Jacintha Bell

Occupational Therapist

Bachelor of Science (Occupational therapy)

With extensive experience in mental health and chronic pain, Jacintha is an Occupational Therapist (OT) that graduated from Curtin University, WA in 2001,  Jacintha has worked in clinical practice and in an educational role, lecturing for the School of Occupational Therapy at Curtin University. She is Registered with the OT Registration Board of WA, a member of the World Federation of Occupational Therapy and an active member of Occupational Therapy Australia. Jacintha is a Registered Medicare Australia provider, including Better Access for Mental Health, Department for Veterans Affairs, and Chronic Disease Management.

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy is a profession concerned with promoting health and wellbeing through engagement in all of life's activities including work and study, leisure and recreation, relationships, home management and self-care. Occupational Therapists are able to identify an individual's abilities and limitations and the issues that prevent a person from fully participating in their chosen activities of life and help their clients to participate fully through the development of skills or modification of the environment.

Occupational Therapists work with people who because of illness, accident or circumstance, are unable to participate fully in life. These include people who experience mental illness, pain conditions or social or emotional distress, such as: anxiety, stress, depression, trauma, grief and loss, psychotic illness, including schizophrenia, personality disorders, drug and alcohol addiction, mood disorders, including bipolar affective disorder , chronic pain, chronic fatigue, low self-esteem, family or peer relationship problems.

Occupational Therapy for Mental Health

Mental health Occupational Therapists specialise in assessing how an individual's mental health impacts on their ability to function in their everyday life. We provide individual and group assessment and intervention in hospital, community, home and work environments. We work together with people with mental health concerns to develop and achieve personal goals.

A mental health Occupational Therapist can help you better understand your mental health condition and to take an active part in your own wellness.  We can also help you to develop skills to live more independently in the community - including assistance with developing hobbies and interests, returning to work and linking in with community groups and agencies.

Jacintha has over 13 years’ experience as an OT in a variety of mental health settings, including hospital and community. She has a passion for working with people who experience mental illness, in enabling them to achieve their goals and overcome any barriers they may face. While Occupational Therapy interventions are Jacintha's speciality, she also has training and significant experience utilising Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) within her practice. Jacintha is an active member of the Mental Health OT Interest Group.

Occupational Therapy for Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is pain that continues beyond its usefulness as a warning to someone that there is a problem. Generally speaking, it is pain that continues after the normal length of time it would take for tissues to repair, approximately 6 months.  There are many sources of chronic pain, including amputation procedures, arthritis, fibromyalgia, traumatic injuries, complex regional pain syndrome, whiplash associated disorders and disorders such as herniated discs or surgeries on the back that leave residual hypersensitivity.

Occupational Therapists appreciate and can address the full complexity of a client’s chronic pain. We evaluate the pain’s impact on a client’s desired activities and quality of life, and equip him or her with the skills and strategies to manage the pain. Jacintha is experienced in rehabilitation for people experiencing chronic pain.  She has recently been practicing in a CBT-based, multi-disciplinary pain management team. She has a keen interest in improving the level of function and quality of life of people with chronic pain. Jacintha is an active member of the Chronic Pain OT Interest Group, and a member of the Australian Pain Society.

You might benefit from Jacintha's service if you experience:

Difficulty functioning within your home, work, social or recreational environments
Lack of motivation in doing your usual daily activities
Difficulty coping ·         
Poor sleep ·         
Chronic Pain or Chronic fatigue ·         
Withdrawal from friends or family or preferring to be alone
Disorganisation ·         
High levels of stress ·         
Loss of role (e.g. worker, partner, caregiver) ·         
Feelings of failure or inadequacy ·         
Loneliness ·         
Increased use of substances to cope (e.g. alcohol)
Boredom or lack of meaningful activity ·         
Feeling overwhelmed ·         
Lack of meaning or purpose in life ·         
Struggling with relationships ·         
Lack of routine or unhealthy habits ·         
Wanting to quit smoking

Interventions

Jacintha's services are delivered in a professional, confidential, client-centred and collaborative way. Each client is involved in every aspect of the treatment process, including identifying goals and formulating treatment plans.  All interventions and techniques are evidence-based, which means there is a body of evidence to support their effectiveness. Jacintha provides Counselling and specific Occupational Therapy interventions, utilising modalities such as Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, psycho-education, motivational interviewing, and skills acquisition in both individual and group settings. These interventions include: 

□ Problem solving
□ Home management skills (budgeting, meal planning, etc)
□ Goal setting
□ Vocational or pre-vocational skills
□ Social skills          
□ Relaxation/Mindfulness skills                          
□ Stress management             
□ Leisure planning/recreation                                
□ Community integration
□ Anxiety management
□ Coping skills
□ Managing moods and emotions 
□ Relapse prevention
□ Lifestyle redesign (basic health and fitness)    
□ Sleep hygiene
□ Interpersonal skills (communication and assertion)
□ Time management
□ Distress tolerance                                                
□ Smoking cessation
□ Activity scheduling (routine and structure) 
□ Graded exposure                                                                 
□ Carer support  
□ Self-care (personal hygiene, showering, etc)       
□ Chronic Pain Management
□ Remotivation