OUR AIM
We aim to reduce and prevent unnecessary disability due to long-term mental health conditions, termed ‘psychosocial’ disability, through the provision of quality occupational therapy services.
Psychosocial disability is an internationally recognised term under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, used to describe the experience of people living with impairments and participation restrictions related to mental health conditions.
OUR VALUES
Quality: Our team of experienced occupational therapists offer a best-practice service, tailored to the individual needs of each client.
Access: We aim to harness technology to offer a service Australia-wide, with a range of cost-effective options, aiming to decrease barriers to accessing a quality occupational therapy service.
Co-design: We believe that the people using a service are best placed to build it. We aim to design and build our service alongside people with a lived experience of mental health conditions.
OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
We are proud of our track record in providing excellent services via telehealth, to people living with mental illness and psychosocial disability.
We are proud of the training opportunities we offer, nationally and internationally, to health professionals seeking to build their capacity to use e-mental health and telehealth strategies in mental health practice.
We are proud to be leaders of telehealth and e-mental health approaches within the profession of occupational therapy.
COMING SOON…
We are excited to be trialling a model built upon peer mental health workers working alongside our OT’s to offer service. We’re excited! Watch this space and follow us on social media for updates.
OUR FOUNDER
Muriel Cummins is an occupational therapist with over 17 years of experience working with people facing barriers to achieving their goals, due to mental health and other issues. She is passionate about harnessing technology to make mental health services more available for people who need it. She founded Mental Health Occupational Therapy (MHOTO) online in 2018, with the goal of making mental health occupational therapy assessment and therapeutic support available to anyone who would benefit from a telehealth approach, due to rural or remote location, difficulty finding face-to-face services, or personal choice. The service began small, with immediate impact.
Muriel’s previous roles span the clinical, government and not-for-profit sectors, including over five years working for a leading Australian online mental health service for young people. In addition to telehealth, she has a special interests in co-design and lived experience in mental health settings, trauma-informed care, and sensory approaches in mental health. Muriel has published in professional journals, is a strong supporter of consumer participation and an advocate for better mental health services. She has designed and delivered training programs for health professionals on the topic of telehealth in mental health settings, in Australia and internationally.
When she’s not at work, Muriel can be found exploring Australia’s remote and diverse communities; running or riding through the hills of Melbourne’s Dandenong Ranges, or at home in her garden with her family and chooks.