Working with Allied Health Assistants (AHAs)

The role of an AHA is to provide intensive, consistent and frequent services across a range of environments in a way that a therapist may not have the capacity to offer. When we consider how an AHA could fill this gap in intensity, we open up lots of opportunities for frequent and consistent support for a range of clients, varying in complexity and goal type. To best support this wide range of clients, we need specific and measurable AHA goals as this is the best way to encourage repeated practice of a skill to encourage the most progress.

Please refer to the following PROCESS documents: Next Shared > Admin > AHA > Processes

  • AHA Responsibility Delegation - A go-to document for Therapists, Support Team and AHA's to refer to to understand their role in the AHA service. This is probably the most important document for everyone to be familiar with as it embodies all of the ideas to reframe our thinking and addresses everyone's feedback/ queries.

  • AHA Process 2021 - Finalised process for all therapists to follow that explains the process from onboarding a client to the AHA service, monitoring progress and reviewing goals. Also a very important go-to.

  • AHA Handout for Families - This is a document that can be given to families when discussing all things AHA (provides a description of the service and costings)

Please also refer to the available TEMPLATE documents: Next Shared > Admin > AHA > Program Templates

  • AHA Program Template - As you will see, this new template style is much more succinct than our previous template and this is based on much of the feedback from everyone. It is hoped that this new template will be efficient for all therapists to complete and will also be specific for all current and future AHA's. This template doubles as an online scoring sheet which AHA's can have beside them in all sessions, ensuring that all key strategies, key language and prompt hierarchies are accessible to them and ready to be used in the moment to best support your clients.

  • AHA Program Template Example

If you have a client who you feel would be appropriate for an AHA program, express your interest by emailing the AHA coordinator.