Paediatric Occupational Therapy to Support the Development and Wellbeing of Children and Their Families.

About Kindred Paediatric Therapy

Kindred Paediatric Therapy was founded by me, Ellie Cassels-Kleinman, a paediatric occupational therapist and parent who has worked with children, families, and educators across Melbourne as an occupational therapist, behaviour therapist, and educator.

I support children and their caregivers to engage in daily occupations such as kinder and school based activities, family routines, play, and self care activities. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree with First Class Honours in Occupational Therapy and an Advanced Diploma in Rudolf Steiner / Waldorf Education. Further qualifications and memberships include in Occupational Performance Coaching, Tuning in to Kids^®, and Learn to Play therapy, as well as with AHPRA and Occupational Therapy Australia.

I endeavour to work in a way that is family centred, neuro-affirming, and culturally safe and am committed to providing therapy that deeply reflects the unique needs of each child and family I work with.

Kindred Paediatric Therapy provides services within our local Port Phillip Bay area including within Elwood, St Kilda, Ripponlea, Middle Park, South Melbourne, Albert Park, Brighton, and Elsternwick. Strong partnerships and relationships with local childcares, kindergartens, and schools are a foundation of our practice.

For more information on family centred therapy:

Occupational Therapy

Paediatric occupational therapists support children and their families to do the things they need and want to do. Kindred Paediatric Therapy provides therapy in children’s natural environments: at home, kindergarten, child care, school, playground, soccer field etc.

We work to support families in these areas:

Play and Socialising

Play, pro-social skill development, friendships, and connection to community.

Childcare, Kinder, and School Skills

Advocacy, transition to school, capacity building for educators and teachers, gross motor skill development (eg. for throwing and catching, jumping and skipping, riding a bicycle, navigating stairs), fine motor skill development (eg. for drawing, cutting and pasting, craft, handwriting, shoelaces), following instructions, attending, organisation, and participation in group activities.

Self Care

Dressing, meals, bathing, caring for personal belongings.

Sensory Processing and Emotional Regulation

Paediatric occupational therapists also work with families and educators to understand and support sensory processing and emotional regulation. Ellie facilitates the Tuning in to Kids^® program for parents. This is an evidenced based emotionally focussed program that teaches parents and carers skills in emotion coaching and emotional intelligence.

When working with parents and carers in the area of emotional regulation Ellie draws on the work of experts in this field (including Dr. Billy Garvey, Professor Sophie Havighurst and Ann Harley, Ross Greene PhD., Dan Siegel M.D., Tina Payne PhD., and John Gottman PhD. to name a few) to support parents and carers to learn to respond to children’s emotions in ways that validate and accept emotions but still guide appropriate behaviour. Ellie situates this work in the context of families’ everyday occupations and routines.

Supporting the development of emotional intelligence for children helps them to be more resilient so that when they face challenging experiences they can talk about their feelings and work through these experiences. Emotional intelligence helps prevent mental health problems, and learning these skills can reduce mental health difficulties.

Groups

Group programs to support emotional regulation and school readiness are run throughout the year. Register your interest here.

Capacity Building for Childcares / Kindergartens, Schools, and Support Workers

Kindred Paediatric Therapy offers tailored capacity building for educators, teachers, and support workers including through various Federal and State Government funding streams such as School Readiness and Inclusion Development Funding.

Common themes we provide education and professional development on include:

Transition to school
Understanding and working with challenging behaviour
Emotional regulation
Play

To understand how we can support you or your organisation contact us here.

Fees and Rebates

Kindred Paediatric Therapy session fees are $193.99 per hour. As an individual / family accessing our services our fees can be funded through a number of government initiatives including the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and Medicare. Private health funds can also fund occupational therapy depending on your provider and level of care. If you are a business or organisation accessing our services our fees may be funded through various Federal and State government streams including School Readiness and Inclusion Development Funding.

Funding Options

NDIS

Kindred Paediatric offers therapy to self managed and plan managed NDIS participants. You can speak to your NDIS planner if you are uncertain which type of plan you have. To find out more about the NDIS you can visit their website at www.ndis.gov.au or call the NDIS Helpline on 1800 800 110 for more information.

Medicare

You may be eligible for rebates from Medicare for occupational therapy with a Team Care Arrangement (TCA) or through a Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders plan. You can obtain a TCA in consultation with your GP or Paediatrician. Please note the Medicare rebate does not cover the entire session fee and you will have some out of pocket expenses if accessing therapy in this way.

For further information on eligibility:

Services Australia – Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders and eligible disabilities

Services Australia – Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders and eligible disabilities – Billing Requirements

Private Health Insurance

If you have private health insurance, you may be eligible for a rebate from your private health fund for occupational therapy. Please contact your private health insurer to determine your eligibility. Please note the rebates provided by your private health insurer will not cover the entire session fee and you will have some out of pocket expenses if accessing therapy in this way.