Capacity Building Therapy
Practical, goal-led therapy for the things that make up an ordinary day — and for the mental health that sits underneath them.
Capacity building therapy is occupational therapy aimed at building skill, confidence and routine so that daily life becomes more manageable. It might mean cooking a meal, using public transport, managing sensory overwhelm, getting a morning routine to work, returning to study, or rebuilding structure after a period of poor mental health. It is goal-led and time-limited, not open-ended support.
Who this is for
People whose psychosocial disability makes everyday routines hard to hold together
Neurodivergent adults wanting support that doesn’t try to make them less themselves
Anyone rebuilding daily structure after illness, injury or a hospital admission
People preparing for a change — moving out, starting study, returning to work
Participants with capacity building funding and no clear idea what to use it on
What you end up with
- A set of goals in your own words
- Practical strategies you’ve tried, not just been told about
- Written summaries for your plan, coordinator or team where you want them
- A clear end point rather than indefinite sessions
What’s involved
Working out what matters
We start with what you want to be able to do, not with a checklist. Goals are yours; we just help make them specific enough to work towards.
Sessions in real settings
In your home, at the shops, on the bus, in the kitchen. Skills practised where they’ll be used tend to stick.
Strategies and adjustments
Sensory strategies, energy management, routine design, environmental changes, and tools that suit how your brain works.
Reviewing honestly
We check progress against the goals at agreed points. If it isn’t working we change the approach or tell you it’s time to try something else.
How it’s funded
Usually funded through NDIS Capacity Building — Improved Daily Living. Some people access occupational therapy through a Medicare chronic disease management referral from their GP, which covers a limited number of sessions per year with a gap payment. We also see private clients.
Why we do this in your home
Skills learned in a clinic room have to be transferred to real life afterwards, and that transfer is where most of it falls apart. We skip the step. If the goal is cooking dinner, we do it in your kitchen with your saucepans.
It also means we see the barriers you might not think to mention — the lighting, the noise, the pile of mail, the shower that’s exhausting to get in and out of.
Common questions
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Regular sessions, usually weekly or fortnightly, working on specific everyday goals in the places where they matter. It might look like cooking, planning a week, practising a bus route, setting up a bedroom for better sleep, or building strategies for managing overwhelm.
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It depends entirely on the goals. We set a block with a review point rather than an open-ended commitment, and we’ll be honest at that review about whether continuing is worthwhile.
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No. A psychologist works primarily with thoughts, emotions and mental health treatment. An occupational therapist works with what you do — the activities, routines and environments of daily life. The two often work well alongside each other, and we’re glad to work with your psychologist if you have one.
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It means we don’t treat being autistic or ADHD as something to be corrected. We work with how your brain functions rather than against it — adjusting environments, routines and expectations rather than trying to make you present as neurotypical.
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Our clinicians have undertaken professional development in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, trauma-informed care and neuroaffirming practice. Ellen has shifted a substantial part of her clinical focus towards mental health therapy over recent years.
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Sometimes. A GP can refer for occupational therapy under a chronic disease management plan, which covers a limited number of sessions annually with a gap. Speak to your GP, or call us and we’ll explain how it works.
Related services
Talk to us about capacity building therapy
Tell us what’s going on and we’ll tell you whether this is the right service, what it will involve, and when we could get to you.