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The Dark Side Of Rehab 7 was held on the 24th of May 2024.
TAVRP Inc. would like to thank all those who attended and the sponsors & presenters involved in this very successful event.
8:55am – 9:00am
9:00am – 9:45am
OPTIMISING OUTCOMES FOLLOWING SPINAL SURGERY
Professor Richard Bittar: Precision Brain, Spine and Pain
9:50am – 10:05am
KEY LEARNINGS FROM THE IMPROVING INJURY OUTCOMES IN THE TASMANIAN STATE SERVICE PROJECT
Dr Alice Morris
10:10am – 10:25am
PHASES, STRESSORS AND FACILITATING FACTORS IN THE RTW PROCESS
Kelly Broughton, UTAS PhD Candidate
10:25am – 10:55am
10:55am – 11:00am
11:00am – 11:20am
HOW TO BRING PEOPLE BACK TO THEIR LIFE AFTER 68 WEEKS: THE CHALLENGES OF TAIL END CLAIMS
Megan Scott, Guardian Exercise Rehabilitation
11:30am – 1:00pm
THE BIG T: TIPS FOR TACKLING TRAUMA AS A REHABILITATION PROVIDER
Jessica Forward and Dr Emma Richardson, Clinical Psychologists, Well Minds Work
1:00pm – 2:00pm
2:00pm – 2:05pm
2:05pm – 2:20pm
HOW TO HELP WORKERS UNDERSTAND PAIN
Hailey Buchhorn, APM WorkCare
2:25pm – 3:55pm
INFLUENCING RECOVERY – CREATING A PATHWAY FOR SUCCESS
Dr Cassandra Zaina FACP GAICD, Hands Up For Health.
3:55pm – 4:00pm
4:00pm – 4:30pm
Download Resources:
8:00am
8:35am – 8:45am
President TAVRP Inc.
8:55am – 9:00am
9:00am – 9:45am
PSYCHOSOCIAL MATCHED CARE: TRANSFORMING RTW OUTCOMES
Dr Mary Wyatt, Return to Work Matters
9:50am – 10:05am
IT PAYS TO CARE, THE DPFEM APPROACH
Matthew Richman, Department of Police, Fire & Emergency Management
10:10am – 10:25am
WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH FRAMEWORK
Nikki Taranis, WorkSafe Tas
10:30am – 11:00am
10:55am – 11:00am
11:00am – 12:30pm
SUSTAINING THE SELF: STRATEGIES TO PREVENT BURNOUT, COMPASSION FATIGUE, AND VICARIOUS/
SECONDARY TRAUMA
Dr Emma Richardson and Jessica Forward, Well Minds Work
12:30pm – 1:15pm
1:15pm – 1:20pm
1:20pm – 2:05pm
PAIN, WHAT PAIN?
Dr James Wilson, Precision Brain, Spine & Pain
2:10pm – 2:25pm
THE ABOUT ME PROJECT: BUILDING INSIGHT, CAPACITY AND CONFIDENCE OF MAIB CLIENTS
Bill Fulton and Aimee Richardson, BIAT
2:30pm – 2:45pm
WORK ASSIST PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH MS AND ACQUIRED NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS
Lisa Slade and Lisa Erin Davis-Schnierer, MS Plus Employment Support Service
2:50pm – 3:20pm
5 x 4 SESSION – SHOWCASE & PITCH A PROGRAM
Keiser, APM WorkCare, St John Ambulance Tasmania, Guardian Exercise Rehabilitation
3:30pm – 3:40pm
3:40pm – 4:40pm
Get Your Trades Passport Stamped in the Breaks to be in the Running for a Major Prize
Download Resources:
Information is correct as of 03 March 2025, however presentations & the program may be subject to change
Anne Marie Dean President TAVRP Inc.
Hon Madeleine Ogilvie BA LLB GCM MP
The Hon Madeleine Ogilvie MP, is the Minister for Small Business & Consumer Affairs, Corrections & Rehabilitation, Arts and Women & the Prevention of Family Violence. She is also the Liberal Member for Clark.
With an extensive career in the law and business Madeleine is passionate about growing Tasmania’s economy and tech sector. Madeleine has previously worked for Allens law firm, CSIRO, UNESCO, EY and Telstra Corporation where she held the role of General Manager Contracts and Commercial.
Having worked in France, Indonesia and Silicon Valley USA, Madeleine has broad international commercial experience. Madeleine has held numerous board positions and holds a barrister and solicitor’s practicing certificate, with particular expertise in intellectual property law. Passionate about technology, communications and our emerging Space industry, Madeleine has led the development of Tasmania’s engagement in the Space sector.
Madeleine holds degrees from the University of Melbourne in History and Classics, the University of Tasmania in Law and a Graduate Certificate of Management from the University of NSW. She lives in Hobart with her family, including her Scottish Terrier dog named Winsome.
Spinal surgery has evolved rapidly over the past decade, and whilst excellent outcomes can be achieved in well selected patients, poor outcomes occur not infrequently.
This talk reviews the current indications for spinal surgery, the range of surgical options available (including disc replacement), as well as relative contraindications.
Optimising outcomes following spinal surgery begins well before the procedure, and continues postoperatively with rehabilitation, pain management, and meticulous return to work planning and implementation. All these aspects will be discussed.
Professor Richard Bittar is an experienced Neurosurgeon and Spinal Surgeon who specialises in the treatment of spinal conditions, brain tumours, and movement disorders. Professor Bittar currently has performed more robotic spinal surgery procedures than any other surgeon in Victoria and runs the largest Psychosurgery service in Australasia.
He has published dozens of scientific articles, and has presented his work at numerous national and international meetings. He prides himself on treating patients with dignity and respect, continuously providing consultations, assessments and treatments of the highest standard.
Professor Bittar was the first surgeon in Victoria to perform:
This presentation will share key learnings from the WorkCover Tasmania Board funded Improving Injury Outcomes in the Tasmanian State Service (TSS) Project. The project focussed on opportunities to improve the experience and outcomes for TSS employees involved in the workers compensation process. Starting with a deep dive into the data about claims performance in the TSS, research was undertaken to better understand the issues involved.
In partnership with UTAS, interviews were conducted with TSS employees about their lived experience with claim and return to work processes. A literature review was also undertaken, and input was gathered from TSS agencies and unions. Based on these data sources, a set of recommendations that align with the ‘It Pays to Care’ model have been developed.
Dr Alice Morris is the Director of Policy and Projects for WorkSafe Tasmania and a key part of the
project team for the Improving Injury Outcomes in the TSS Project.
The RTW experience is highly individualised, dependent on injury or illness, work environment and factors including (but not limited to), workplace accommodations and supervisor competencies in handling RTW following injury or illness. The doctoral research conducted by Kelly Broughton aimed to explore employees’ experiences and generate insights and explorations of what it is people experience when returning to work, the nature of those experiences (both positive and challenging elements), the diversity of experiences had, the kinds of outcome resulting from
their experience and what kind of supports they have from stakeholders (such as their immediate supervisor, return to work coordinator, medical team, family, etc.).
Based on research findings, Kelly has been able to generate insights indicating that during the RTW process, individuals returning to work face several stressors in the RTW process, at varying stages in the RTW process.
The presentation from Kelly will discuss each of these phases identified in the doctoral research, the stressors that individuals may be exposed to or may experience during the RTW process, as well as facilitating factors identified within the research that can ease these stressors during the RTW process.
Kelly Broughton is with the Tasmanian School of Business and Economics at the University of Tasmania. Kelly holds subject matter expertise in Workplace Health and Safety. Kelly has research experience relating to physical and psychological injury or illness, with research projects focusing on workplace conditions, return to work experiences and overall return to work outcomes because of these experiences.
Kelly’s doctoral project focused on employee experience returning to work following physical and psychological injury and factors that can influence those experiences. Kelly has been working on other research projects that surround improving work and wellbeing. Her research projects have focused on improving return to work resources, understanding the experience the workers compensation system has on injured or ill workers and psychosocial hazard regulation.
Finally, Kelly has experience in research consultancy work, including the review of the Workplace Rehabilitation Provider Accreditation Process. As a result, Kelly holds sound understanding of research within the occupational rehabilitation space, as well as the workers’ compensation space.
For the last 24 years Guardian Exercise Rehabilitation has provided a contemporary community based approach to the treatment of those with a motor vehicle or work-related injury. Understanding the challenges of working within the compensable injury space, the team at Guardian Exercise Rehabilitation have developed a specialised skillset in supporting a broader whole-being health of the individual regardless of injury type.
Within Tasmania, this approach has been particularly needed as the delay from injury to referral has on average exceeded 68 weeks. Effective interviewing, goal setting, education and exercise/activity prescription lay at the core of these services – however the practical expertise of navigating a complex file is what provides the best opportunity for a successful recovery.
Megan Scott is a member of the national support and development team with Guardian Exercise Rehabilitation. She has worked across a number of state and territory schemes and currently provides treatment as part of the South Australian team. Guardian Exercise Rehabilitation’s approach to recovery places a high value on developing self efficacy, improving health literacy, and an ownership in their own recovery journey.
When working with an individual with a work-related injury, Megan strives to understand the broader barriers to the recovery process and provides quality guidance on how to navigate any clinical considerations, whilst offering a person centred support to the everyday psychosocial barriers.
Witnessing, investigating, or being exposed to traumatic events or material is a well-known psychosocial hazard that can have serious consequences for an employee’s psychological health and wellbeing. In this workshop, Well Minds Work will take a deep dive into what might lead an employee to experience an event as traumatic, how trauma symptoms might present, and how to work with someone who has been exposed to traumatic events or material.
Interactive activities will be included throughout in order to build confidence and competence in working with employees exposed to trauma.
Learning Outcomes:
Dr Emma Richardson co-founded Well Minds Work in 2020 and creates and delivers mental health tailored workshops for organisations across Australia as part of this business. Emma graduated with a PhD in Psychology from the University of Tasmania in 2017 and her main research interests involve exploring the links between physical illnesses and mental health.
Emma currently co-manages Well Minds Work, works as a Clinical Psychologist with individuals and couples in private practice at Eternal Women’s Health, works as a lecturer in Psychology at the University of Tasmania, and works as the Program Psychologist for the AFLPA in the Tackle Your Feelings Program.
Jessica Forward is a Clinical Psychologist, who completed her Masters in Clinical Psychology from the University of Tasmania in 2019. She co-founded Well Minds Work in 2020 and creates and delivers tailored mental health workshops for organisations across Australia as part of this business.
Jessica also currently works as a Clinical Psychologist with individuals in private practice at Salamanca Psychology and as a lecturer at the University of Tasmania. Jessica’s special interests and experiences are in the treatment of mental health disorders/issues including anxiety, substance dependence, complex-trauma, and return to work following mental health related leave.
APM WorkCare’s VR Empowered Pain Recovery Program has been designed to help any worker with pain. Many injured workers who struggle with chronic pain don’t respond to the pain education provided by clinical experts, seek invasive or passive interventions, and avoid recovery movement which exacerbates their pain experience. This program uses virtual reality modules developed in conjunction with Professor Lorimer Moseley, a Professor of Clinical Neurosciences and Chronic Pain Expert as a fully immersive experience that demonstrates to workers what is happening with their body and uses this newfound understanding to provide them with the tools to promote their
recovery.
Injured workers are provided compelling educational experiences to understand pain and the principles of neuroplasticity, combined with psychosocial risk management and education. The program uses contemporary neuroscience techniques to optimise graded movement and loading. Altering sensory inputs during movement and loading to create and consolidate neural pathways can lead to less pain, promote recovery, and empower the injured worker to successfully return to work.
Hailey Buchhorn is a highly experienced Exercise Physiologist who has worked in clinical settings and has spent over eight years in personal injury insurance. Following her work in consulting and operational delivery, she has excelled in account management roles over the last four years, and has been responsible for identifying, implementing, and evaluating innovative products and services tailored to personal injury insurance customers.
Hailey is responsible for driving and managing the delivery of high-quality care and rehabilitation provider services to APM WorkCare’s customers nationally throughout its branch network. Hailey is also responsible for customer reporting including providing analysis of data, trends and outcomes and identifying ongoing continuous improvement initiatives.
During this session, we will look at establishing a pathway for success, identifying, and addressing risks and barriers, communication strategies, involving a range of stakeholders. Managing work injured clients requires many high level planning and communication skills and approaches that are often not learned during allied health and medical university degrees. In addition, most treaters only see a very small number of work-injured clients and don’t really understand the process, so are often ill-equipped for achieving the best outcomes.
For claims managers, rehabilitation providers and employers, there are a multitude of matters to manage and plan to ensure the best outcomes. Much of this is not covered during training or if it is, it may not facilitate practical application. And then… we need everyone to work together! How do we speak a language that is common to all parties involved in the process?
This will be an interactive workshop and you will be able to immediately integrate strategies, including objective tools, to your work.
Learning Outcomes
Cassandra is a Specialist Occupational Health Physiotherapist (as awarded by the Australian College of Physiotherapy in December 2010) and an APA Titled Musculoskeletal and Pain Physiotherapist. Cassandra has over 30 years of experience in private practice, working with individuals and companies across the globe.
Cassandra is the Physiotherapy Advisor at Return To Work SA and through this role she provides education and support to allied health and medical practitioners across South Australia to assist them to achieve the best outcomes for their work-injured clients.
Cassandra also delivers education sessions for work injury claims managers. Cassandra lectures on the Physiotherapy programs at Uni SA, Flinders and Adelaide Universities in addition to presenting a variety of courses and lectures for the Australian Physiotherapy Association.
Dr Peter Sharman
Dr Peter Sharman is an occupational & environmental medicine [OEM] physician passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of Tasmania’s workforce.
In addition to OEM qualifications [FAFOEM within RACP], he is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Peter has nearly 40 years of experience in a variety of roles, initially as a remote-area GP on Tasmania’s West Coast, and after gaining OEM qualifications, has held senior medical and management roles with the Hydro-Electric Commission, visiting Occupational Physician at the RHH, and roles with rehabilitation service providers. Most recently he has worked as a Consultant Occupational & Environmental Physician in private practice, in Hobart.
He is Tasmania’s representative on the AFOEM Federal Council, a member of the Tasmanian Health Senate & WorkCover Tasmania’s Medical Advisory Panel. He is President of the Tasmanian Foundation of Occupational Medicine and a member of TAVRP.
RTW outcomes have stagnated or worsened over the past decade despite our growing understanding of what drives work disability. The evidence shows psychosocial factors are the primary drivers of persisting disability, yet our systems remain focused on biomedical approaches. Recent Australian research demonstrates that early systematic screening followed by matched psychosocial care can reduce work absence by 50% and claims costs by 30% in high-risk cases. Biomedical approaches with the attraction of quick fixes continue to be a significant focus in ‘complex cases’.
This presentation outlines the evidence for this approach and provides a practical framework for implementation. Key elements include early screening, comprehensive assessment of barriers, and matched interventions delivered by trained professionals. Success requires careful planning, stakeholder engagement, and robust data systems to support continuous improvement. Implementation requires an understanding of the evidence and a coordinated approach to drive change.
Dr Mary Wyatt is an Occupational Physician with over 25 years’ experience in work injury management. She is the founding editor of RTWMatters.org, an online resource for RTW professionals. Mary has authored peer-reviewed publications on work injury management and cares about improving outcomes through evidence-based practice. She was the lead Fellow for the RACP’s influential policy paper “It Pays to Care: Bringing Evidence-Informed Practice to Work Injury Schemes” and continues to work with insurers, employers, and regulators to implement early intervention programs. She holds appointments at Monash University and regularly provides advice to workers’ compensation schemes across Australia.
Since 2019, the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management (DPFEM) has adopted a person centric approach to the delivery of wellbeing support to the 9,100 staff and volunteers it provides services too.
This presentation will explore the breadth of services both proactive and preventive, and the life-cycle considerations behind the ethos of Wellbeing Support.
The engagement statistics speak for themselves and while there is still much to do, we are focused on ensuring we adopt the It Pays to Care principles.
Matthew was appointed as the inaugural Director of Wellbeing Support in July 2019, providing services to the 9,100+ staff and volunteers of all the emergency services in Tasmania. He has built a team and an expanded program that emphasises both preventive and responsive practices. Matthew led the Tasmanian Emergency Services Critical Incident Stress Management response to the Port Arthur Incident and, in his current role, the response to the Hillcrest Primary School tragedy.
Matthew is a former Director of Strategic Services at the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency.
He has an extensive career with Tasmania Police. Over the duration of a 40-year period, he has held several key operational and frontline roles.
Matthew led a body of work widely recognised as a leading example of contemporary police internal investigations and was pivotal in the introduction of the University of Tasmania’s Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies (TILES)
His leadership, innovation, and commitment to the wellbeing of his colleagues and the community exemplify the highest standards of public service. His work has had a profound and lasting impact, setting a benchmark for future initiatives within Tasmania Police.
Workplace mental health is a growing challenge, with rising injury rates and increasing pressure on employers to provide effective support. Despite this, Tasmania currently lacks a state-wide framework to guide businesses in promoting mental well-being and preventing harm.
This presentation will introduce the Workplace Mental Health Framework (WMHF)—a first-of-its-kind initiative commissioned by the WorkCover Board Tasmania. The framework integrates aims to drive meaningful change and help create safer, healthier workplaces across Tasmania.
Key topics will include:
Nikki Taranis is a project manager and social work professional with a background in mental health, trauma-informed practice, and workplace well-being. She currently coordinates the development of Tasmania’s Workplace Mental Health Framework at WorkSafe Tasmania and is passionate about creating real change by building supportive workplaces and systems that promote mental health and well-being.
Working in vocational rehabilitation requires high levels of compassion, empathy, and support for others who are often vulnerable and experiencing distress. This can take an emotional toll and may lead to the development of burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, or secondary trauma. In this dynamic and interactive workshop participants will gain a deeper understanding of burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and secondary trauma, as well as how to recognise early warning signs. Participants will also learn several evidence-based strategies for preventing and managing symptoms of these conditions. By the end of this workshop, participants will leave equipped with actionable tools and insights to maintain professional wellbeing and to sustain a fulfilling and compassionate approach to their work and personal lives.
Learning Outcomes:
Dr Emma Richardson:
Dr Emma Richardson co-founded Well Minds Work in 2020 and creates and delivers mental health tailored workshops for organisations across Australia as part of this business. Emma graduated with a PhD in psychology from the University of Tasmania in 2017 and her main research interests involve exploring the links between physical illnesses and mental health. Emma currently co-manages Well Minds Work, works as a clinical psychologist in private practice at Eternal Women’s Health, and works as the program psychologist for the AFLPA in the Tackle Your Feelings Program.
Jessica Forward:
Jessica co-founded Well Minds Work in 2020 and creates and delivers tailored mental health workshops for organisations across Australia as part of this business. Jessica also currently works as a clinical psychologist with individuals in private practice at Salamanca Psychology and as a lecturer at the University of Tasmania. Jessica graduated with her Masters in Clinical Psychology from the University of Tasmania in 2019, with special interest and experience in the treatment of mental health issues including anxiety, substance dependence, complex trauma, and return to work following mental health related leave.
Chronic pain affects one in five people and has a huge impact on patient’s lives and their ability to work but it is chronically under-resourced and often ignored especially in regional areas.
We will be discussing the prevalence of painful conditions and the consequence of both the pain and ‘painkiller’ drugs on people’s working abilities and function.
Specifically, we will discuss the evidence for Pain Management programmes, which aim to teach patient how to live a good life despite their pain. All programmes are not alike and have a difficult job in trying to rehabilitate patients both physically and psychologically who are deconditioned, likely depressed and may have been off work for some time. We will be presenting evidence from the Ascend programme in Victoria and discussing potential models for programmes for Tasmania such as Telehealth and Hybrid that were created out of necessity during Covid.
Dr Wilson lives in Tasmania and works with Precision Brain, Spine and Pain as a Specialist in Pain Medicine.
He trained at Guys & St Thomas’ Medical School in the UK, became an Anaesthetist then completed advanced training in Pain Medicine working in several large pain centres and hospices and learnt a comprehensive range of interventional techniques. He worked in the UK as a consultant for nine years helping patients with acute, chronic, and cancer pain problems before moving to Australia.
His routine work includes seeing complex pain patients and performing a wide range of evidence based interventional techniques to relieve pain under X-ray, CT and Ultrasound guidance.
He is passionate about medical education and teaching and has been involved in training in Pain Medicine, Anaesthesia and Palliative Care in the UK and Australia.
Have you ever worked with a client who hasn’t been able to tell you what they want (or hasn’t been asked what they want)?
This session will discuss strategies the About Me Project uses to build MAIB clients’ understanding of their needs and how they can communicate these.
About Me is a project of the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania, funded by MAIB. About Me utilises a proven 10-step capacity building program supporting clients to exercise greater choice and become active participants in their own lives across four life domains:
The project operates through a network of MAIB panel providers, Allied Health Professionals, disability support providers and other service providers.
The About Me project contributes to systemic change, building a culture where people with disability are consulted, and can exercise greater choice and control in their lives.
About Me Project Manager Bill Fulton has also managed the Employ Me Project for the past 18 months. Bill brings extensive experience, skills and expertise in advocacy, lived experience engagement and co-design. Prior to joining the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania, Bill has worked with children and young people across diverse roles in education and out of home care, with a focus on supporting youth at risk in roles from classroom teaching and learning support, flexible learning, project management and individual and systemic advocacy.
The About Me Project’s current project officer, Aimee joined the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania team in October 2024. Aimee is an Occupational Therapist by trade, having previously worked in as a rehabilitation provider, claims manager, clinician, and more recently in a regulatory capacity with WorkSafe Tasmania. This combination of hands-on and regulatory experience has provided Aimee with unique insights into each of the About Me domains and the ability to recognise the important perspectives of all stakeholders.
We are a Disability Employment Service (DES) Provider empowering people living with MS and Acquired Neurological conditions in the workplace across TAS/VIC/NSW/ACT. We as Allied Health Professionals (OT/Physio/EP) provide free ongoing support for clients equipping them with strategies to manage their symptoms and maintain their employment. We will discuss our program and examples of how we support our clients with employment including:
Erin Davis-Schnierer is an Exercise Physiologist with 8 years experience working and helping people manage chronic illness and disability in community health and vocational rehabilitation settings including the last 2 years with ESS in Tas.
Lisa Slade is an Occupational Therapist with 20+ years experience across acute, community, disability and vocational rehabilitation settings with 11 years working with the ESS team across Vic and Tas.
Together Erin and Lisa have been part of the MS Plus team starting up and implementing the ESS Work Assist Program statewide in Tasmania since it commenced here in 2018.
The Trades Passport is a small booklet that has a page dedicated to each Trade and Sponsor physically displaying at the DSR 8, with details of their name and either questions to answer re the display or have it signed off by the exhibitor.
The Passport needs to be fully completed during the day and towards the end of the day all completed Passports will be included in a draw for a significant prize or prizes.
The winner needs to be present at the time of the draw.
