S7E10 - Sarah, Nikki & Alyce signing off for 2025

The “slow crawl” quite a few of us are feeling
End-of-year fatigue looks different depending on your role. For some clinicians, cancellations start rolling in and caseloads thin out. For others, it’s the opposite – back-to-back sessions, “just one more appointment”, families trying to squeeze everything in before Christmas, and calendars that don’t breathe until January.

Both experiences can feel unsettling. If your workload drops, it can trigger anxiety about income, targets or whether you should be doing more. If your workload spikes, it can feel like you’re running on fumes and resentment. Either way, your nervous system is picking up on the same theme – there’s not much margin left.

Rest isn’t indulgent, it’s part of ethical practice
There’s a line that keeps coming up in OT spaces because it’s true: you can’t support clients well if you don’t support yourself well. At the end of a year like this, “rest” isn’t just self-care language – it’s a clinical and ethical need. If you’re heading into a break, let it actually be a break. If you’re still working right up to the line, give yourself permission to lower the bar on everything that isn’t essential. The system will still be there in January, and you’ll need your capacity more than you’ll need your inbox to be perfect.

Time blocking isn’t magic, but it does create guardrails
When things feel fragile, structure can be a kindness. Time blocking doesn’t solve systemic issues, but it can stop your week from becoming one long open tab in your brain. It gives you a visual boundary: this is work time, this is admin time, this is life time.

If you’re trialling it, keep it realistic. Build in buffer blocks for the inevitable curveballs, especially at this time of year. Even one protected block that you treat as non-negotiable can reduce the “teetering on the edge” feeling.

Your admin team has carried more than people realise
If you run a practice, this is your nudge to look at your admin team with fresh eyes. Funding periods, plan dates, pricing rules, cancellations, reschedules, changing evidence expectations – admin teams have been absorbing a lot of pressure, often without the same built-in professional development days clinicians receive.

End-of-year appreciation doesn’t need to be extravagant, but it does need to be intentional. A thoughtful gesture, an early finish, a proper thank you, a team day that isn’t just more output in disguise – these things matter. They’re also part of retention, culture, and sustainability, even if they don’t show up neatly in a spreadsheet.

Next steps for your January list
If you’re mapping out a gentle return after the holidays, consider adding a short, focused “sector scan” week. One block for the NDIA pricing workplan, one block for the pricing review consultation if you plan to contribute and one block for paediatric clinicians to explore the early childhood intervention framework.

If you’d like practical support translating these updates into business decisions, service design and team training, explore the learning and resources inside Verve OT Learning, and share this article with someone who’s crawling to the finish line too.

What the NDIA’s three-year pricing workplan means for OTs
The NDIA has released a three-year pricing workplan covering its approach through 2025–2028. The key message is staged change rather than sudden shifts, with an emphasis on data gathering first, then design and targeted implementation, then refinement.

While there’s nothing you need to action immediately today, it’s worth putting on your January list. The workplan signals future directions the sector has been hearing rumours about for a while, including the possibility of outcomes-based payments and tiered pricing models. The details will matter, especially for therapy providers trying to plan staffing, pricing assumptions and service models with any confidence.

If you want to influence the conversation, the NDIA’s 2025–26 Annual Pricing Review consultation is open until 8 February 2026. If you’ve been holding back because it feels like decisions are already made, that feeling is understandable, but collective submissions still shape the evidence base the NDIA says it’s building.

A big update for paediatric early intervention
If you work in early childhood intervention, the National Best Practice Framework for Early Childhood Intervention is now available, along with practitioner resources. It sets out what high-quality, evidence-informed support looks like and is designed to guide practice, service design and implementation.

It’s a substantial body of material, so treat it as something to explore in chunks rather than trying to consume in one sitting. Even skimming it with a “what would this mean for our policies, onboarding and clinical reasoning?” lens can be useful. For teams training new grads, it’s also a strong reference point for aligning expectations around quality, family-centred practice and consistency across clinicians.

Looking ahead without adding pressure
A helpful professional intention for 2026 isn’t necessarily “do more”. Sometimes it’s “do less, with clearer boundaries”. For some OTs, that might look like protecting one day a week for deep work or recovery. For others, it might be not working evenings and weekends, even if that means saying no more often.

And if your goal is visibility – presenting, writing, building community, learning platforms like LinkedIn or Instagram – it’s worth acknowledging the effort that takes. Putting yourself out there is work. It’s also a way the OT community keeps sharing knowledge, calling out what isn’t working and backing each other through the messier seasons.

As the year closes, it’s okay if your only intention for now is to rest and reset. The work will still be there in January, and you’ll be better placed to meet it after you’ve had space to breathe.

Thank you for tuning in, listening, sharing and showing up alongside us throughout the year. Your support, feedback and honesty are what make these conversations matter. We’re signing off for a well-earned break and look forward to being back with you in 2026.