About … Online Occupational Therapy with Colleen Rowe
What is Occupational Therapy?
A quick guide to help you understand what we do
Occupational Therapy is a type of intervention that focuses on the doing aspect of living. Instead of concentrating on the result of your circumstances or illness, occupational therapists concentrate on what you actually do each day; making sure you are not spending all your energy on just surviving day to day. We recognise the importance of connecting to people around you and to your community, of having time and resources for leisure and learning, and opportunities to recuperate and re-energise.
Occupational therapists use a wide variety of techniques – integrating physiology, psychology, occupational science, ergonomics, human factors and design literature – to help you understand the physiology of how your brain and body works, and how the world around you influences your physiology. Your skills, the things you do, and where you do them don’t operate in isolation. We help you understand the interconnections and anticipate what changes can be made to make your way of living easier, more achievable; and therefore have a life(style) that is more workable and enjoyable for you.
What is online therapy?
Therapy is any form of health service that has a beneficial effect on your body or mind. Online therapy simply uses the online environment to deliver the service.
My style of online work is not an electronic compromise of face-to-face work; nor an online course where each person receives the same material. This program is curated. I start with a comprehensive assessment of you, taking into account your specific expectations and aspirations, your needs and priorities, and which types of media you are comfortable using and will suit your style.
Simple steps will arrive in your inbox; follow them in your own time. At the end of each step I’ll respond to your endeavours within 48 hours to guide you through the next stage. Together we’ll make a clear plan forward. Then we’ll work on making progress each week.
Help When You Need It Most
with a qualified occupational therapist.
LONG TERM PROBLEMS
Living with long-term difficulties or a life-long diagnosis can be daunting – everyone has an opinion of what you need to do, so how do you know what is right for you? How do you sift through all the (often conflicting) information about managing your health, and how do you consistently keep going when the effects aren’t immediately obvious?
DEPRESSION & ANXIETY
There are times when life becomes effortful; the drudgery of survival has overtaken the pleasures of life; getting going is too hard and often overwhelming. Moving forward is not always about doing more – when time or energy are in short supply, it is important to focus on things that you value, and that enable you to make inspired life choices.
PHYSICAL INJURY
When the initial stages of illness and the intensive rehabilitation phase have finished, people are often left feeling that life is in some way deficient, unsatisfying, not as you would have imagined it would be. Your rehabilitation journey will influence how you experience life from here on. I’ll help you see beyond your diagnosis, and help you reclaim life’s tasks and roles that are fulfilling, enjoyable and energising.
PAIN
Living with pain can be a roller coaster of fluctuating pain levels and emotions affecting everything you do. When you feel ok, there is often a tendency to do as much as you can while you are able, and then inevitably you “pay for it” later. Getting more consistency in managing daily tasks is important, as well as ensuring you have strength and energy to do the things that give your life meaning, purpose and pleasure.
Meet Colleen
A qualified occupational therapist.
I’ve been an occupational therapist for 30 years now, and have been privileged to work with people of all ages and stages of life. I have worked in hospitals, rehabilitation facilities and community settings; in home, office and industrial environments; in cities, country towns and remote communities.
I love that occupational therapy concentrates on the “doing” side of living. Life’s experiences and everyday challenges change over time – often gradually and predictably; sometimes dramatically with no warning. My aim with each of my clients is to find ways to lessen the impact these challenges impose on you, and to enrich the valued aspects of your lifestyle.
I have reached the stage in my life when my children have left home, so I now have the freedom to move around and experience lifestyles in varied places. I like that this provides a benefit to my clients – of providing flexibility for consultations. Just as I am not tied to a specific city and time zone, my clients are no longer tied to a clinic location and local business hours. I see this as the future of consultation services.
