Sisu Therapies

23/07/2025

Cold & Flu Season is here... but have you noticed how being physically unwell also takes a toll on your mental health?

Research shows that when we’re sick, our mental health often takes a hit too. Inflammation from common illnesses can reduce serotonin and increase fatigue, irritability, and low mood. For those already managing anxiety, depression, or neurodivergence, these dips can feel even heavier.

On top of that, being unwell disrupts:

- Sleep and routine
- Social connection
- Access to supports
- Our sense of purpose and productivity

No one enjoys being sick, but when you’re already feeling low, it can be really tough. So what can we do to protect our mental health while our bodies recover?

Here are some gentle, helpful ideas:
✅ Be kind to yourself—your worth isn’t tied to productivity
✅ Stay connected in small ways (text, voice note, shared meme)
✅ Keep a loose daily rhythm—get up, shower, eat and hydrate
✅ Engage your senses: warm drinks, cosy blankets, soft lighting
✅ Try low-energy activities (colouring, puzzles, a comfort show)
✅ Keep up your therapy—telehealth can help but also remember your strategies
✅ Let your support network know you’re struggling—they may not realise
✅ Use your coping strategies and mood trackers, especially if that sick-day slump starts to linger

It’s been a rough season—here at Sisu, we’ve been hit more than once! If you need to reschedule, go online, or want some resources to use from home, just let us know. We’re always here to help (even from a distance).

💛 Take care

04/07/2025

It’s always great day to play!

02/07/2025

30/06/2025

Don’t forget to join us for tomorrow’s Lunch & Learn: ‘Spirited Therapy for Solid Outcomes - Creative modalities to engage young people’

27/06/2025

https://www.indailysa.com.au/news/opinion/2025/06/27/you-cant-build-a-fair-ndis-by-gutting-the-women-who-hold-it-up?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwLLMAxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHpEUOLlZj38BGwkjh2k0T0Tzp5ykjTa4IS11lBcWkLv0NpQY43DKpaHc_zTn_aem_EowrmthZv28ucsGT6Q-q_A

If the NDIA is serious about occupational therapy reform, it’s time to stop making decisions in a vacuum, writes Helen Whait.

26/06/2025

the trainee therapy dog comes in and makes a mess and you just know everyone’s going to blame you!

Don’t worry Goose, we still love you!

Goose is Dani’s pupper. Gaston forgets that he took a LONG time to get where he is as a therapy dog (and still has learning to do 😂).

I think Goose is just Gaston’s karma because I’m pretty sure this is how Hugo felt, and most days, still feels, about Gaston’s antics!

25/06/2025

With all that’s going on, this is a fantastic reminder by a fantastic human, Counselling with Mike - The Nerd Therapist

A brilliant reminder from Michael Keady at the PWDWA State Convention: “Don’t apologise for your passion!”
Such an important and timely message.
Thanks, Mike – your words matter.
👉 https://www.facebook.com/CounsellingWithMike

25/06/2025

23/06/2025

Post 2 of 2: We Need to Talk about the NDIS - It's time to spill the tea on where the Money's Going.

📣 TL;DR: In just 4 years, consultant fees rose 500%. OT rates? Still frozen. That’s just the start.📣

While therapy rates remain stuck at 2019 levels, NDIA spending on consultants, outsourcing, and legal battles has skyrocketed.

🧾 Consultancy spend tripled from $18.7M to $56.7M - these are typically big firms that are paid millions of dollars for reports, many of which often don't include stakeholder consultation and/or end up not being fully implemented, further contributing to waste
📦 Outsourcing remains over $200M/year - this includes a contract that ballooned from @27 million to $135 million
⚖️ $46.3M was spent in 2023–24 fighting participant appeals — and 79% of decisions were overturned.

Meanwhile, we’re told to write huge reports, only to hear this from NDIA leadership:

“My staff can’t read 280-page reports that they get.” – CEO, Senate Estimates, Feb 2025

We want value for money too. But undervaluing therapy isn’t the answer.
Freezing rates won’t fix waste — it just pushes out the people doing the work.

📣 Let’s fix what matters. Let’s fund what works 📣

🖊️ Here’s how you can help:

✔️ Sign the petitions:
👉 OTA: https://otaus.com.au/ndis-pricing-campaign
👉 APA: https://www.change.org/ItsNowOrNever (almost at 45,000 signatures!)

✔️ Contact your local MP — share how this impacts you, your family, or your clients. Personal stories matter.

✔️ Share this post. Help us push back on misinformation and raise awareness about what’s really happening.

✔️ Look after yourself. If you’re a provider or carer feeling the weight of this — we see you 💛

23/06/2025

Post 1 of 2: We Need to Talk About the NDIS - It's time to spill the tea.

📣 TL;DR: OT rates stay frozen. Providers are burning out. Participants are at risk of losing services - here's how you can help📣

The new 2025–26 NDIS price guide has landed — and once again, therapy rates remain frozen.

That means no increase to the standard OT hourly rate for the sixth year in a row, despite inflation climbing by more than 14.8% in that time. Meanwhile, providers are facing rising insurance, supervision, admin, compliance and payroll costs — all while being told to “do more with less.”

Health professionals are exhausted and participants are already losing access as clinicians close books, scale back outreach, or shut down entirely.

We are being asked to provide complex, high-quality support in increasingly complex systems, for rates that don’t reflect the cost of delivering care — while other areas of NDIS expenditure continue to climb (more on that in Post 2).

This isn’t about politics. It’s about people. We all want the scheme to be sustainable. But freezing therapy rates is not a solution — it’s a slow bleed.

🖊️ Here’s how you can help:

✔️ Sign the petitions:
👉 OTA: https://otaus.com.au/ndis-pricing-campaign
👉 APA: https://www.change.org/ItsNowOrNever (almost at 45,000 signatures!)

✔️ Contact your local MP — share how this impacts you, your family, or your clients. Personal stories matter.

✔️ Share this post. Help us push back on misinformation and raise awareness about what’s really happening.

✔️ Look after yourself. If you’re a provider or carer feeling the weight of this — we see you 💛

📊 Swipe through the slides to understand what the freeze means — and stick around for Post 2 to see where NDIS spending is actually increasing...

20/06/2025

It’s been a big week. If you access NDIS services or you know an allied health professional, you may have heard about the price freeze that we are currently facing.

Ironically we’ve been so busy this week (with our beautiful clients!) we haven’t had a chance to post until now.

In the meantime, until I get a chance to share our own information, please watch this as it gets to the real heart of the issue.

20/06/2025

Good news, everyone! 🚀

We’re thrilled to welcome Vivian, our wonderful new admin staff member, to the Sisu team!

Thankfully, Vivian will be taking over our appointment reminder system - at the moment, only about half of our reminders are getting through but starting next week, we’re hoping to get that number much closer to 100%, thanks to her help!

Don’t get us wrong—Hugo and Gaston might be adorable, but without opposable thumbs, they haven’t been much help on the admin front. 🐾
So we’re very excited to have Vivian joining us and saving the day! 💼🐶