Occupational Therapy Services
• Assessments for Function, Cognition, Strength, & Sensation
• Adults Specialised CI Therapy (see our CI Therapy pages)
• Children’s specialised CI Therapy and Bi-Manual Therapy Clinic (see our CI Therapy pages)
• Home Assessments for safety
• Home Therapy to improve safety and independence
• Equipment assessments and recommendation e.g. wheel chairs, hoists, etc.
• Home Exercise Programmes designed to be done at home with minimal equipment
• Community Access – getting out in the community can be difficult for many reasons. We help develop confidence to go to the shops and café working on things like mobility, balance and getting public transport.
• CI Therapy Australia is one of only a few rehab providers of Constraint Induced Language therapy in Australia for aphasia.
• Constraint Induced Therapy for the lower limb currently the only provider of this in Australia as far as we know
Occupational Therapy
We have two Occupational Therapists working at CI Therapy,each has significant experience in the assessment and treatment of patients across a range of injuries and conditions.
Manager of Occupational Therapy at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney2000-2014.During this time he developed assessments and policy to ensure the best therapy was administered to patients with neurological injury. While at St Vincent’s Hospital he was the first to audit of how well therapists were able to follow the National Stroke Guidelines in providing stroke therapy.
Phillip has 28years’ experience in working with neurological patients in Australia, and the United Kingdom.
He was the first therapist in Australia to have completed the CI Therapy training at the University of Alabama in 2009.
Phillip has presented at many Stroke Forums and training programmes on Constraint Induced Movement Therapy,and other therapies for stroke across Australia. He was the first therapist in Australia to have completed the full Constraint Induced Movement Therapy Protocol with patients.
Phillip was one of the first occupational therapists in Australia certified in the LSVT BIG intervention for Parkinson’s disease in 2012.
In 2011 he introduced the CI Therapy protocol at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney,the first hospital in Australia to offer this service.
In 2011 Phillip was instrumental in bringing Saebo Splints into Australia, linking up Saebo Inc with Patterson Medical. As a result he was one of the first therapists in Australia trained in this therapy.
Phillip returned to the University Of Alabama to learn about Children’s Constraint Induced Therapy in 2012 and volunteered at a Constraint Induced Therapy Camp in North Carolina in 2012.
Since that time he has been consulting and running KidsCIMT and Bi-Manual Therapy clinics for children between 12 months and 18 years and has completed Constraint Induced Therapy and Bi-Manual Therapy training for children with Dr Brian Hoare in 2014.
CI Therapy Australia is one of only a few rehab providers of Constraint Induced Language therapy in Australiafor aphasia.
CI Therapy Australia is the only rehab provider of Constraint Induced Therapy for the Lower Limb in Australia.
Valerie graduated from the University of Sydney with a Masters in Occupational Therapy in 2000, having previously completed a Bachelor of Science with a Major in Psychology at the ANU Canberra.
Valerie has worked in a variety of different settings and has gained extensive experience working with people with neurological conditions, which is where her passion lies.
Valerie worked as the Stroke Unit Co-ordinator at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney from 2007 until late 2009 where she provided immediate therapy to stroke patients and was also involved in case management, education, research and development of best practice for people following a stroke.
Following this role she moved to Hong Kong with her family, where she had the opportunity to advance her career as a Project Manager within the health system with a small company called Corporate Lion- Health Concierge Service. During this time she also furthered her training in occupational therapy for children.
Throughout her career Valerie has presented at many conferences, education seminars and a variety of professional development training days. She has been involved in numerous research projects and was awarded a ‘Young Investigators Award’ in 2009 from the Stroke Society of Australasia for a research trial named S.T.R.O.K.E. She has also been awarded grants to complete research projects with a team of other professionals. She has been an active member on multiple committees and regularly provided supervision to junior staff and students.
Mr Shaun Beattie
Shaun has had extensive experience in treating neurological conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, conversion disorder, and motor neuron disease. He also has an interest in gait disorders and musculoskeletal conditions.
