Louisa Di Fiore

Hi, my name is Louisa and I look forward to working together with you  on your therapy goals and  empowering your sense of independence,  identity and wellbeing along the way. Registered in 2010, I am an Occupational Therapist and have spent the last 10+ years working in Adult Mental Health Services in Adelaide. My experience is varied with both hospital and community work. As such, I have worked with individuals who experience a range of mental health conditions. Most of my work history involves working with clients on their therapy goals and collaboratively participating in therapeutic interventions to support individualised rehabilitation and recovery outcomes. My approach is holistic in that I am person-centred, person-first and consider how one experience may relate to another, understanding that things can be connected to contribute to an overall sense of health and mental wellbeing.

This may include:

• Understanding the functional impact of poor mental health and/or wellbeing and finding ways to improve function and independence (i.e., education, employment, independent living),
• Enhancing motivation and engagement in meaningful activities to promote wellbeing and independence,
• Developing and maintaining healthy habits and routines and how we cope with change (e.g. how we spend our time, organise and plan, prepare and manage transitions in life etc), and
• Exploring fulfilling meaningful life roles that promote our sense of identity and finding ways to increase our connection and engagement with them (e.g. parent, student/learner, worker, family member and friend).

Other things this has included have been:

• Supporting the ongoing development in skills around emotional regulation to cope with daily life stressors,
• Social and communication skills to promote prosocial engagement and connection with others, and
• Adapting and adjusting the environment to enable effective performance of meaningful activities in line with the person’s capacity.

The focus of most of my work is with adults who experience anxiety and depression and learning with them what is happening for them in their daily life. This includes exploring together what is working and not working so well, and coming up with an approach collaboratively to set meaningful and valued goals and plans to achieve them.

With my Occupational Therapy lens, I am able to add the perspective of meaningful activity and sensory modulation to this approach so that strategies and experiences can be readily related back to real-life examples and practiced easily. Additionally, sensory modulation I have found to be a complementary approach to Focused Psychological Strategies that aim to understand thoughts, behaviours and feelings, as it can assist with identifying strategies that can support self-management
e.g. identification of calming strategies that can be used when feeling anxious.

I am enthusiastic about what I do and love to encourage people to take the lead in their therapy sessions and be empowered to make their own choices about what matters to them. I am also curious and patient, so we can take the time together to really explore, connect and understand what the experience means for you and work in a collaborative and  focused manner in achieving your goals with the capacity we have. I hope that at the end of each session with me, you go away feeling heard and with some new insights and ideas to apply in your daily life to support a sense of self-management and independence that promotes health and mental wellbeing.

I consult at Glenelg, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. I can offer both face-to-face and telehealth appointments.

Therapeutic approaches I use include:

• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Sensory Processing & Modulation
• Activity analysis and task grading
• Activity scheduling
• Goal setting

Special Areas of Interest:

• Anxiety
• Depression/Low Mood
• Life Transitions
• Social Emotional/Interpersonal Skill Development
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Sensory Processing & Modulation
• Emotional Regulation
• Stress
• Routines and Life Roles, and
• Independent Living Skills

If any of these examples or areas of interest connect with you, please feel free to reach out for an appointment. I would be happy to get to know you and see how I can best help you with what your needs are.