Pear Tree Occupational Therapy

12/01/2026

This made me smile. During a Telehealth appointment working from home today, I heard a small knock on the door. This note slid under it. I complied with my two knocks. A pleasant zoom ensued 😊 🍐 🌳

03/01/2026

22/12/2025

Food for Thought 🍐🤔

Single Session Interventions:

Interesting words by Dr Eric Arzubi, Psychiatrist:

"One therapy session can't make a real difference."

We've taught that for decades.

The evidence says we're wrong.

Single-Session Interventions (SSIs) are transforming how we deliver mental health care.

And here's what most clinicians don't realize:

SSIs don't replace treatment as usual.
They make it work better.

What the evidence shows:

1/ SSIs function as bridges to care
↳ They double uptake of crisis resources
↳ They significantly boost linkage to providers
↳ 25% of participants in one trial sought additional therapy afterward

2/ SSIs solve the waitlist problem
↳ When implemented during wait times, they reduce no-show rates
↳ They prevent symptom deterioration while patients wait
↳ Patients clarify what they actually need before treatment begins

3/ SSIs go anywhere traditional therapy can't
↳ Primary care clinics
↳ Emergency departments
↳ Schools
↳ Social media platforms
↳ Delivered by clinicians, peers, lay providers, or self-guided digitally

4/ The evidence base is broader than you think
↳ Anxiety disorders (especially specific phobias)
↳ Depression symptoms
↳ Youth conduct problems and ADHD symptoms
↳ Substance use and smoking cessation
↳ Eating disorders and body dissatisfaction
↳ Suicidality through safety planning

5/ SSIs work across the lifespan
↳ Systematic reviews include participants ages 5 to 90
↳ They target transdiagnostic mechanisms like hopelessness and agency

This isn't a new concept. Empirical evaluations of single-session treatments date back to the 1980s.

What's new: We finally have the evidence to scale them.

My prediction: Within 5 years, SSIs will be the most widely available evidence-based psychotherapy approach in the world.

Not because they replace traditional care.

Because they build agency.

And connect patients to the broader
mental health system when they need it.”

Link to the Evidence: https://news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2025/02/25/single-session-interventions-significantly-reduce-mental-health-issues-for-youth-and-adults/

Single Session Interventions will be offered by me in 2026. Referrals opening in February. Stay tuned.

It’s amazing what can happen in just one session!

Dr Rob 🍐 🎄 🔗

A first-of-its kind review conducted by Northwestern Medicine investigators has found that single-session interventions can significantly improve mental health outcomes in both youth and adults, according to recent findings.

18/12/2025

Thanks so much for supporting Pear Tree Occupational Therapy in 2025!

Here’s to exciting things to come in 2026.

Support at Home and other referrals open.

Take care over the Christmas and New Year break.

Blessings,

Dr Rob 🍐🎄🔗

28/11/2025

Come and check out Stitch and Switch’s event in Lara from Saturday 13th December to Thursday 18th December 2025. Plenty of sensory fun to be had by all. It's good to support local, community-minded businesses who do 'heart' work. Tickets are capped at 20 kids per session to support the Neurodivergent community.

Festive Winterland

Date: Sat, 13 Dec • 11 am

Location: Girl Guides Victoria Mittagong Campsite

oee

Get ready to immerse yourself in a magical white Winterland. Jam packed with Christmas and sensory activities. Its going to be a blast!

25/11/2025

Hi! I’m proud to be one of the only Occupational Therapists in Geelong who offers free Interpreting to all Clients who need it or request it. Here’s to inclusive and culturally sensitive occupational therapy!

Dr Rob 🍐 🌳

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17UHPgbE9x/?mibextid=wwXIfr

A new report highlights the need for better communication and cultural awareness to support people with disability from diverse backgrounds.

Conducted as part of Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031, the study recommends:
🔹improving education and inclusion
🔹building cultural understanding among professionals and the community
🔹expanding access to culturally appropriate services and supports.

For more information, see the comments below. 👇

01/11/2025

31/10/2025

Exciting Update: Pear Tree Occupational Therapy continues to support positive ageing under the new Support at Home program from 1st November 2025! 🍐🌳

I’m pleased to share that I’ll continue providing aged care occupational therapy services through the new Support at Home program, helping older Australians live safely, independently, and meaningfully at home and in their communities.

Through Pear Tree Occupational Therapy, I provide:
✅ Functional assessments and therapy sessions (home, community or telehealth)
✅ Capacity building to support confidence and participation in daily life
✅ Falls prevention, environmental and home safety assessments (including minor home modifications such as ramps and rails)
✅ Dementia care and mental health occupational therapy
✅ Assistive technology assessments and training
✅ Collaboration with care partners, families, and providers to promote wellbeing, dignity, and quality of life

As an Endorsed Mental Health Occupational Therapist with over 20 years of clinical experience, my focus in the aged care space is on positive ageing - helping you or your loved ones maintain independence, safety, and a sense of meaning and purpose.

Services are available across Lara, Geelong and surrounding areas, with options for home visits, community-based sessions, and telehealth consultations.

🕊 Support at Home begins on 1st November 2025 - and I look forward to continuing to support older Australians through this new framework. Speak to your Care Manager / Care Partner for more information about how to use your Support at Home funding to access my services.

📞 Contact: info@peartreeot.com.au
| 0492 828 965
📍 Rosewall Community Centre, Corio (By Appointment)

Blessings,

Dr Rob 🍐🌳

14/09/2025

Hi everyone. I hope you’re enjoying the start of spring.

I’m excited that my pear tree is budding.

If you’ve had a season that has been tough, I hope you can begin this new season by seeking opportunities where you can do, be, become, belong, and connect.

If you need a little help to get going, please reach out.

Finally, I want to thank those who have been coming to the monthly Pear Tree Connect 🍐 🌳 🔗 program throughout this year.

It’s been fun connecting this year through meaningful and purposeful activities together.

It was great to host project placement students who invested in researching how Pear Tree Connect could reach disconnected community members.

I’m still reflecting on their report which will guide next steps.

As a result, I’m pausing Pear Tree Connect for the rest of this year. I have some great ideas on how to sharpen this program’s focus for next year. Stay tuned.

With thanks,

Dr Rob 🍐 🌳

27/08/2025

I was absolutely thrilled to receive the final project placement report completed by final year Occupational Therapy students Emma Clark, Ruby Conti and Hua Bai from La Trobe University.

These remarkable students completed a 10-week placement supervised by me, where they explored all things “connecting” by researching ways to reach potentially disconnected community members in Geelong’s North through Pear Tree Connect 🍐 🌳 🔗. This involved analysing population data and demographics, published research, conducting comprehensive literature reviews, interviewing key stakeholders, and applying their findings to guide ways foward.

Their report highlights that Occupational Therapist-led social prescribing programs are well-placed to support ‘connecting’ to people, place, purpose, planet, and the deeply personal, especially for disconnected Men.

This is a first in the field of occupational therapy, and we will be working together to share the findings more broadly, including a planned research journal article publication. Exciting times ahead!

As a solo private practitioner, I could never have dedicated 688 hours to this project without the Students’ support. Expanding the Pear Tree Connect program that I run, and now anchoring it in an evidence base, feels like such an incredible achievement.

Dr Rob 😊 🍐 🌳