Are you an Occupational Therapist

with teen and tween clients with autism, neurodivergence or disability?

Does your service provision need:

 

Help navigating clients with the transition through puberty

Knowledge and skills to deliver puberty information in a neuro-affirming way

Engaging resources and activities to support delivery of puberty education and life skills

 

We can help, you need the...

 

Puberty Plus Practitioner Program

 

Equipping Occupational Therapists and practitioners with knowledge, skills and resources to help young people navigate the transition through the puberty years.

 

Become a Registered Puberty Plus Facilitator to support your clients through running the Puberty Plus Programs via 1:1 therapy sessions and group programs.

Created by our dedicated and passionate team of paediatric and women's health Occupational Therapists, our Puberty Plus programs has been running as an in-person program from our Adelaide clinic, since 2017.

Until now the program has been delivered exclusively by Bloom Wellbeing Occupational Therapy in Adelaide,  South Australia.

Due to its success, and multiple requests from other practitioners, in Australia and worldwide, we are now offering a Practitioner Program so you can deliver the Puberty Plus programs to your clients and communities as a Registered Puberty Plus Facilitator!

Registered Puberty Plus facilitators will have exclusive access...

To be able to run group programs of Puberty Plus, Well Girls and Being Boys, in their own practices and communities.

To utilise the Puberty Plus program and resources to provide one-to-one puberty support for their Occupational Therapy clients, which is especially useful when working with children who struggle to manage group settings, or who might be physically isolated from a group program.

life skills & puberty education programs

for young people with autism, neurodivergence & disabilities

Well Girls

for girls aged 8-12 with autism, neurodivergence and disabilities.

Being Boys

for boys aged 8-12 with autism, neurodivergence and disabilities.

Puberty Plus Gender Inclusive

for young people aged 8-12 with autism, neurodivergence and disabilities.

Practitioner Program

Training Program Information

The training will include a one-day virtual training, followed by access to a comprehensive online embedding program, followed by a 12 month online membership.

Initial Training

The initial training day will cover the following topics:

  • History of the puberty plus program and development
  • Impact of autism and disability on puberty
  • Gender diversity and puberty
  • Overview of the puberty plus foundations program, and coverage of extension programs, including next level, social club and move.
  • Practical group program delivery skills
  • Coverage of practical activities from the course
  • Practical administration considerations for puberty plus delivery
  • Please note the full training day MUST be attended in full, as this will NOT be recorded and is not available to view at a later date

Embedding Program

The embedding program is a pre-recorded series of six comprehensive webinars focused on a detailed review of the content of each program module. 

  • A recap of running group programs
  • A deep-dive into each session
  • Recommendations on how to run each session
  • Includes our hints and tips for delivery of each module 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 

Online Membership Program (12 months)

The 12 month online membership program will include:

  • A video library of program hints and tips,
  • Resource and download library of resources and important documents (including data collection sheets, parent handouts, session note templates, etc)
  • A member community to obtain support from Bloom Wellbeing staff and other Puberty Plus facilitators (ongoing membership/registration fees detailed below)

 
 
 

 

 
 

Key Information

Training Day

Thursday, 10th October 2024

Time

9:30am - 1:30pm (ACDT)

Payment Due

Friday, 27th September 2024

Applications Due

1 week before training day

Cost

$345.00 + Annual Membership

$345.00 per person for training day 

PLUS 

Annual Membership - $350.00 for individuals.

For 2 or more practitioners from the same organisation, see information on organisational memberships below

* all prices inclusive of GST

Pre-Requisite Information

  

Occupational Therapists will need to have completed the "Intro to Puberty Training" PRIOR to completing the "Puberty Plus Practitioner Program Training"

If you enrol in both training opportunities in the same school holiday period (within 2 weeks) in the same transaction, there is a discounted total price of $600.

 

Sign up here

to express your interest in becoming a registered Puberty Plus facilitator, enabling you to deliver the Puberty Plus suite of programs.

 

You will be emailed an application form to apply

By subscribing you will be added to the Bloom Wellbeing mailing list. Don't worry, we never share your email address & you can unsubscribe at any time.

Meet the program facilitators

Sarah Hausler

  • Bloom Wellbeing Director and Principal Occupational Therapist
  • Graduated from University of South Australia with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy, in 1999
  • Also holds Graduate Certificate in Soft Tissue Injury Management, and a Graduate Diploma in Journalism
  • Original developer of the Well Girls and Puberty Plus programs, and associated resources
  • Author of Piper Gets Her Period and Puberty Plus Handbook
  • Lecturer in Occupational Therapy at the University of Adelaide
  • Administrator of the Women's Health Occupational Therapy Facebook page and monthly interest group

When asked what her favourite session is, this is what Sarah had to say:

"It's pretty hard to choose just one, but if I had to, I'd say my favourite session of the Puberty Plus program is the final farewell session. It's so exciting to see how much growth and development occurs within these young people throughout the term long program. Seeing how the participants engage excitedly and interact with each other socially in this final session, compared to their generally shy and nervous presentation in the first session, is just so affirming that this program has had a positive impact on them. Over the years we've seen so many young people grow in confidence, as well as many new friendships blossom between participants and their families." 

 

Kate Sargeant

  • Bloom Wellbeing Senior Occupational Therapist
  • Graduated from University of South Australia in 2019 with a Bachelor of  Occupational Therapy with First Class Research Honours after completing a thesis on 'The effect of the loss or potential loss of an autism assistance animal'. 
  • Employed by Bloom Wellbeing and assisting or running Puberty Plus programs since early 2020
  • Runs Well Girls Foundations program, Next Level Program, Social Club and intensive programs
  • Leading the development of Puberty Plus Facilitator Manual
  • Collaborator on Being Boys program development, Puberty Plus online program development, Puberty Plus Handbook redevelopment, and development of Practitioner Training program

When asked what her favourite session is, this is what Kate had to say:

"My favourite session to run is module five of Well Girls - Managing your period. Allowing the participants to open, touch and feel the period products, gives them an opportunity for exploration that they might not get to do anywhere else. Seeing their faces move from fear and trepidation to acceptance and interest in the topic is amazing. Using demonstrations with 'blood' (coloured water) provides a factual yet fun opportunity to understand the difference of each product. I never thought my OT role would see me with an extra pair of underwear around my ankles, demonstrating how to put a pad on! But it's the perfect example of how Occupational Therapists can us practical teaching to help girls learn this essential skill." 

Sam Betts

  • Bloom Wellbeing Senior Occupational Therapist
  • Graduated from University of South Australia in 2019 with a Bachelor of  Occupational Therapy
  • Employed by Bloom Wellbeing and assisting or running Puberty Plus programs since mid 2019
  • Runs Well Girls Foundations program and Social Club
  • Creating and running additional intensive programs focusing on the importance of both physical and mental wellbeing
  • Collaborator on the  Puberty Plus Handbook redevelopment and development of Practitioner Training program
  • Works part-time, alongside playing cricket for the South Australian Scorpions women's team, as well as the Perth Scorchers in the WBBL competition

When asked what her favourite session is, this is what Sam had to say:

"My favourite session is learning about ‘All About Hygiene – Keeping It Clean’, which provides the participants with information and tips for how to manage their hygiene, and the importance of this during puberty. The practical activity of making the bath salts is always popular with participants, and provides them with something they can begin to use at home straight away to support their hygiene.
I love the Puberty Plus programs that we offer, and being a part of the Bloom Team that focuses on providing participants with a fun and accepting environment to learn about their bodies and the changes they will experience during puberty." 

If you have questions, please contact the Puberty Plus Support Team on [email protected]