I'm an occupational therapist
Supervision and resources for clinicians who want their practice to be genuinely neuroaffirming.
Our Mindful Youth
For neurodivergent women and gender-diverse people: mental health OT and resources to help you build a life that feels doable and meaningful, on your terms.
For OTs: training courses and workshops to bring arts-based occupational therapy into your practice.
For the ones who are tired of holding it all together.
Mental Health Occupational Therapy and resources for young women & gender-diverse people
If you’re a neurodivergent or LGBTQIA+ young woman or gender-diverse person, you’ve probably spent years trying to be “easy” and “low maintenance” for everyone else.
Masking at work or uni. Managing everyone’s expectations. Keeping the group chat alive. Remembering birthdays. Smiling through sensory overload. Then crashing in your room wondering, “Why is this so hard for me when everyone else seems fine?”
You’re not broken. You’re not too much. You’re just a human whose brain and nervous system weren’t designed for the world you’ve been squeezing yourself into.
My work is about helping you stop squeezing.
What working with me is like
When people work with me, we usually focus on things like:
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Understanding yourself: Getting language for how your brain works, why you get so wiped after social stuff, and why certain tasks feel impossible even when you “should” be able to do them.
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Caring for your nervous system: Not just “do some deep breathing,” but noticing your actual patterns, triggers and tells, and building small, realistic ways to come back to baseline.
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Setting up your life to fit you: Looking at your home, routines, sensory environment and responsibilities, and tweaking them so they’re less like a hostile obstacle course and more like a soft place to land.
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Making room for your identities: Holding your neurodivergent and queer or gender-diverse identities as strengths, not problems to hide. You don’t have to translate yourself here.
I’m neuroaffirming, queer-affirming and trauma-informed. That means I’m not going to tell you to “just try harder” or “be more organised.” I’m interested in what’s already working for you, and how we can build from there.
OT Courses & Professional Supervision
I support occupational therapists to deepen their neuro-affirming, arts-based practice. Through a nervous system-informed lens, I facilitate a space that feels safe, creative, and human-led, moving away from the clinical and towards a practice that honours the heart of our work.
I’ve created resources to help you
If you’re not sure about therapy yet, you don’t have to decide today.
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Understand yourself a bit more
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Notice what your nervous system is doing
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Start imagining a life that fits you, not the other way around
They’re designed so you can explore at your own pace, in your own space, without having to talk to anyone before you’re ready.
Tailored 1:1 Support
If you’re a neurodivergent or LGBTQIA+ young woman or gender-diverse person, you’ve probably spent years trying to be “easy” and “low maintenance” for everyone else. I provide 1:1 OT sessions to support you and others like you.
Identity exploration
My work focuses on self-understanding and creative ways to navigate a world not built for us.
Advocacy and Energy
I help you advocate for your sensory needs and manage your energy for a sustainable life.
Safer Spaces
I offer consultation to help schools and workspaces become sensory-safe, inclusive environments.
Full Discovery
I offer neuroaffirming assessments that celebrate your strengths and navigate NDIS requirements.
Inclusive Care
I work directly with you to build skills that matter to you, grounded in your unique identity.
Clinical Mentoring
I provide supervision for OTs wanting to deepen expertise in mental health and affirming care.
I’m Tessa, a mental
health OT who cares
about the life that you
actually want to live
I’m a mental health occupational therapist in Melbourne (Naarm). I work with neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ young women and gender-diverse people who are exhausted from trying to keep up with a life that doesn’t fit.
Instead of focusing on “fixing” you, I look at your everyday life:
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How your nervous system is doing
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What your sensory needs actually are
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How your routines, environment and responsibilities are set up
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Where masking, people-pleasing and perfectionism are draining you
Combining clinical expertise with a deep commitment to LGBTQIA+ affirming care, I help you explore your identity, understand your nervous system, and develop sustainable ways to move through the world. I focus on belonging and autonomy, using creative expression to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
How you’ll know if I’m the right OT for you
You’ll probably feel at home here if:
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You’re tired of being treated like a problem to fix
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You want someone who understands masking, shutdowns and “goblin cave” days
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You’re curious about how your brain actually works, not just your diagnosis
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You want practical support that still respects your limits
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You care about working with someone who is neuroaffirming, queer-affirming and trauma-informed
You might not be ready for 1:1 therapy yet, which is why I've made my low cost OT programs to start.