A small practice, built for adults.
Functional Pathways OT is an occupational therapy practice based in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, supporting adults across the region in person and by telehealth with rural communities anywhere in Australia.
Why we exist.
Across rural and regional Australia, an adult living with disability, recovering from a stroke, or facing cognitive change can wait twelve months or more to see an occupational therapist. The few practices that exist are often based hundreds of kilometres away. By the time a referral lands, the moment to act has often passed.
Functional Pathways OT was founded to close that gap. We are a small practice with one focused mission: help adults stay safe, capable and confident in their own homes and communities — through the slow walks, the quiet wins, and the practical adjustments that compound into real freedom.
Vicki Standley
An occupational therapist with extensive experience supporting adults on the NDIS, based in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales.
Hi, I'm Vicki.
I am an occupational therapist based in the Northern Rivers, with extensive experience supporting adults on the NDIS. Over the years I've worked with adults with a wide range of physical, cognitive and psychosocial needs, helping them maintain independence, improve safety, and navigate increasingly complex care requirements.
My work focuses on functional capacity assessments, NDIS access reports, assistive technology, and practical therapy that makes a real difference in everyday life. I have a strong interest in equipment prescription and home modifications — making sure the right supports are in place to reduce risk, improve comfort, and help people remain living safely in their homes.
Alongside my clinical work, I am also a qualified yoga therapist. This brings a more holistic perspective into my practice, particularly when supporting clients with fatigue, pain, and chronic or progressive conditions. I use these principles to help people better understand their bodies, manage energy levels, and find more sustainable ways of moving and functioning day to day.
I take a collaborative, down-to-earth approach — working closely with clients, families and support teams to create practical, achievable pathways forward. My goal is always to provide clear guidance, meaningful recommendations, and support that genuinely improves quality of life.
I offer services across the Northern Rivers — from Lismore and Byron Bay up to Tweed Heads on the Queensland border — with telehealth available for rural and remote clients.
Why yoga therapy is part of this practice.
Being a qualified yoga therapist alongside my clinical OT work lets me bring a more holistic perspective into the practice. It is particularly useful when I'm supporting clients living with fatigue, pain, or chronic and progressive conditions — where traditional OT alone does not always have the right tools.
Breathwork, gentle graded movement, body awareness — used clinically, not as a wellness add-on — help people better understand their bodies, manage energy levels, and find more sustainable ways of moving and functioning day to day. They sit inside an OT plan with documented goals. If they help your function, we use them. If something else is the right tool, we use that instead.
What we believe about good occupational therapy.
- Steadiness over speed. Real change in adult function takes time. We promise considered work, not rushed work.
- Clear, never clever. We earn trust by saying what we mean. No jargon. No padding. No empty reassurance.
- The body and the life around it. Function is more than mobility. We work with the body, the home, the relationships, and the goals.
- Rooted in rural Australia. We are a Northern Rivers practice that serves rural communities first. That brief shapes the work.
How we work with country.
Our work is shaped by the landscape we live in. The Northern Rivers is a place of slow rivers and stepping stones, where progress is often quieter than the noise around it. That is the rhythm of our practice, too — steady, considered, and deeply human.
We acknowledge the Bundjalung people as Traditional Custodians of this country, and commit to working in culturally safe partnership with local Aboriginal health services across the region.
