Paediatric Occupational Therapist

Our Purpose and Mission

Hi Thrive is a mobile paediatric allied health service based in Melbourne, VIC. We bring therapy directly to children in the places they feel most comfortable. We provide neurodiversity-affirming speech pathology and occupational therapy with a focus on helping families embrace their child’s strengths, differences and authentic ways of being. Our mission is simple: support children to thrive, and support therapists to thrive while doing it.

The Role

We’re seeking an Occupational Therapist to join our team to work in either the inner or outer west of Melbourne. You’ll conduct assessments and deliver therapy in children’s natural environments, with complete freedom to shape a caseload that reflects your strengths, interests and values. Unlike many paediatric roles, you’ll have full autonomy over your hours, your clients, and your clinical focus areas.

Your Clients

At Hi Thrive, you choose:

• Your clients

• Your hours

• Your preferred number of clients per day

• The presentations you feel confident and energised supporting

No KPIs. No pressure to “fill up”. No obligation to take on clients outside your competency or interest areas.
If fine motor isn’t your thing, that’s absolutely fine. We want you working in your zone of genius, because that’s when children benefit most.

Pay

We created Hi Thrive because we were watching brilliant therapists burn out under systems that didn’t value their time, energy or expertise. So we chose to do things differently.

You will be paid per client-facing hour, with complete flexibility to choose as many or as few clients as you’d like. Hi Thrive's model allows you to earn well, work sustainably and give your best to your clients, and maintain boundaries that support your wellbeing.

Perks (Yes, there's more 🙃)

• Admin support for billing, so your focus stays on therapy, not invoice chasing

• Access to a warm, multidisciplinary community of OTs and speech pathologists

• Monthly interdisciplinary peer supervision

• A genuinely neurodiversity-affirming workplace that respects your brain, your boundaries and your downtime

• Flexibility to structure your week around your life

• No KPIs, ever

• No mandatory minimum caseload

• No pressure to “grow a business” on our behalf

What You’ll Need

• Bachelor/Masters in Occupational Therapy

• Occupational Therapy Registration with AHPRA

• WWCC

• Minimum of 12 months' experience as an OT

• Driver’s licence and car

• A passion for paediatrics, play-based therapy, and supporting neurodivergent kids

• Bonus: lived experience of neurodivergence. We deeply value this insight.

About the Director

Hi, I’m Cristina, the founder and director of Hi Thrive. I’m a neurodivergent speech pathologist who started this practice after burning out in traditional private practice settings. I loved the work, but the pressure, the rigidity, and the lack of balance were unsustainable. I created Hi Thrive because I wanted a workplace where therapists could actually enjoy their lives, feel supported, and do brilliant clinical work without sacrificing their wellbeing.

Hi Thrive began as a tiny one-woman mobile practice, built on a simple belief: therapists thrive when they are trusted, respected, and given the freedom to work in ways that suit their brains and their lives. That’s still the heart of this business today.