Finishing school is meant to open doors. For many older teenagers and young adults, it also brings a sudden stack of new responsibilities: lecture timetables, first jobs, budgets, appointments and decisions that nobody else is making for them anymore.
Some people have every ability and plenty of motivation to manage this, yet still find that deadlines slip and everyday tasks feel harder than they should. That gap is often where occupational therapy for young adults can help.
At Kirsten Beukes Occupational Therapists in Randpark Ridge, this service helps you understand how you function from day to day and build the practical skills that make independence more manageable. Everything starts with a functional assessment. From there, we recommend the next step that fits your situation, which may be one-on-one occupational therapy or a structured skills-development programme. Where another professional is better placed to help, we will discuss a referral with you.
The service is designed with young adults in mind, although we also see individuals at other stages of life who face similar challenges.
Enquire About Our ServicesSupport is organised around the part of life that currently feels hardest to manage. Many people find they need help in more than one area.
University and college ask far more of you than school did. There is much less structure, and very few people will remind you what is due. We work with individuals who struggle to plan their time, start tasks, stay focused or keep up with a growing academic workload.
Therapy concentrates on practical study strategies and routines that you can put to use straight away in your coursework and exam preparation.
Moving into employment raises a different set of questions. What kind of work suits you? What will be expected of you once you start, and how do you keep up with it?
We help you explore vocational interests and build the work habits that employers look for. For those who have already started working, sessions can focus on handling workplace responsibilities more consistently. Support may also include identifying suitable career directions and the type of work environment that is likely to suit you.
If you are already employed and an injury or illness is affecting your work, a fitness for work screening may be a more appropriate place to start.
Living on your own involves many small tasks that add up quickly. We support individuals with establishing routines, running a household, preparing meals, budgeting, keeping track of appointments and making everyday decisions.
The aim is greater consistency, so that managing daily life relies less on reminders from other people.
Every recommendation we make is based on an assessment first. This means the support you receive reflects your actual abilities and goals rather than assumptions.
A functional assessment in Randpark Ridge looks at how you cope with the responsibilities that matter most to you right now. It usually combines a clinical interview with standardised measures. Practical activities are often included as well, because they show how you approach real tasks rather than how you describe them.
The findings then guide our recommendations and help you plan ahead with a clearer picture of where support is needed.
A traditional Functional Capacity Evaluation measures your abilities against the demands of a specific job. This assessment takes a broader view. It looks at your readiness for future roles as well as how you function from day to day.
If the assessment highlights specific difficulties affecting your daily participation, individual occupational therapy may be recommended. Sessions build practical skills and strengthen executive functioning, which covers abilities such as planning and getting started on tasks.
We also help you set up routines and strategies that support greater independence. Goals are reviewed regularly and adjusted as you make progress.
Our programmes run individually or in small groups. They give you a structured, supportive space to learn and practise skills before you use them in everyday settings. Programmes may focus on:
Each programme uses practical activities, so the strategies you learn carry over into your own environment. The programme that suits you depends on your assessment findings and the goals you set with your therapist.
The service is particularly relevant for young adults who are finishing school or taking their first big step towards independence. It is not limited by age, though.
It may suit individuals with ADHD or autism. It may also help when other conditions, including neurological and psychological difficulties, make everyday functioning harder. Support may be worth considering if you, or someone you care for:
If you are an adult returning to work after an injury or illness, our Return to Work Rehabilitation service may be a better fit.
We start with a conversation about your current circumstances and what you hope to achieve. This helps us decide which areas the assessment needs to explore.
Your assessment is planned around your situation. It identifies your strengths alongside the areas where you need support.
We talk you through the findings and explain what we recommend next. This may be individual occupational therapy or a skills-development programme. If another professional is better suited to help, we will discuss a referral with you.
Where intervention is recommended, we set clear goals together. Progress is reviewed along the way so that the support stays relevant as your needs change.
If you have previous reports, such as school, educational or psychological assessments, it helps to bring copies with you. It can also be useful to jot down the tasks you find hardest at the moment and any goals you already have in mind.
Let us know when you book if you would like a parent or family member to join the initial discussion.
Building new skills takes time and practice. Progress looks different for everyone and depends on your goals and on how often you are able to practise strategies between sessions.
Our role is to give you a clear understanding of your abilities and practical tools to work with. We review goals regularly, so you can see what is changing and what still needs attention.
We welcome referrals from psychiatrists, psychologists, educational psychologists and other healthcare professionals. Individuals and families are also welcome to contact us directly.
Speak to our team about your concerns, and we will help you work out whether an assessment is the right starting point. You can also send an enquiry through our contact page.
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