Therapy & Tutoring
At Gadara you are treated as an individual and provided with what you actually need to reach your personal goals.Gadara Philosophies
Harvest
• Farm to table
• Farm to Market
• Animal training for farm work
• Support local trade & commerce
• Celebrate sustainable & organic practices
Community Farmers
• Respectful language
• Kindness, support & mentoring
• Training
• Development of collaboration & consultation resources
Roots
Foundation Principles
Equal Opportunity Act 2010
Reasonable adjustments for disabilities provided by specialist training will be made when required.
Therapy for Children
Barefoot Therapists at Gadara Farm
Barefoot Therapists offer bespoke farm-based programs at Gadara Farm to meet the needs of our community and where people are supported to work and learn on the farm, as well as offering an individual experience.
At Gadara you are treated as an individual and provided with what you actually need to reach your personal goals. Barefoot Therapists can join any of our ‘Farmers in Practice’ at Gadara who need extra support to access the environment and farm tasks. They can assess your abilities, and partner with you to work safely to get the jobs done at your own pace, building skills along the way.
Therapy for Adults
Equine Assisted Counselling and Occupational Therapy
Equine Assisted Counselling (EAP) and Occupational Therapy (EAOT) use structured, ground-based horse interactions, supervised by professionals, to support mental health and functional goals.
These experiential therapies foster self-regulation, empathy, confidence, and social skills in a natural, non-judgmental environment, often helping with anxiety, depression, and trauma.
Therapy for Children
Tutoring: Literacy & Numeracy Support
Evidence based learning for children needing additional support with literacy (reading and writing) and/or numeracy (maths). The program is designed and delivered by Therapeutic Teacher Alex Brennan and draws on effective evidence based approaches tailored to each child’s specific areas of need. Alex’s approaches incorporate the progression of skills as per the Victorian Curriculum.
Animals and outdoor spaces are included to promote engagement, attendance and success in sessions
Therapy for Children & Adults
Dyslexia Intervention Program
Evidence based learning, designed and delivered by Therapeutic Teacher Alex Brennan. Each program is individualised to the client’s specific areas of need but draws on the evidence based Sounds-Write program. Alex includes a multi-sensory & structured synthetic phonics program which is proven to be effective for individals with dyslexia (also known as specific learning disorder with impairment in reading).
Therapy for Children
Farm Homeschool Group
Designed and delivered by qualified teacher Alex. This weekly group fosters connection, wellbeing and curiosity via hands on learning at the farm.
Nature based activities, Gardening, Farm animals, Trauma informed.
Set in a multidisciplinary, neurodiversity affirming farm environment.
6 Workplace Pillars
Emotions
• Be resourceful
• Be successful
• Build their creativity
• Makes more resilient
Strengths
• Be more engaging
• Have more engird
Connections
• Give them satisfaction
• Lower their stress levels
Context
• Increase their motivation
• Make them feel more committed
Accomplishments
• Push through workplace setbacks
Health
• Get enough sleep
• Move regularly
Permaculture Principles
- Observe and Interacts
- Catch & store energy
- Obtain a yield
- Apply self regulation and accept feedback
- Produce no waste
- Use renewable resouces and services
- Design from pattern to detail
- Intergrate rather than segregate
- Use small and slow solutions
- Use and value diversity
- Use edges and value the marginal
- Creatively use and respond to change
Freedom – Animal Welfare
Freedom from hunger and thirst
Freedom from discomfort
Freedom from pain, injury or disease
Freedom from fear and distress
“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.”
- Masanobu Fukuoka