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Mermaid Waters, Gold Coast

Less traditional. More fun.

Holistic occupational therapy for children, teens and adults, run by Occupational Therapist Hayley Littlejohns across Mermaid Waters and beyond. Down to earth and practical.

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Led by what matters most to you.

At Wild Springs Therapy, we are led by what matters most to the person sitting in front of us. This means our services vary on a day-to-day and client-to-client basis. We work with families and individuals accessing therapy for the first time, or who have tried traditional OT and need something less prescriptive.

  • A child's hands playing with sensory toys on a soft rug

    Down to earth

    Plain talk, no clinic-speak. You will always know what we are doing and why.

  • A child practising drawing at a desk in the therapy room

    Practical

    Strategies that hold up in real life, at home, at school, out in the world.

  • Bella the practice dog sitting in the therapy space

    A little bit fun

    Children do their best work when it does not feel like work. Bella agrees.

Services for people the system rarely fits.

Each service is tailored to the participant, not a textbook protocol. Plan-managed and self-managed NDIS clients welcome.

See all services
Hayley blowing bubbles with a young client in the therapy space
With Hayley

Occupational Therapy Assessment and Intervention

This is the work I do! Therapy focuses on holistic support for children and their whole family, as well as for teenagers and adults. Whether you are seeking assessment for a toddler or managing complex mental health conditions, therapy is personalised, flexible and built around your life.

Paediatric

  • Sensory processing
  • Emotional regulation
  • Motor skills
  • Executive functioning skills
  • Social and play skills
  • Feeding
  • Self-care skills
  • School readiness skills
  • Parent coaching and support

Adult

  • Psychosocial recovery
  • Autistic burnout support
  • NDIS assessments (Functional Capacity, Supported Independent Living)

A fit for

  • Individuals and families who have tried other OTs and need a different approach
  • Parents with concerns about their child's development but unsure where to go
  • Individuals and families navigating or accessing NDIS pathways
  • Teenagers and adults facing functional challenges in daily life
Hayley and Samantha playing on the floor with two children
With Sam

Therapy Assistant Program

Sam provides occupational therapy sessions through our therapy assistant program, at a lower rate, working from a plan that is supervised by Hayley. This is an option for families who need consistent contact but whose funding may not stretch to regular OT sessions.

What Sam supports

  • Social and community participation
  • In-home support
  • OT sessions through a supervised therapy plan

Best fit

  • NDIS paediatric clients
  • Families wanting consistent, intensive or longer therapy sessions at a sustainable rate
A child on the outdoor nest swing at the practice
Outdoors

Outdoor Occupational Therapy

Providing occupational therapy services in outdoor environments provides a huge range of benefits to children, encouraging independence and resilience in natural sensory environments. These supports are provided at nearby parks, beaches and bushlands.

Coming up

  • Keep an eye on our social media for updates on overnight camps and outdoor school holiday programs
The shared Healthy Bodies Wellness clinic space, home of the integrated work
Integrated

Integrated OT and chiropractic support

For individuals experiencing a cascade of retained primitive reflexes, nervous system dysregulation, anxiety, developmental delays and burnout, the core challenge is a neuro-structural blockage: the brainstem is trapped in survival mode.

How it works together

  • Chiropractic care addresses the neurological and structural blockages (spinal alignment, cranial mechanics and input to the central nervous system), while OT develops the functional and behavioural skills (sensory processing, reflex integration movements, executive function and functional daily adaptations)

Participant-led, body-based, whole family support.

We start with the person, not the protocol. Participant-led means their interests shape the session and we build from there. Body-based means we work through movement, play and the senses, not just at a table. And whole family support means the client's family and support systems are part of the work, at the pace that suits the participant.

More on my approach
  • A child drawing at the table while Hayley follows their lead

    Participant-led

    Our participant's interests shape their sessions, and we build the work around them.

  • A child swinging on the outdoor nest swing at the practice

    Body-based

    Movement is a key part of neurological development, play and confidence. Less tabletop, wherever we can.

  • Hayley sitting on the floor of the therapy space with sensory tools

    Whole family support

    Our sessions aim to support the client's whole family and support systems.

The team

Who you'll work with

  • A small team

    I lead every assessment and set up each plan. Sam, my therapy assistant, supports paediatric clients from those plans, and Beck looks after the admin side, so care stays steady even when intensive weekly sessions with me aren't possible.

    Book a consult
  • Hayley Littlejohns, occupational therapist and founder of Wild Springs Therapy

    Hayley Littlejohns

    Occupational Therapist

  • Samantha Smith, therapy assistant at Wild Springs Therapy

    Samantha Smith

    Therapy Assistant

  • Rebecca Mannix, administration assistant at Wild Springs Therapy

    Rebecca Mannix

    Administration Assistant

  • Bella, the Wild Springs practice dog

    Bella

    The practice dog

Three ways in

I keep this simple on purpose. Plan-managed and self-managed NDIS clients are welcome, and some people pay privately. Find the one that sounds like you, and we will sort the detail together on your first consult.

  • Billing handled for you

    Plan-managed

    NDIS funding

    • If your plan is looked after by a plan manager, you are welcome here. I send my invoices straight to your plan manager and they handle the rest, so the billing and paperwork stay off your plate. You will not be chasing receipts or wondering what is claimable. If you are not sure who your plan manager is, bring whatever you have to the consult and I will help you work it out.

  • You claim it back

    Self-managed

    NDIS funding

    • If you manage your own plan, you are welcome too. I send the invoice to you, and you claim it back through the NDIS portal. You can reimburse me once the funds clear, or pay up front and claim it afterwards, whichever suits how you like to run things. Self-managing gives you a lot of freedom to choose who you work with, which is part of why people land here.

  • Outside the NDIS

    Private

    health insurance and Medicare rebates

    • Some people pay privately, with no NDIS in the picture. That suits families who want occupational therapy support outside the NDIS process, or who would rather keep things off-NDIS for now. If you have private health cover, it is worth checking with your provider to see if they will process claims for our services. And if you are paying privately, your GP may be able to set up an Enhanced Care Plan, which can give you Medicare rebates for up to 5 occupational therapy appointments per year.

Ready when
you are.

New clients welcome. Plan-managed and self-managed NDIS clients accepted. For complex cases, the consult lets us figure out together whether Wild Springs is the right fit, before any plans are made. No pressure, just a conversation.

Book a consult
Hayley and Samantha with Bella outside the practice

A few things people ask.

If your question isn't here, the consult is the best place to ask it.

  • No referral is needed for private paying or self-managed NDIS clients. For plan-managed NDIS clients, your plan manager can confirm if OT is covered in your plan. Your GP may also be able to provide an Enhanced Care Plan for up to 5 subsidised occupational therapy appointments per year.

  • It is a conversation. We talk about what brought you here, what has worked and what hasn't, what the day-to-day looks like, and where we'd start. No tabletop assessments unless they actually help.

  • Our wonderful occupational therapy assistant Sam is able to deliver OT sessions at a lower rate, working from a plan that Hayley (OT) develops. These programs require an OT assessment with Hayley to commence, and Sam undertakes regular supervision with Hayley to ensure the quality of the services being delivered. This program is an option for families navigating funding limits, or for children requiring more consistent contact, longer sessions, or increased support at home and in the community.

  • We offer occupational therapy sessions in our clinic space at Healthy Bodies Wellness, and in homes, schools and communities, depending on the therapist's availability and the needs of the client we are working with. There are additional charges for sessions that require therapists to travel.

  • Our bookings are managed through Healthy Bodies Wellness using Cliniko for online bookings. You'll get an email confirmation, a reminder, and an intake form for new clients. You can also call Healthy Bodies Wellness to book or make changes to an appointment on 07 5518 3063, text Wild Springs Therapy on 0416 141 021, or email hayley@wildspringstherapy.com.