OCCUPATIONAL
THERAPY
Occupational Therapy Services
Clinically reviewed by Tim Angel, AHPRA-registered Occupational Therapist and Director of Ability Rehab — last reviewed June 2026.
Occupational Therapy in Ivanhoe East — NDIS-Registered OT Melbourne
Occupational therapy supports people to engage in the activities that matter to them. That might mean living independently at home, or participating in their community. Equally, it might mean returning to work after injury, or managing the day-to-day impact of disability or chronic illness. At Ability Rehab in Ivanhoe East, our occupational therapy services help clients build practical skills and adapt their environments. We also help them access the supports and equipment they need to function well in everyday life.
Our occupational therapists work with people experiencing physical disability, neurological conditions, and intellectual disability. Similarly, we support mental health and psychosocial conditions, and sensory processing differences. We also work with complex or co-occurring presentations. Therapy is goal-directed and evidence-based. Above all, we shape it around what matters most to each client.
Ability Rehab is a registered NDIS provider, supporting NDIA-managed, plan-managed, and self-managed participants. We deliver therapy from our Ivanhoe East clinic and via telehealth. In addition, we run community-based, home, and workplace sessions anywhere across Melbourne. Our work concentrates particularly across the inner-north-east. That includes Heidelberg, Kew, Doncaster, Bundoora, Eltham, Greensborough, and Balwyn.
For children, visit our dedicated paediatric occupational therapy page instead.
Three Ways to Access Therapy
We offer three ways to access therapy, so you can choose whichever works best for your family.
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy is a client-centred allied health profession. It helps people take part in the everyday activities — or "occupations" — that matter to them. For example, they might be self-care tasks, work, study, or leisure activities. They also include social engagement and maintaining a home.
Occupational therapists look at how a person's physical, cognitive, sensory, psychosocial, and environmental factors interact. Specifically, they examine how those factors affect daily participation. Where barriers exist, OTs work collaboratively with the client to address them. That work may involve skill development, environmental modifications, or equipment prescription. It can also mean advocacy, or working with the person's support network.
OT rests on a simple principle. Meaningful participation in everyday life supports physical health, mental wellbeing, and quality of life. Therapy is therefore always practical and outcome-focused. Overall, goals reflect each client's own priorities.
What Does an Occupational Therapist Do?
What an occupational therapist does in a session depends on the client's goals and presentation. For a client recovering from a stroke, it might involve graded activity practice. It might also mean recommending adaptive equipment to support independent self-care. For someone with a complex disability, it might be a home assessment. Then the assessment identifies modifications that improve safety and access. For a young person navigating mental health challenges, the focus shifts. Specifically, it moves to daily routines, sensory regulation strategies, and re-engagement with meaningful activity.
Our OTs work across NDIS, Medicare CCM, private health, and privately-funded supports. Common interventions include functional capacity assessments, daily living skill development, and equipment prescription. They also cover home modifications, sensory assessment, and capacity-building therapy aligned with NDIS plan goals. Where appropriate, sessions take place in the client's own home, workplace, or community setting. That way, recommendations work in the environments where they actually matter.
How Occupational Therapy Supports Independence and Participation
Generally, occupational therapy can support a wide range of outcomes, depending on each client's situation and goals. Rather than treating a diagnosis alone, OT addresses practical impact. Specifically, it looks at how a person's circumstances affect their participation in everyday life.
Occupational therapy may support areas such as:
- Building or restoring independence with self-care tasks like showering, dressing, meal preparation, and household management
- Improving mobility, transfers, and safety at home and in the community
- Identifying and prescribing assistive technology, equipment, and home modifications
- Returning to work, study, or volunteering after illness, injury, or major life change
- Managing fatigue, pain, and energy across a typical day
- Building cognitive strategies for memory, attention, planning, and organisation
- Supporting sensory regulation and emotional self-management
- Strengthening community participation and meaningful daily routines
Therapy is always individualised. We work closely with clients, their families, support coordinators, and other health professionals. As a result, interventions stay practical, sustainable, and aligned with what matters most.
How an Occupational Therapist Can Help
Overall, our occupational therapists work with clients across a wide range of presentations. The common thread is simple. Something is making everyday participation harder than it should be. So the client and their support network look for practical, goal-directed support.
We have experience supporting people experiencing:
- Physical disability and mobility limitations — including spinal cord injury, post-amputation rehabilitation, musculoskeletal conditions, and progressive physical conditions
- Neurological conditions — including stroke, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and other conditions affecting movement, cognition, and function
- Intellectual disability — supporting skill development, daily routines, communication, and meaningful participation
- Mental health and psychosocial disability — including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and complex psychosocial presentations
- Sensory processing differences — including those associated with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and sensory modulation difficulties
- Complex or dual diagnoses — where multiple conditions intersect and require coordinated, individualised support
- Age-related changes affecting independence, safety, and home function
- Gender-affirming care — supporting clients exploring identity-related goals across self-care, social participation, and daily routines
If you're not sure whether occupational therapy is the right fit, our team is happy to talk it through. So you can submit a referral or call us on 0478 491 188.
NDIS Occupational Therapy
Ability Rehab is a registered NDIS provider. As a result, a significant portion of our OT work goes to NDIS participants. Specifically, we work with all NDIS plan management types: NDIA-managed, plan-managed, and self-managed. We also have deep experience across complex disability, capacity-building, and core support categories.
Common NDIS-funded OT supports include:
- Functional Capacity Assessments (FCA) — comprehensive reports documenting a participant's current functional abilities and support needs. These inform plan reviews and reasonable and necessary supports
- Home modifications and SDA/SIL assessments — identifying and recommending changes to the home environment to support safety, access, and independence
- Equipment prescription and assistive technology — assessment, trial, and recommendation of mobility aids, daily living equipment, and complex AT
- Capacity-building therapy — goal-directed intervention to build skills, routines, and independence aligned with the participant's NDIS goals
- Specialist disability supports — for participants with complex, co-occurring, or dual presentations
We work closely with support coordinators, plan managers, and the participant's wider support network. As a result, reports stay clear, recommendations stay evidence-based, and therapy stays aligned with NDIS guidelines.
Our Occupational Therapy Services
Our specialised occupational therapy services include:
Meet Our Occupational Therapy Team
Our occupational therapists bring broad clinical expertise across NDIS, neurological rehabilitation, mental health, physical disability, and complex disability. Each clinician, however, contributes a slightly different focus. As a result, we can match clients with the therapist best suited to their goals. You can find full bios for every clinician on our Our Clinicians page.
Occupational Therapy Across Melbourne
Our clinic is based in Ivanhoe East, and we work with clients anywhere across Melbourne. We do that through three service modes: in-clinic, telehealth, and mobile home visits. Most of our in-home, workplace, and community sessions, however, concentrate across Melbourne's north-east, including:
Where therapy happens makes a real difference to outcomes. This matters particularly for goals around home function, mobility, or community participation. Recommendations grounded in the environment a person actually lives and works in tend to translate into more sustainable change.
Why Choose Ability Rehab for Occupational Therapy?
Choosing the right occupational therapy provider matters. At Ability Rehab, clinicians with deep clinical experience deliver our occupational therapy. They also bring a genuine commitment to person-centred practice. Above all, our approach prioritises clear communication and evidence-based intervention. We also set goals that are meaningful to each individual client.
Clients and referrers choose Ability Rehab because we offer:
- An experienced, multidisciplinary occupational therapy team
- Goal-directed, evidence-based intervention tailored to each client
- Deep experience across NDIS, complex disability, and neurological rehabilitation
- Flexible therapy delivery across clinic, telehealth, home, workplace, and community settings
- Registered NDIS provider with clear communication and reporting
- Bilingual service (Mandarin and English) for culturally and linguistically diverse clients
Our team values trauma-informed, neuro-affirming, and culturally safe practice. We therefore deliver therapy in a way that respects each client's autonomy, identity, and lifestyle.
Getting Started With Occupational Therapy
Getting started with occupational therapy at Ability Rehab is straightforward. First, we have a brief conversation. That call covers what's prompting the referral, the goals the client is working towards, and the funding pathway in place.
From there, we'll arrange an initial assessment. It develops a clearer picture of the client's strengths, needs, and goals. We then plan therapy collaboratively. That includes whether sessions work best in clinic, at home, at work, or in the community. Ongoing review keeps support relevant as goals progress and circumstances change.
Our team can also support clients through the practical side of getting started. For example, funding pathway questions, NDIS plan navigation, and coordination with support coordinators or other professionals.
Ready to get started, or want to talk through whether OT is the right fit?
Occupational Therapy – Frequently Asked Questions
What is occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy is a client-centred allied health profession. In short, it supports people to take part in the everyday activities — or "occupations" — that matter to them. Occupational therapists assess how physical, cognitive, sensory, psychosocial, and environmental factors affect daily life. They then work collaboratively with the client to identify practical, goal-directed interventions. That may involve building specific skills, prescribing equipment, or recommending home modifications. It can also mean working with the person's broader support network.
Who can benefit from occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy is relevant for anyone whose participation in everyday life has changed. That change might come from injury, illness, disability, or developmental difference. At Ability Rehab, we work with physical disability, neurological conditions, and intellectual disability. Similarly, we support mental health and psychosocial conditions, and sensory processing differences. We also see complex or co-occurring presentations and age-related change. In addition, we run a dedicated paediatric occupational therapy service for children.
Do I need a referral to see an occupational therapist?
For private clients and NDIS participants, you need no formal referral. However, a GP referral is needed for therapy through Medicare's Chronic Condition Management (CCM) plan. For NDIS participants, support coordinators, plan managers, or family members can also refer directly. You can submit a referral online via our Make a Referral page. Alternatively, call us on 0478 491 188.
How is occupational therapy funded?
Several funding pathways cover occupational therapy at Ability Rehab. The NDIS is the most common, whether NDIA-managed, plan-managed, or self-managed. Medicare's Chronic Condition Management (CCM) plan also applies, with a GP referral. Private health insurance may contribute, depending on your level of cover. In addition, we work with Home Care Packages (HCP), workers' compensation, and private fee-for-service clients. Visit our Medicare & Private Fees page for more detail on funding options.
What is a Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA)?
A Functional Capacity Assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of a person's current functional abilities. It covers daily activities, mobility, self-care, communication, and community participation. NDIS participants commonly use FCAs to inform plan reviews. Support coordinators also use them to advocate for reasonable and necessary supports. Similarly, other professionals use them to understand a client's functional baseline. Visit our Functional Capacity Assessment page for more.
Where do occupational therapy sessions take place?
We deliver sessions from our Ivanhoe East clinic at 1/223-225 Lower Heidelberg Road, with on-site parking. We also offer telehealth where clinically appropriate. In addition, we deliver sessions in the client's home, workplace, school, or other community settings. That suits goals tied to those environments, such as home modifications or workplace assessments. We also work with clients anywhere across Melbourne. Most of our in-home and community work, however, concentrates across the north-east. We decide the mode of delivery together, based on the client's goals, mobility, and funding.
Can occupational therapists prescribe equipment and home modifications?
Yes. Occupational therapists at Ability Rehab routinely prescribe assistive technology, daily living equipment, and mobility aids. They also prescribe home modifications. We assess the client's needs in their actual environment and trial equipment where appropriate. We then provide formal recommendations, including reports for funding bodies such as the NDIS. For complex AT or major home modifications, we coordinate with builders, architects, and other professionals. That keeps recommendations practical and properly implemented.
How do I get started with occupational therapy at Ability Rehab?
To get started, submit a referral through our Make a Referral page. Alternatively, call us on 0478 491 188. We'll then have an initial conversation to understand what you're looking for. From there, we confirm the funding pathway and arrange an initial assessment with the most suitable clinician. Our admin team can also assist with NDIS-related paperwork and coordination with your support network.