Programs

Kickstart is a 15-week psychological program designed to help individuals manage the symptoms of mental health issues such as depression, stress, and anxiety. Each week, participants will have the opportunity to work with a trained psychologist in groups to examine in-depth and discuss a key topic related to mental and physical health and wellbeing.

These topics will include:
• Assertiveness
• Diet & Nutrition
• Exercise
• Goal Setting
• Grief and Loss
• Depression
• Mindfulness
• Safe Manual Handling
• Sleep Hygiene
• Thinking Styles
• How do I know I’m succeeding?

Cooking classes  

Our cooking class “Ready, Spaghetti, Cook!” is run by Jay, a professional chef and support worker, and is intended to not only teach participants how to cook, but has been designed to increase their social skills. Recipes are simple and easy-to-learn, and each participant will be provided a copy so they can try making it at home as well. Through communicating and collaborating with both Jay and their fellows, each participant will build foundational skills for interacting in groups and in the wider community. Participants will also see improvements within:

Multiple activities

Direct Focus Solutions’ day program takes place during four terms of the year and can be facilitated five days per week and/or on weekends. We maintain a focus on individual needs and understand that barriers vary from person to person. Our goal is to create an innovative and safe environment to best support the needs of all of our participants.

We aim to provide fun, structured opportunities for growth for people with disabilities. This includes NDIS participants with an intellectual disability who have finished, or are nearing completion of high school. We assist participants in reaching their individual goals (closely aligned with those identified in their NDIS plans) and provide opportunities to develop skills transferrable into the workplace. To aid this process, we additionally provide support for the participant’s family members / carers.

Our day programs also help to build individual’s confidence, independence, and access to the community. They can provide an environment for individuals to build meaningful and lasting relationships.

Our programs are built on a strong, person-centered foundation. We design our programs based on the identified needs and interests of each individual participant. Qualified clinicians and skilled support workers collaborate extensively to ensure that quality and achievable outcomes are incorporated throughout each individual’s program. These steps enable us to create a safe space that encourages our participants to actively engage in their daily activities, as well as our program content.

Introduction

A PEP is a model that analyses abilities, identifies barriers, and allows for personal development in any given field. Performance programs have been used within the corporate  sector as a catalyst for success and growth, as well as in sport to drive teams and individual athletes to reach optimal athletic performance. The leading edge of such a program gives a demonstrable advantage over competition as well as an ongoing tool to manage all manner of challenges in everyday life. PEPs are not a new concept and have been utilised by individuals, teams and organisations to achieve specific objectives and goals. The Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) has pioneered strategies around performance and enhancement and specifically employs psychological components within their performance programs for elite athletes. Of note, peak performance neurofeedback has been recognised internationally and used as part of performance enhancement programs by:

• The Pro golf circuit
• Formula 1 teams
• NASA astronaut training centre
• United States Olympic Training Center
• English Institute of Sport (Olympic Training Center)
• US Special Forces and Navy Seals training
• United States Army’s Centers for Enhanced Performance
• Human Performance Institute, Australian Special Forces

Recovery is the foundation of peak performance but not just physical recovery – it has to be psychophysiological. The brain has built-in mechanisms that control the nervous system to switch on rapid recovery that puts an individual into positive and confident mood states, even when the body is still tired. This benefits individuals and teams in the sporting arena but also in their personal lives as the demands of work and perhaps family, along with training and playing, can be difficult. High quality psychophysiological recovery will ensure the highest level of stress resilience and positive mood for the individual, enabling them to deal with these demands more effectively.  Importantly, there is an identifiable link between neurological and physiological systems. This state of mind is commonly referred to as “being in the zone”, “on fire”, and/or experiencing the “flow.”

Obstacle Based Program

Purpose  
To provide a tailored program that targets neurological and physiologic wellness by using elements of martial arts. These foundational skills include memory and attention, balance and motion, postural stability, social interaction and self-regulation.

Background   
Traditionally martial arts practice has been used for combat purposes. However, in more recent times martial arts is more than just self-defense. Martial arts provide an opportunity to build self-control and regulation through not only physical movement and body control, but also an attitude of respect and reverence for people and space. This is an element that may improve behaviour in children by helping them understand and abide by a code of conduct and subtly shape attitudes that can be generalised to many areas of life. Most forms of martial arts foster this style in a clean, low-stimuli space which can make focus and learning easier.

Justification   
The Stability and Coordination program captures fundamentals from Psychology and Occupational Therapy. Strategies in this program will assist individuals with identifying, quantifying, and adjusting skills to perform optimally. To enhance this development, Neurofeedback will be used to adjust the brain’s state of arousal. This combination is the core of the stability and coordination program. Our team will develop a personal growth map for the participant both physically and mentally.

Target Audience    
This program is geared towards children or adults who may have barriers to their sensory development, self-regulation and executive functioning and would like to learn aspects of martial art but require a tailored approach. Techniques will be taught to assist you in developing the skillset needed for the transition to movement-based programs such as martial arts classes or sport.

Benefits 
• Multidisciplinary support
• Increased day to day functioning
• Connectivity between physiological and neurological systems
• Better sleep hygiene
• Confidence
• Improved memory and attention