Sometimes a client’s psychological or physical status is such that they are not medically ready to commence a formal return to work program, and initial focus needs to be on wellness, recovery and an improvement in general functioning. The goal of our restoration to wellness service is to assist client’s to focus on positive aspects of their recovery and develop a regular daily routine aimed at increasing their general every day functioning prior to commencing a formal return to work program. Client’s with poor psychological health, or those with significant injury or serious medical conditions may benefit from this service. We commence by setting small, achievable goals and developing action plans to work towards these goals. Our service provision is about empowering our clients, therefore with support of the rehabilitation counsellor, clients set their own goals as part of this program. Another key feature is the use behavioural activation techniques when setting daily activity tasks.
We have all worked with clients with very poor psychological health, who have a poor daily routine, and that return to work seems a near impossible feat. Even mentioning the word work may result in the client reporting high levels of anxiety. So how can we help these clients regain their life and improve their general functioning? Returning to work could be a reality for some, if not many of these clients, but how do we help them to go from rarely leaving their house to attending a workplace on a regular basis? Then we have clients with significant injury or severe medical conditions that may continue to deteriorate over time. A return to paid work may not be a reality for this small group of clients, but how are they coping on a day to day basis. What is their quality of life like, do they have a support structure and do they have any community links or supports?
What can you expect from recovery and wellness restoration services offered by KM Rehabilitation?
- Initial face to face client interview. As the goal of this service is to integrate clients into the community and encourage regular social interaction, wherever possible we will meet at the KM Rehabilitation office. For clients that cannot get to the office we will meet in their local community if possible, or if necessary we will commence meetings at the client’s house, with the goal of moving meetings into the local community
- Regular communication with key medical treatment providers including medical case conferencing
- Regular communication with the client including phone, email and / or meetings (generally weekly / fortnightly to commence) to review their activity levels and undertake regular goal setting
- For clients suffering mental health conditions the development of a “My Wellness Toolkit” and “My Recovery and Wellness Plan”
- Undertaking an activity analysis to assist clients to identify what is important to them and what makes them happy
- Development of a weekly activity schedule utilising behavioural activation strategies to encourage participation in regular and enjoyable activities to improve a client’s general level of functioning
- When appropriate, community activities such as volunteer work may be commenced in preparation for a formal return to work program
- For clients with serious injury or deteriorating medical conditions where a return to work is just not realistic or medically supported, we will ensure they are linked with community organisations and support programs in order to keep the clients integrated within their local community.
