Caregiver Meetings

We strongly encourage regular private catch ups with each child's parent(s) or primary caregiver(s) in conjunction with a child's individual therapy sessions. This provides the chance to discuss their child's progress and explore ways to best support them at home throughout the therapeutic process. This is also a great space to discuss other questions and concerns as they come up.

​

Caregiver Workshops 

Wheatbelt Occupational Therapy can also provide evidence-based support and education one-on-one or in small groups on a range of topics.

​

Workshops we currently offer include:     

​

Upping the Calm in your Household with Effective, Growth-Based Behaviour Management 

Do you feel like you are constantly barking orders at your children on repeat? Is it like they know which buttons to push at the end of a long day? Are you finding yourself giving in to nagging just for a few, sweet minutes of peace? 

​

We can help by exploring the function of some of these more challenging behaviours and establish a management system which can effectively address these behaviours in an assertive but respectful manner. Our approaches always prioritise a child's mental health and personal growth as opposed to approaches which, although may appear effective in the short term, can risk damaging a child's self-esteem further feeding into these struggles in the days, weeks and years to come.

​

A positive behaviour management approach teaches children they are in control of their choices and the resulting consequences (positive or negative) which they can trust their caregiver will respectfully, confidently and consistently follow through on. This not only positively influences a child's behavioural growth but will also foster their sense of security, autonomy and self-worth and strengthens their trust and respect in their caregiver.    

​

Growing Empathetic Little Humans 

Do you want to foster empathy in your child but struggle to define empathy let alone know how to actively teach it? We can help you understand what empathy is, why it is such a valuable skill and how it differs from sympathy which, unlike empathy, can at times be overdone.

​

We will look at different ways to be with, speak and respond to a child from birth through to adulthood which will foster emotional growth by teaching them empathy and developing their self-confidence, stress management and resilience.  

​

Curbing Fussy Eating and Fostering a Healthy Relationship Between a Child and their Food 

If eating well is important to you and you want to be able to achieve this in your household or place of work without feeling like you are on the brink of World War III then perhaps this topic will be of interest to you. At Wheatbelt Occupational Therapy we aim for a holistic as well as practical approach to child mental health and behaviour. A good diet can play a huge role in a child's behaviour as well as their physical, emotional and mental health; additionally, habits established in the early years of life are likely to follow our children into adulthood especially during times of stress so making sure they are good ones is worth the effort. This is why we offer support to parents and caregivers wanting to get their babies off to the best possible start nutrition wise or back on track if a problem has emerged. Understanding normal child development around food and eating behaviour, as well as knowing the strategies to establish healthy eating habits from 0-5 years can help to avoid some common meal-time traps and ensure a healthy level of control over the dinner table is maintained in the years to come.  

​

Enjoy a good workshop, some interesting conversation and a coffee break? Let us know the topics you would like to see discussed in your community by completing the form below and we will aim to bring the conversation to a town near you.