Telehealth Awareness Week 2025

In celebration of Telehealth Awareness Week 14 – 20 September, we caught up with Rocky Bay Speech Pathologist Lisa Totten to chat about the evolving role of Telehealth and the positive impact it is having for our customers.

Making therapy more accessible, flexible and inclusive. At Rocky Bay, Telehealth is now a key part of how we deliver therapy, giving customers more options to connect with their clinicians in ways that suit their lives.

For Lisa, Telehealth has become one of the many tools in her toolkit, and one she uses every week to support customers across WA. While face-to-face therapy remains vital, Telehealth has opened new doors for many customers. Some families value the comfort of joining a session from home, while others appreciate avoiding travel or juggling busy schedules. For working parents or adults with full-time jobs, Telehealth can fit seamlessly into a lunch break without needing to take time off. For some autistic teenagers and adults, Telehealth reduces anxiety that can come with attending a hub.

“It’s also a way to help NDIS budgets go further by reducing travel costs, customers can put more of their funding into face-to-face therapy time. Goal setting and review meetings with families and schools are also often easier to schedule online” explains Lisa

Another benefit, she says, is continuity. When customers move outside her catchment area, Telehealth means they don’t have to start over with a new therapist if they don’t want to. “They don’t have to retell their story, and they can keep working with someone they trust. That flexibility and choice is exactly what the NDIS is about.”

Recent NDIS changes to travel claiming rules make Telehealth even more important and an efficient option that ensures more funding goes directly into therapy.

Of course, not everything can be done online. Some sessions, especially those requiring specialist equipment, are best delivered face-to-face. But having both options available means therapists can tailor services to what works best for each customer.

“If I could share one message this week for Telehealth Awareness Week, it’s this: consider giving Telehealth a go and talk to your therapist about whether it could work for you.”

For more information about Rocky Bay Telehealth services, click here.