Goal Directed Training Therapy

Helping you achieve goals that are important to you

Do you have a goal that is important to you? A goal that would improve your everyday life or inclusion in activities you want to do with family, friends or peers?

Goal directed training (GDT) is one-on-one activity-based therapy that can help you to achieve your goal in a set timeframe.

GDT is Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s therapy approach to improving independence and overall functional performance. It’s an evidence-based ‘green-light’ intervention, which means research has proven that it is very effective.

GDT works very well for:

gross motor and movement skills
school and work-based activities
self-care
everyday tasks and activities
communication
other goals

What goal do you want to achieve?

Goal directed training is for any age, any GMFCS level and any goal!

Tie my own shoelaces so I can do it for school. Matilda, 5
Kick a ball to play with my friends at lunch. Liam, 8
I want to dance like my friends. Elsie, 9
Play the piano with both hands. James 55
Ride a bike to the shops with my friends. Lucy, 12
Improve my speech so I can get a girlfriend. Zac, 15
Walk into my year 10 school formal. Lia, 14
Paint my fingernails. Ashley, 25

Contact us today to book goal directed training

Call 1300 888 378

Email us

Enquiry form

How does it work?

Choose your goal - something you want to be able to do

Work with your therapist on the movements needed to achieve your goal

Practice the goals in real life - lots of repetition within a defined period of time

Measure the outcome - woohoo, have you achieved your goal?!

You choose and set your goal and then work together with your therapist one-on-one for about 14 to 25 hours, depending on your goal. And regular practise at home and/or in the community.

GDT is activity-based therapy. It can be delivered over a short period of time, or several weeks or months, depending on your goals and abilities.

To be successful, it is important that:

The goal is important, relevant and useful to you – something you want to be able to do.
Movements are generated by you – working with your therapist, you come up with and learn the best way to do the movement that will achieve your goal.
Regular practise in real-life settings – lots of repetition and practise in real-life settings and situations within a set period of time.

You will work one-on-one with our team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists or exercise physiologists to set and achieve your goal. Big goals may be broken down in achievable parts and practised until the big goal is achieved.

The importance of practise and teamwork

Research shows that we need to practise a task many times to be capable and confident. It is important that activities related to a goal are practised in everyday real-life settings such as at home, school or out in the community. Therapists will provide coaching for you or your child and family to help practise the task at home.

Contact us today to book goal directed training

Call 1300 888 378

Email us

Enquiry form

Mum Iman

“Yaqoub just keeps reaching his goals. If you’d asked me a year ago before we started therapy what my hopes were for Yaqoub, I’d have said to walk and be an independent child. But he reached those goals so quickly and easily.

“(with support from CPA) I feel more confident, I know what I’m doing, how to communicate with Yaqoub and teach him.”

More information

Enquiry form

We will respond as soon as possible, between Monday-Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm

Meet Yaqoub - the problem solving toddler reaching goals quickly

“He’s coming up to his second birthday which is really emotional for me, thinking back to when he was born and how far he’s come.” Iman, Yaqoub’s mum

Meet Logan – kicking his goals all the way to school

Logan was born at 29 weeks and spent 3 months in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Meet Claire

Claire is a physio who empowers clients to push beyond expectations.