Season 3 Episode 6: From Burnout to Boundaries Michelle's OT Evolution

In this episode, we meet Michelle, a regional paediatric OT who transitioned from burnout in a large organisation to building her own therapy service. We explore the early years of business setup without clear mentorship, and the challenges of managing a long-term stagnant caseload while juggling a full-time mobile therapy load and motherhood.

Together, we unpack strategies for sustainable practice:

• Shifting to term-based therapy planning
• Using contracting conversations with families to define what therapy is and isn’t Introducing goal-specific caseload mapping (top-down, bottom-up, holding space)
• Building in protected non-face-to-face time and defining when and why we do the extra Identifying whether admin should be outsourced or simply restructured
• Michelle reflects on her goals for the next chapter and what she’d do differently if she were starting again.

Resources mentioned throughout:

Master timetable

Brought to you by Alyce Svensk at The OT Coach Australia.

Alyce Svensk is an experienced paediatric occupational therapist, business mentor and founder of The OT Coach Australia. She supports therapists at all stages of their career whether you're just starting out, building a business or redefining your next chapter.

Need support with your next step in practice or business? Explore your options at www.theotcoach.au