What is the Bridges Project?
The Bridges Project is Shrink & Co.’s proprietary program based on Occupational Therapy principles. Its main benefit is in assisting clients to reach their full potential by building capacity in their functional, daily living skills.
While other programs require the client to translate and apply skills learned in-rooms to their home environments. The Bridges Project is delivered in the client’s usual environment (often their home), creating a sense of comfort and familiarity for the client that cannot be replicated in a consultation room.
How does the Bridges Project work?
The Bridges Project breaks down simple tasks into small, manageable steps that allow clients to improve on their independence over time. The program features six focus areas (life domains) broken down into smaller sections – health, food, technology, transport, organisation and finances. The client’s areas of interest are identified, and activities are tailored to suit their individual needs. The Bridges Project differs from most other learning and disability support services due to the clinician’s ability to assist the client in their real-world environment.
The Bridges Project does more than help clients perform an activity – it is designed to help clients upskill pre and post-activity. This is achieved by assisting the client in developing precursor skills and the capacity to plan, manage, assess and execute the desired activities. This has proven effective in promoting client independence by removing the need for the client to translate the skill from one environment to another. This affords the client the opportunity to focus on practicing the skill, not just trying to remember it.
What do I need to do to get started?
Firstly, you can reach out to us here, and begin the conversation.
We begin with a functional impact assessment. This is used to determine the client’s unique needs at the beginning of their journey. The program is then tailored to include those specific needs, ensuring they get the most out of their journey. Periodical functional impact assessments are used throughout the program to determine the client’s progress on completing identified tasks. The program can be modified to include additional tasks if it is determined that the client has reached competency in one or more
of the originally identified tasks.
All sessions are held at the client’s home and are usually between 30 and 60 minutes long. It is recommended that clients attend at least one session every fortnight to maintain momentum over the course of the journey, though this timeline and session duration are completely flexible depending on the preference of the client.
For more information about The Bridges Project or other programs and services we offer, click here.