Hayley Bowers is a mental health Occupational Therapist (OT) supporting adults and teens living with chronic health conditions to build function and independence in their daily tasks and lives. Hayley provides practical interventions and strategies to support individuals with managing their symptoms, in order to live a more meaningful life. This includes incorporating mind-body interventions for self-regulation, sensory modulation techniques, and implementing lifestyle interventions related to exercise, nutrition, sleep hygiene, energy conservation, habits, routines and organisation.

Hayley’s expertise extends to trauma-informed yoga training and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR), bringing a unique set of skills to her therapeutic approach.

Occupational Therapy is formulated from a holistic perspective, looking at the whole person to understand all components of living and treat them in their entirety, in order to offer supports and strategies to live a full life. Hayley particularly loves this key principle of OT and is very skilled in understanding and treating people in the complete nature.

As an OT, Hayley is shaped by her own health and healing journey, which has empowered her in understanding the complexities and stressors of a healing journey, giving her a lived experience that informs her clinical practice with clients.

Hayley works integratively with The Health Lodge team, to support individuals in their healing and life process. Hayley is passionate about supporting individuals dealing with chronic conditions, with her focus to uncover and address the root cause of the issues.

Benefits of Occupational Therapy:

• Practical interventions and strategies towards building independence with daily tasks that bring happiness and fulfillment
• Support with mental well-being healing, acceptance and promoting self-worth
• Support with balancing life tasks of work, rest and play
• Support with adapting ways of thinking in order to engage in meaningful activities, including assistive technologies
• Support with lifestyle optimisation and holistic living; through nurturing the body with restorative movement, finding purpose, connection, rest, self-care, and nourishment through nature

Areas of Interest:

• Integrative healthcare and root cause approach
• Lifestyle management and self-development
• Chronic disease management
• Trauma and PTSD
• Mental health
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• ADHD
• Caregiver stress and burnout
• Chronic stress and burnout
• Anxiety and phobias
• Bullying and social skills
• School and work performance
• Pain and sleep management
• Coping with change or loss of independence
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME)
• Autoimmune conditions

Available Funding Schemes:

• Medicare Chronic Disease Management Plans (CDMP)
• Mental Health Care Plans (MHCP)
• M10 Neuro-developmental Conditions Referrals
• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
• Private Health Funds

To learn more, read Hayley’s article Occupational Therapy from an Integrative Lens.