.

🌿 Menstrual cycle: Hormonal fluctuations may affect concentration, mood, energy and ADHD symptom severity.

🌿 PMDD & premenstrual changes: Some women experience increased emotional sensitivity, overwhelm and difficulties managing ADHD symptoms.

🌿 Pregnancy & postpartum: Hormonal changes, disrupted sleep and increased responsibilities can affect everyday functioning.

🌿 Perimenopause: Changes in sleep, memory, attention and emotional regulation may intensify existing ADHD challenges.

💚 The Occupational Therapy Perspective

Understanding the connection is important, but how can we translate this knowledge into everyday life?

At Mental Health OT Australia, we focus on practical, individualised strategies to help women:

✨ Develop flexible, hormone-aware daily routines.

✨ Strengthen executive functioning, planning, organisation and time management.

✨ Improve emotional and sensory regulation.

✨ Support sleep, self-care, parenting, work and relationships.

✨ Recognise personal patterns, strengths and changing support needs.

✨ Explore complementary neuroadaptive approaches where appropriate, while recognising that evidence for neurofeedback in hormone-related ADHD remains limited.

You don’t always need to push yourself harder. Sometimes, you need the right strategies, environment and support to work with your brain.

📋 FREE ADHD & Hormonal Changes Self-Guided OT Worksheet

We’ve developed a practical worksheet to help you recognise patterns, reflect on your daily functioning and identify meaningful adjustments.

📩 DM “WORKSHEET” to request your copy.

📍 Perth | Telehealth Australia-wide
💚 Mental Health OT Australia

13/08/2026

Why does your child go from 0 → 100 over something that seems so small? 🧠✨

Sometimes, what looks like “bad behaviour” is actually a child whose brain and nervous system are overwhelmed.

When children feel safe and regulated, the prefrontal cortex — the thinking part at the front of the brain — supports attention, planning, problem-solving and impulse control.

But when emotions, sensory input or stress become too much, accessing those higher-level skills can become much harder.

That’s why saying “Just calm down” often doesn’t work.

💚 Connect first.
💛 Help the body regulate.
🧠 Reason and problem-solve later.

And if your child holds everything together at school but falls apart when they get home? Their nervous system may simply be telling you:

“I’ve used everything I had today. I need somewhere safe to let go.”

Emotional regulation is not something we simply demand from children.

It’s a skill we help them build.

Through Occupational Therapy, we can explore the individual factors behind emotional dysregulation — including sensory processing, executive functioning, routines, environmental demands and nervous-system regulation — and develop personalised strategies that work in everyday life.

✨ Calm brain. Connected heart. Confident child.

Save this carousel for the next difficult moment — and share it with a parent who needs to see behaviour differently. 🤍

Mental Health OT Australia
📧 [email protected]
📞 0406 107 775

17/07/2026

12/07/2026

08/07/2026

Some days remind you why you love what you do. 💚

Today was one of those days.

We had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful participants, families, support coordinators, aged care providers, and fellow allied health professionals at the The Aged Care Events Community. Every conversation, every story, and every connection reminded us that great outcomes happen when we work together.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello and learn more about what we do. We truly appreciate the opportunity to connect and look forward to building meaningful relationships to make a real difference in our community.

We constantly advancing what we do and we love to contribute enhancing health and wellness to the community. ✨

Big Thank you to The Aged Care Events Community for your Beautiful Birthday Cake, Today was a landmark to celebrate New Area in Mental Health Occupational Therapy Australia. ♥️🙏

Until next time! 🌿🤍

18/06/2026

At Mental Health OT Australia, we know meaningful outcomes require more than a report.

We work closely with participants, families, support coordinators, and the multidisciplinary team to understand the person behind the challenges, identify the root causes of functional barriers, and deliver targeted therapy that builds capacity, independence, and participation in everyday life.

From FCAs to ongoing therapy, we focus on turning recommendations into real outcomes.