Mentoring support
Practical support to help you plan, practise and take part in everyday activities that matter to you.
Our mentors work with guidance from our occupational therapists to support you towards your chosen goals. This might involve building confidence with a routine, planning and taking part in a community activity, practising everyday skills or using strategies that have already been developed with your OT.
Tell us what you or someone you support would like help with.
What do you want to understand next?
When might mentoring help?
Mentoring may be useful when you have an everyday goal and would benefit from practical support to plan, practise or take part.
For example, someone who wants to become more confident joining a local group might work with a mentor to plan the visit, travel there and take part in the activity. The person’s choices, preferences and goals guide the support. Mentors work with guidance from our OTs. If something comes up that needs clinical assessment, changes to a therapy plan or OT decision making, the mentor will involve the OT.
See how this service applies to different stages of life.
How do mentoring sessions work?
- 1
Choose an activity
You identify what you want to do and what help you would find useful.
- 2
Plan together
You and your mentor agree where the activity will happen, what to practise and how they will help.
- 3
Take part
Your mentor supports the agreed activity, respecting your choices and preferred level of help.
- 4
Review what happened
Together, you discuss what helped, what was difficult and what to try next.
With consent, relevant information can be shared through the agreed team process. If a concern needs clinical assessment or a change to an OT plan, it is referred to an OT.
What can a mentor help with?
A mentor may help you:
- prepare for an activity
- plan steps and make choices
- practise an agreed routine or strategy
- use agreed reminders or resources
- notice difficulties and decide what to try next.
A mentor does not independently assess a condition, provide occupational therapy, change a clinical plan, prescribe equipment, recommend home modifications or write an OT report.
How is mentoring different from AHA support and OT?
01
Mentoring Support
Practical help to take part in an everyday activity and work towards a chosen goal.
Explore Mentoring Support02
Allied Health Assistant Support
Practice of specific activities delegated by an OT, with the OT supervising the work and retaining clinical responsibility.
Explore AHA Support03
Ongoing OT
Clinical assessment, therapy and review when difficulties need to be understood or an approach needs to be developed or changed.
Explore Ongoing OTNot sure which service you need? Tell us what you would like help with. If the difficulty needs clinical assessment, we can discuss OT Assessment first.
Where can mentoring sessions happen?
Sessions may take place at home, at school, at work or in the community when the setting suits the activity.
Before confirming the location, we consider your preferences and consent, safety, practical needs, availability, funding and service arrangement.
What will mentoring cost?
We explain the applicable rates and costs in the Service Agreement before support begins.
What’s included?
Mentoring time, provider travel, travel expenses and activity costs are separate. Which costs apply depends on the agreed arrangement.
Funding and service arrangements
NDIS payment depends on your goals, plan and current claiming rules. A support category alone does not confirm that mentoring can be claimed. Private payment may also be possible, subject to service suitability, availability and an agreed fee.
How to get started
Select Start a Mentoring enquiry below to enquire for yourself or someone you support.
Describe the activity, where it would happen, what is difficult and how you or the person you support want to be supported. Include relevant OT strategies or funding information if available.
We check whether the request is within the mentoring role, along with availability, setting and funding. We contact you or the nominated person to discuss the next step.
If mentoring is suitable, we confirm the arrangements and first session. If clinical assessment or delegated therapy is needed, we explain the OT or AHA option.
