Our Services

At Charlotte Smedley + Associates we employ experienced Occupational Therapists and Social Workers who have a wealth of experience in working in the sector with a range of people with different medical conditions and skilled in determining your requirements. To find out more about how we can represent you and your needs, please contact us today.

Medicolegal Assessments

Charlotte Smedley + Associates has occupational therapists with expertise in completing Medicolegal Assessments. We provide comprehensive Medicolegal reports detailing the impact of a client’s injury or illness on all aspects of daily functioning. Assessments will be undertaken in the person’s own home in order to review their usual activities of daily living. This is a detailed process that will usually take between 2 to 3 hours to complete as the assessment involves an interview to determine a person’s functional capacity and the person’s ability to attend to their daily tasks before and after their injury.

Occupational Therapy services

Occupational Therapy (OT) is a person-centred allied health profession concerned with promoting health and well-being through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational Therapists achieve this outcome by working with people to enhance their ability to engage in the occupations they want to, need to, or are expected to do, or by modifying the occupation or the environment to better support their participation

OT reports focus on activities of daily living (ADLs) because they are the foundation of independent living and include eating, dressing, bathing, grooming, toileting and transferring. Occupational Therapists may also assess the home for hazards and make recommendations to ensure your safety in the home safety, encourage your ability to engage in preferred leisure activities and to foster and maintain social integration and participation.

Helping you stay at home

If you are finding it difficult to manage at home, with cooking, dressing, eating, toileting or showering we can help you optimise your independence at home by completing an assessment with you, in your home and tailoring equipment to maximise your safety and independence. The suggestion of simple equipment, minor or major modifications including the redesign of bathrooms and kitchens can make an enormous difference to your ability to maintain your independence and maximise your independence in all activities of daily living to enable you to remain at home. Assessments can be undertaken in your own home, supported accommodation or residential facilities.

Are you visiting friends and relatives?

Are you or a friend or relative staying away from home and need to make the place more accessible during your stay? We can help you arrange the equipment you need to stay independent during your visit arranging for the equipment to await your arrival so that life will be easier as soon as you arrive for your short stay.

Equipment Assessment

There is a range of assistive technology available to improve individual safety and independence and occupational therapists are skilled in assessing and prescribing equipment of all types. They are also able to consider the full range of products available and suggest the equipment best suited to your needs based on function, environment and cost factors and contact suppliers who offer equipment trials, hire options and equipment customisation.

Home Modifications

We can assess a client in their own home and make home modification recommendations to improve access and safety for temporary or permanent needs. We can help design and co-ordinate minor home modifications including ramps and rails.

Mental Health Social Work Services

Do you experience any of these psychological and physical symptoms:  Loss of confidence in yourself or poor self-esteem; feeling guilty when you are not at fault; wishing you were dead; difficulty concentrating or making decisions;  becoming agitated and unable to settle; having sleep difficulties (i.e. less sleep or too much sleep), insomnia; an unusually sad mood that doesn't go; loss of enjoyment and interest in activities that used to be enjoyable; loss of motivation; recurring nightmares, flashbacks; unexplained chest pain; rapid heartbeat; shortness of breath; dizziness, fainting; headaches; sweating; numbness; vomiting, nausea; diarrhea; unexplained muscle aches and pains; lack of energy and tiredness. 

If you have experienced these symptoms for more than two weeks and no physical ill health has been diagnosed, you may be suffering from anxiety, depression, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental health problems. To access our social work counseling service, please consult your GP and ask for a Mental Health Care Plan. 

The Art of Listening:  In today's fast paced world people have lost the ability to truly listen to one another.  When people don’t feel they are listened to continuously, they often make the decision to stop trying to be  heard with devastating affect to their mental well-being. Listening frees us to share our true self with another creating a more gratifying interaction with others and most importantly ourselves. 

About Counseling:

It is essential that you feel comfortable with your counselor and you feel truly heard by them.  They should demonstrate a non-judgmental and empathetic attitude towards you.  They are not there to tell you what to do but will  help you to explore your problem and facilitate ways to work through them with a more positive result. 

Counseling Tip

As you begin counseling, establish some goals with your counselor then spend time regularly reviewing your progress with your counselor.

Approaches to Counseling

Counseling can be offered by Nickie on an individual basis, as a family or within a group setting. There are also many different approaches that mental health professionals can take to provide counseling and Nickie specialises in the following areas:  Adult survivors of childhood  trauma; sexual abuse, domestic violence and other forms of abuse; meditation and relaxation strategies; anger management; addictions; long-term unemployment; couple and family therapy; forensic mental health..  Feel free to ask Nickie what approach she will be using if it is of interest to you. 

What Social Work Services does Nickie provide?

Nickie provides a full range of Social Work Services including individual, couple and family counseling; psycho-educational and therapeutic group work; psycho-social and other social work approaches; social work supervision; advocacy; community development; Department of Veterans Affairs: a mobile counseling service is available to people with mobility issues following an initial assessment.

Health Rebates

Medicare Funded Occupational Therapy and Social Work Services

Charlotte Smedley + Associates is a registered Medicare provider. Medicare provides claim benefits for chronic medical conditions and for clients with complex care needs. Eligible patients are entitled to Medicare benefits for up to five (5) Allied Health consults (including occupational therapy and social work) per year.

To be eligible for Medicare benefits, you will require a referral for Occupational Therapy or Social Work services from your General Practitioner and our services must be part of an overall care plan.

At the conclusion of an appointment, our occupational therapist or social worker will report back to your GP to ensure adherence to your overall care plan.

For more information you can refer to the Allied Health under Medicare fact sheet

We welcome your enquiry to discuss Medicare funded occupational therapy or social work

Private health insurance rebates for Occupational Therapy or Social Work Services

Charlotte Smedley + Associates can provide occupational therapy or social work services on a fee for service basis to any private client, regardless of whether you have private health cover.

If you have relevant extras cover, you may be eligible for a rebate through your private health fund. Please contact your health fund to confirm and we are very happy to supply your fund with the required information to streamline your claim. Discounts for concession card holders are also available.