NDIS therapeutic supports are therapy services delivered by qualified allied health professionals to help you build skills, improve independence and take part in everyday life. They include occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy, psychology, exercise physiology and more. At Serene Disability Support, we’re a registered NDIS provider for therapeutic supports, and because we’re nurse-led, we make sure your therapy fits with the rest of your health and daily support.
What are NDIS therapeutic supports?
Therapeutic supports are evidence-based therapy that helps you work towards your NDIS goals. The focus is on building your capacity, so you can do more for yourself over time. That might mean learning to get in and out of the shower safely, communicating more easily, moving with less pain, or managing big feelings that get in the way of daily tasks.
Therapy must relate to your disability and be reasonable and necessary. It’s usually delivered by therapists who are registered with their professional body, and it often comes with a home program so you can keep practising between therapy sessions.
Types of NDIS therapy supports
There’s a wide range of services that can be funded by the NDIS as therapeutic supports. The most common include:
Occupational therapy
Occupational therapists help you build the skills to do everyday things, like dressing, cooking, getting around and managing your routine. Occupational therapy assists with assessments for equipment and home modifications, and it’s often the starting point for other supports.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy helps with movement, strength, balance and pain. A physio might work on mobility, help you recover after surgery, or use manual therapy and exercise to keep you moving well.
Speech therapy
Speech pathologists help with communication and swallowing. That can include speech, language, using communication devices, and safe eating and drinking.
Psychology and counselling
Psychologists and counsellors offer support with emotional wellbeing, coping skills and behaviour. Approaches like cognitive behavioural therapy can help with anxiety, stress or adjusting to life with disability.
Exercise physiology
Exercise physiologists design exercise programs to improve physical function and overall health. This can help with chronic conditions, fitness, weight and energy levels.
Dietetics
A dietitian can help with nutrition and mealtime planning where your disability affects what or how you eat.
Behaviour support
Positive behaviour support helps people understand and reduce behaviours of concern. Specialist behaviour support and behaviour support plans are funded and delivered separately from therapeutic supports, by registered behaviour support practitioners.
How NDIS funding works for therapy
Therapeutic supports are usually funded under Capacity Building, in the Improved Daily Living category of your NDIS plan. Your plan will set out a support funding amount, and you and your therapists decide how best to use it.
A few things to know:
- Your plan may specify the type and amount of therapy. Some plans set aside funding for particular therapies, while others are more flexible.
- Therapy should link to your goals. The NDIS looks at whether therapy is helping you make progress, so your therapists will usually provide progress reports.
- How your plan is managed matters. It affects which providers you can use and how invoices get paid. Plan management can help with this.
- Health supports are different. Treatment that isn’t related to your disability, like care for an illness, is usually covered by the health system rather than the NDIS.
If you’re not sure what your plan includes, talk to your support coordinator or work with an NDIS planner at your next review.
Benefits of NDIS therapeutic supports
The right therapy can make a real difference to your overall quality of life. Therapy helps you:
- Build living skills and confidence at home and in the community
- Improve independence with daily tasks
- Move, communicate and take part more easily
- Look after your emotional wellbeing
- Reduce the risk of health problems getting worse
- Get the most out of your other supports, like daily living and life skills support
How Serene can help with therapeutic supports
Therapy works best when it connects with the rest of your life. As a registered NDIS provider, we help you get the therapy you need and make sure it fits with your other supports. We can:
- Help you understand the therapeutic supports in your plan and how to use them
- Help you arrange therapy with qualified allied health professionals
- Make sure your support worker knows your home program and can help you practise between sessions
- Keep your therapy, nursing and daily support working together, with oversight from our registered nurse
- Talk with you and your family in any language, through our multilingual staff or an interpreter
If you also have complex health needs, we can pair therapy with community nursing care, so your clinical and therapy goals point the same way.
Getting started with therapeutic supports
If you’d like help with therapy supports, or you’re not sure whether your NDIS plan includes funding for the therapy you need, give us a call. We’ll talk about your goals, what’s in your plan and the next steps, and we’ll get back to you within one business day. You can also see all of our registered NDIS services.