Liverpool Plains shire welcomes mobile occupational therapist to meet demand for mental health services

She was scared no one would book appointments, or be open to her "gentle" approach.

But within 24 hours of launching her new business, Unstuck Occupational Therapy, Ms Dunn had already received 21 enquiries for her services.

"I was not expecting that at all," she said.

READ ALSO:

"All my fears went out the window."

Having lived in Quirindi since 2013, Ms Dunn has been a witness to the lack of mental health and wellbeing services available in the bush.

She said travel and a reliance on telehealth was stopping people from booking and accessing face to face appointments.

"They might have to take extra time off work or school, it's not just the one hour appointment they have to fit into their day," Ms Dunn said.

Unreliable internet and access to technology means telehealth is a reality for very few.

"People in metro areas might be more used to doing things online," Ms Dunn said.

"But country people like that face-to-face approach."

That was part of the motivation behind the therapist's decision to launch a mobile service rather than an office or shop front.

"I usually see people at their homes, or at school, or it means I can meet them somewhere else they are comfortable with," Ms Dunn said.

With a "gentle", "compassionate", and "understanding" approach to mental health, Ms Dunn said she was hoping to help people who hadn't had good experiences with clinical services in the past.

"One of the core values is client-centred practice," she said.

"We see each person as an individual and we understand that the reason they might have trouble doing something can be caused by a lot of different factors."

As an occupational therapist, Ms Dunn said her role is to help people "who have trouble functioning in their daily life".

It can be anything from getting out of bed, to caring for children, she said.

After confronting her own fears to launch the business, Ms Dunn said her goal is to be "sustainable" and provide "really high quality service".

"I hope to be working in private practice for many years to come," she said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: