Initial consultation

Prior to your initial consultation, Danielle will have researched your case with all available information detailed in your referral and other medical correspondence, if applicable. You will have had the opportunity to complete a range of questionnaires, which assist in understanding the nature and severity of your complaints. Completion of these questionnaires also allows us to measure change across treatment sessions. If you haven’t completed these questionnaires and are interested in doing so, click here.

The initial consultation is typically 60 minutes in length. This allows time for a detailed case history, allowing you time to explain your concerns in detail. The consultation also allows time for relevant clinical assessment, education and if appropriate, a trial of any initial treatment which you can then take away with you to practice.

In some cases, we recommend additional assessment in our combined voice & swallow clinic with our Ear Nose & Throat surgeon colleagues. This enables us to perform a flexible nasendoscopy to diagnose conditions such as inducible laryngeal obstruction or when we have further concerns about your voice, swallow or cough symptoms that may require the opinion of an ENT specialist.

Case history

We have researched the most effective methods of case history taking, to ensure we understand you the best we can. A thorough and individualised case history will allow us to hypothesise a diagnosis, if applicable. Our aim is to understand all aspects of your problem, including factors that may have predisposed you to the problem in the first place, alongside factors that may be perpetuating the issue. This will inform our treatment planning to ensure intervention is multi-faceted, if necessary.

Therapy sessions

Often, the first 1-2 sessions involve both assessment and treatment. We aim to commence treatment in the first session to allow you can take something away to help. How you respond to this treatment also assists us in better understanding your problems. Our treatment approach is towards self-management; to enable you to work as independently as possible with our guidance. Research tells us this is the most effective way to facilitate change.

Depending on your individual case, we typically recommend 2-4 weeks between the initial consultation and your first treatment session. Ideally, we then recommend a review in another 4-6 weeks to give you time to practise. This is, however, always flexible and dependent upon your unique needs.

Waitlist

There is a wait to see us, however, Danielle triages all referrals to ensure those who require more urgent care are seen as quickly as possible. There is also flexibility if choosing telehealth services, where we can often see you within one week of referral if needed. Sometimes, telehealth can be an ideal start to an assessment and treatment program. There is a cancellation list managed by our reception team at the Sleep & Breathing Specialist Centre.