Youth and Adult Services
Youth and Adult Services
Helping Hands provides therapy for youth and adult clients that focuses on the development and practice of skills required for independent living and participation in the community and workforce.
This carefully scaffolded learning ensures the participant experiences frequent opportunities for success. Once foundation skills have been established in a one-to-one setting, they can then be generalised to functional and community environments in our Community Access and Life Skills programs.
Skills for Life Program
The Skills for Life Program supports young adults to develop the everyday skills needed for greater independence, active community participation, and personal wellbeing. Through practical, goal-focused sessions, participants build confidence, resilience, and real-world capability across a range of life areas. Each session is tailored to the individual’s strengths, interests, and goals, with experienced staff providing structured support to promote meaningful learning and long-term skill development. Focus areas include independent living skills (such as cooking, cleaning, and personal care), functional literacy and numeracy, communication and relationship-building, health and wellbeing, community access and public transport training, and vocational readiness through volunteering and workplace skills development. Drawing on evidence-based approaches, Skills for Life supports participants to develop the communication, emotional regulation, cognitive, and practical skills needed to manage the dynamic demands of everyday life, fostering greater confidence, autonomy, and quality of life.
Examples of skills developed in our youth and adult services include:
- Functional maths skills, such as money skills and telling the time
- Functional comprehension and literacy skills such as reading menus and timetables or filling out forms
- Fine motor and gross motor skills required for independence with activities of daily living such as using utensils or typing on a computer
- Time management and independence completing multi-step tasks or following schedules
- Self-advocacy, social and community safety skills
- Understanding and developing different types of social relationships
- Positive behaviour management – supporting participants to replace behaviours of concern with functionally equivalent safe behaviour
- Functional communication skills
How we can help you
Functional Maths and Literacy Skills
Our youth and adult services prioritise the development of practical math skills, such as money management and telling time, alongside functional literacy skills such as reading menus and filling out forms. These competencies enhance everyday independence and facilitate community participation.
Leisure and Social Connection
We encourage participation in leisure activities and social connections, helping clients build friendships and develop teamwork skills. By providing a supportive environment, we foster positive interactions and meaningful relationships that enrich clients’ lives.
Motor Skills for Daily Living
Helping Hands assists participants in enhancing their fine and gross motor skills necessary for daily living. Skills such as using utensils, typing, and engaging in other tasks promote self-sufficiency and confidence in both home and community settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Helping Hands provides 1:1 therapy that uses a multidisciplinary approach. Therapy for adults at Helping Hands focuses on functional life skills, accessing and participating in the community, developing self-advocacy skills, encouraging autonomy and building connections with others in a strength based and engaging manner.
We do not place any limit on age for our services.