About Us
Who we are
You don’t “fix” a wilting plant by trying to change the flower—you look at the environment by checking the soil, the light, the water, and the weather. Only then can the flower begin to bloom.
That’s our philosophy. We place the participant at the centre, but we nurture the whole environment—family, school, supports and care team so that growth is possible, sustainable, shared between all, so the responsibility of change is not solely placed on one person.
We are a boutique social work agency that specialises in helping people to get the most out of their NDIS package with system advocacy and capacity building.
Rachel Hall, owner and director of Helpful Connextions is a registered member of the AASW, specialising in neurodiversity and disability affirming.
Helpful Connextions has strong interpersonal skills, empathy, cultural competence, and a commitment to social justice.
Capacity Builders
At Helpful Connextions, we are expert capacity builders. You can feel confident knowing that everything we do together is aligned with the NDIS framework—ensuring your goals, supports, and outcomes are not just appropriate, but purposeful and impactful. Our work is always documented with clarity and precision, so you're equipped with strong, direct evidence to support plan reviews, reassessments, or appeals.
We support people through a wide range of capacity building activities, such as:
Self-Awareness
- Identify strengths, values, and thought patterns
Emotional Regulation
- Teach coping strategies, and relaxation techniques
- Developing personalized coping strategies for stress
Communication Skills
- Develop assertiveness, boundaries, and active listening.
- Practicing social skills for different environments (e.g., workplace, family, relationships)
- Enhancing verbal and non-verbal communication strategies
Problem-Solving
- Supporting carers Guide structured decision-making and goal-setting.
- Supporting clients in making informed choices based on their values and needs
Carer and Family Support
- Understanding that Carers and Family are part of the participant's system and capturing their voice.
- Using tools, community supports and strategies to maintain carer wellbeing and to reduce burnout
Stress Management
- Developing an individualized crisis response plan
- Explore clinical strategies to reduce psycho-social difficulties
Self-Management
- Create self-care routines, and time management strategies
Behavioural Change
- Reinforcing positive behaviours through data collection and using low demand, relationship strategies
- Identifying barriers to behaviour change and creating strategies to overcome them
- Providing reflective practice and consultations to the participant's team
Capacity Building & Self Efficacy
- Promoting independence and confidence in personal abilities.
- Teaching strategies to adapt to setbacks and failures
Trauma Support
- Provide psychoeducation, grounding techniques, and emotional processing
Social Engagement
- Build social confidence
- Support referrals and linkages to main stream services where appropriate
Social & Community Participation
- Facilitate engagement in activities, peer support, and inclusion
Career & Life Planning
- Helping clients identify career interests and strengths
- Exploring educational or training opportunities
Daily Living Skills
- Support budgeting, routine management, and life skills training
- Advocacy coaching
Navigation
- Emotions, Formal Systems or Relationships.
Tailored Services That Empower: From Assessment to Advocacy, we’re here to help
We also offer private counselling services for individuals and families who wish to access support outside of funded programs. Sessions are tailored to your goals and delivered by qualified, experienced practitioners Our Navigation and Key Worker models are built around NDIS Capacity Building strategies that focus on increasing independence, building skills, and enhancing participation in daily life. We work alongside psychologists, counsellors, doctors, educators, and government agencies to provide holistic, wrap-around support tailored to your goals.
Counselling
We’re accredited Carer Gateway counselling providers, offering practical strategies and therapeutic support to help individuals and families build strength and independence. To access our Carer Gateway counselling services, a referral is required through the Carer Gateway. Once referred, we work alongside carers to provide therapeutic and practical support tailored to their needs.
We also offer private counselling services for individuals and families who wish to access support outside of funded programs. Sessions are tailored to your goals and delivered by qualified, experienced practitioners
Functional Capacity Assessments
We go over and beyond to ensure our Functional Capacity Assessments (FCAs) are thorough, meaningful, and genuinely reflective of each person’s strengths and support needs. Our team is highly trained in psychosocial FCAs, with experience across psychosocial disability, cognitive delays, autism, ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental or mental health conditions.
Professional Membership
We take our role seriously—each clinician is a member of their respective professional body, including:
Australian Community Workers Association (ACWA)
Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
Youth Affairs Council Victoria
Australasian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA)
Our commitment is to ethical, evidence-informed, and person-centred practice that makes a real impact.
Positive Behaviour Support & Behaviour Strategies
Positive Behaviour Support & Behaviour Strategies
At Helpful Connextions, we provide practical, person-centred behaviour strategies grounded in understanding the why behind behaviour—not just reacting to it. Our work is neuro-affirming, trauma-informed, and built on a foundation of trust, safety, and respect.
We’re currently in the process of becoming a registered provider of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS), an evidence-informed framework that uses functional assessment and skill-building to reduce behaviours of concern and improve quality of life. A key focus of PBS is reducing restrictive practices—and that’s where our values strongly align.
We take this a step further by specialising in the low-demand, relationship-based approach, and will soon be one of the very few agencies in Australia licensed to deliver this model through Studio 3 (UK). This approach is particularly effective for individuals whose behaviours are rooted in overwhelm, anxiety, or past trauma. By reducing unnecessary demands and fostering genuine connection, we create conditions where distress—and the behaviours that come with it—naturally reduce.
We place a strong emphasis on reducing all forms of restrictive practice, including the often-overlooked use of seclusion in schools—where children are removed from classrooms or school altogether as a response to behaviour. This is one of the most common yet unrecognised restrictive practices, and it can have a lasting impact on a child’s mental health, self-worth, and educational engagement.
At Helpful Connextions, we challenge this norm. We believe in supporting children and young people where they are, not excluding them when they need help the most. Our combined PBS and low-demand approach offers a compassionate, effective, and human-first alternative.
Welfare, Youth and Item Attachment (Hoarding)
Our welfare practitioners bring over 8 years of frontline experience in case management, youth support and counselling, backed by minimum of 4 years tertiary education. Many have worked extensively within the child protection, youth and Aboriginal sectors, giving them advanced skills in conducting comprehensive assessments and writing professional reports across a range of complex situations.
They also hold specialist training such as Item Attachment (commonly referred to as hoarding), enabling them to provide safe, trauma-informed support to individuals with complex emotional and behavioural needs.
Our practitioners are registered with the Australian Community Workers Association (ACWA), a recognised body under the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and with Youth Association Victoria. While they do not hold a bachelor's degree, they follow allied health protocols, including regular clinical supervision and ongoing professional development, ensuring their practice is ethical, current, and aligned with industry standards.
We offer their services at a reduced rate of $156.16 per hour Professional Other, providing cost-effective, high-quality support that helps participants stretch their plan budgets further. Professional other line items (01_741_0128_1_3 and 15_056_0128_1_3) is for services provided by qualified professionals other than allied health therapists.
Referrals
At Helpful Connextions, we offer a streamlined and supportive referral process designed to connect individuals and families with the services they need. Our team of experienced social workers and advocates
specializes in providing neuro-affirming, disability-inclusive care, with a strong focus on creating positive social change. Whether you’re looking for assistance with NDIS navigation, mental health support, or community engagement, we ensure each referral is handled with care and efficiency. With our commitment to privacy, all referrals are securely managed in line with NDIS and privacy legislation, allowing us to offer a reliable and compassionate service tailored to your unique needs.
Payments
#15_621_0128_1_3 - Assessment, Therapy, Recommendations - Social Work. $193.99 p/h
# 15_005_0118_1_3 - Early Childhood Professionals. $193.99 p/h
#15_056_0128_1_3 - Professional other line. $156.15 p/h
Counselling, supervision and consultations rates are billed at social work rates or on a sliding scale based on needs