New to the NDIS? What to Do Before Your First Therapy Session

Starting therapy under the NDIS can feel like a lot to organise. You may have a new plan, unfamiliar funding terms, reports to find and several people involved in your support.

The good news is that you do not need to have everything perfectly prepared before your first appointment. A few practical steps can make the beginning feel clearer and help your therapy team understand what matters to you.

This NDIS therapy checklist explains what to do before your first therapy session, including who should be involved, what information to gather and what questions are worth asking.

First, understand the most important step

If you are looking for Allied Health Assistant support, you will generally need your own treating Allied Health Professional involved first.

This might be an external:

• Physiotherapist

• Occupational Therapist

• Speech Pathologist

• Another appropriately qualified Allied Health Professional, depending on your goals

  The treating professional assesses your needs, helps establish goals and designs the therapy program. An Allied Health Assistant then helps put agreed activities into practice under that professional’s direction, delegation and supervision.

In simple terms:

The treating Allied Health Professional plans the therapy. The Allied Health Assistant helps you practise it regularly in everyday life.

This is not intended to be a barrier. It is an important part of making sure support is safe, relevant and connected to your needs. It also gives everyone clear responsibilities. An Allied Health Assistant does not independently assess, diagnose, prescribe or redesign a therapy program.

If you do not yet have a treating Allied Health Professional, your support coordinator, GP or another trusted member of your support team may be able to help you identify the appropriate next step. You can also contact Nurturing Hands to discuss how our AHA support works alongside an external treating professional.

For more detail, read What Is an Allied Health Assistant? or our longer guide explaining what an Allied Health Assistant does and does not do.

What to have ready before your first session

You do not need a large folder of paperwork. However, having the following information available can help your team get started.

1. Your plan and funding details

Have your NDIS plan details available, including:

• Your plan dates

• How your plan is managed

• Your participant number, if relevant

• The contact details for your plan manager or support coordinator

• Any information about the funding category you believe may relate to the service

  Funding eligibility depends on your individual plan, funding arrangements and the relevant NDIS guidelines. A service should not be assumed to be funded or approved without checking your circumstances.

If you are unsure, speak with your support coordinator or plan manager before booking or commencing sessions. They can help you understand your available funding and how invoices are managed.

2. Your current goals

Your NDIS goals do not need to be written in perfect language. Start with what you would like to be easier, safer or more achievable in daily life.

For example:

• Getting ready for school with less support

• Building confidence with a daily routine

• Practising communication strategies

• Moving more safely around the home

• Participating in activities at work or in the community

• Becoming more independent with a particular task

  Try to identify one or two priorities to begin with. It is usually more helpful to work consistently towards a small number of meaningful goals than to try to address everything at once.

3. Previous reports or assessments

If you have them, gather relevant documents such as:

• Reports from your treating Allied Health Professional

• Previous therapy summaries

• Medical or specialist reports

• School or workplace information

• Equipment recommendations

• Notes about strategies that have worked well in the past

  Do not worry if you cannot find every report. Let the provider know what is available and what is not. Your current treating professional can advise what information is most useful.

4. Your current supports

Make a simple list of the people already involved. This may include family members, carers, support workers, teachers, support coordinators, plan managers and treating professionals.

It can also help to note:

• What support is working well
• Where you are experiencing difficulties
• When support usually happens
• Any routines that need to be considered
• Whether there are communication, sensory, mobility or accessibility needs

5. Anything you want the team to know

Families and participants often know important details that are not obvious in a first appointment. You may want to share information about preferences, fatigue, pain, communication style, cultural needs, safety concerns or what helps you feel comfortable.

You can write these down beforehand or ask a trusted person to help you prepare.

Questions to ask before choosing a provider

It is reasonable to ask questions before you commit to a service. Clear answers can help you understand whether the support is suitable for your situation.

Consider asking:

• Who designs the therapy program?

• Which treating Allied Health Professional supervises the program?

• Is the professional external to the AHA provider?

• What training and experience does the Allied Health Assistant have?

• What activities will the assistant be expected to deliver?

• How will progress, concerns and changes be reported?

• How often will the treating professional review the program?

• What happens if the participant’s needs or goals change?

• Who should we contact between sessions?

• What are the fees, travel arrangements and cancellation requirements?

• How will information be shared with the participant, family and wider support team?

  A good provider should be comfortable explaining the difference between clinical therapy and delegated AHA support. You should also feel able to ask for information in a format that works for you.

Who is who in your support team?

Several different people may be involved, and their roles can overlap. Here is a plain-English guide.

Treating Allied Health Professional

The treating Allied Health Professional has clinical responsibility for their area of practice. They may assess needs, establish goals, design the therapy program, review progress and supervise an Allied Health Assistant.

They make clinical decisions and decide whether the program needs to change.

Allied Health Assistant

An Allied Health Assistant supports the delivery of an existing therapy program. They may help practise exercises, communication strategies, functional skills, routines or other activities selected by the treating professional.

The AHA can observe progress and report concerns, but does not independently assess or redesign the program.

Support coordinator

A support coordinator can help you understand and organise your supports. They may assist with connecting providers, coordinating appointments and bringing members of your support team together.

They do not replace the treating Allied Health Professional or make clinical decisions.

Plan manager

A plan manager helps manage the financial and administrative side of your NDIS plan. They may process provider invoices, monitor funding and help explain how payments are handled.

A plan manager does not decide which therapy is clinically appropriate.

Support worker

A support worker may assist with everyday activities, personal care, routines, social participation, household tasks or community access.

A support worker can be an important part of your team, but everyday assistance is not automatically the same as delivering a delegated therapy program.

Clear communication between these roles helps create one shared understanding of what you are working towards.

Set a realistic start

Your first session may include introductions, questions, reviewing the program and agreeing on how communication will work. It may not look like a full therapy session straight away.

A useful starting point is to agree on:

1. One or two priority goals

2. What practice will look like between sessions

3. Where the activities will happen

4. How progress will be recorded

5. When the program will be reviewed

   Starting gradually allows the participant and support team to see what is manageable. Goals can be adjusted over time as confidence grows, circumstances change or new priorities become important.

Consent and privacy: what does it mean in practice?

Before information is shared, we seek consent wherever appropriate. This means explaining what information may be shared, who it may be shared with and why it is needed.

For example, you may be asked whether information can be shared with:

• Your treating Allied Health Professional

• A family member or carer

• Your school or workplace

• Your support coordinator

• Another provider involved in your support

  You can ask questions before giving consent. You can also tell the team about privacy preferences, such as who may be contacted or which topics should not be discussed in front of other people.

Consent should be informed and specific. If your circumstances change, you can discuss whether information-sharing arrangements need to be updated. There may be limited situations where information must be shared without consent, such as where required by law or to address an immediate safety concern.

How the Nurturing Hands mobile model works

Nurturing Hands provides mobile AHA support in the places where practice needs to happen. Depending on your circumstances and the agreed program, this may be at home, school, work or in the community.

Our team works in partnership with the participant’s external treating Allied Health Professional and wider support network. Sessions focus on carrying agreed strategies into real-life routines, rather than keeping therapy separate from everyday life.

This approach can make it easier to practise meaningful skills in familiar environments and keep communication connected across the support team.

You can explore our services to learn more about how our support works.

A simple first-session checklist

Before your appointment, try to have:

• Your NDIS plan and funding-management details

• One or two priority goals

• Relevant reports or previous assessments

• A list of current supports

• Questions about supervision, communication and progress reporting

• Any accessibility, communication or safety information

• A quiet, comfortable space if the session is at home

• The details of your treating Allied Health Professional

  Most importantly, remember that you are allowed to ask questions. Your first therapy session is the beginning of a conversation, not a test you need to pass.

Ready to talk about support?

If you already have a treating Allied Health Professional and would like to discuss supervised AHA support, you can contact Nurturing Hands or book a session online.

Funding eligibility depends on your individual NDIS plan and the relevant funding guidelines. Please check with your support coordinator or plan manager if you are unsure whether a service is suitable for your plan.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and is not a substitute for individual clinical advice. Therapy programs should be designed and overseen by your own treating Allied Health Professional. Funding decisions depend on your individual circumstances and applicable guidelines.

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