SPARK

Registrations for Term 4 2024 are now open

Check Eligibility for Telethon Subsidy SPARK Program Flyer

SPARK

What is SPARK?

SPARK is a collaborative group therapy program developed by ADHD WA to support parents/carers, children and adolescents in their ADHD journey. The SPARK Program aims to increase understanding, equip parents and carers with supportive strategies and provide primary and secondary school aged children with practical skills to support them to thrive at home, school and in the community.

SPARK has 3 different programs areas split between primary school age and secondary school age groups. The 3 programs each run for 6-weeks and are facilitated by the ADHD WA clinical team consisting of Neuropsychologists and Psychologists.

The program format resembles a small interactive and engaging classroom, including workbooks, breaks, and activities.

Who are the different SPARK Programs for?

  • SPARK Your Support
    for Parents/Carers to learn skills to support their child.
  • SPARK Your Potential
    Parent/Carer and child attend together and collaborate together to develop executive function skills (eg organisation and time management).
  • SPARK Your Resilience
    Parent/Carer and child attend together and collaborate together to better understand emotions and friendships to help build resilience and social skills.

Each SPARK Program runs at least twice a year for both age groups (primary and secondary).

Tell me more about the 3 programs and when they run…

We would love to! Click the headings below:

🟣 SPARK Your Support (Parent/Carer)

🟣 SPARK Your Support
This 6-week program focuses on equipping the parents and carers of primary and secondary school-aged children with strategies on how to support those in their care with ADHD.

Weekly Focus Areas for the SPARK Your Support Program:

  1. Understanding ADHD, parenting, and behaviour
  2. Family relationships, values, and health/wellness
  3. Emotion regulation, shared expectations, supports, and rewards
  4. Behaviour agreements and consequences 1: increasing positive behaviours
  5. Behaviour agreements and consequences 2: decreasing problem behaviours
  6. Trouble shooting; further tips and tricks for an ADHD household

Following the SPARK Your Support Program, Parents/Carers will be equipped to:

  • Understand the link between ADHD and behaviour difficulties
  • Use connection and quality time to improve your relationship with your child
  • Scaffold and support to increase the likelihood of your child carrying out daily tasks
  • Problem solve collaboratively with your child to reach a shared understanding
  • Help your child to manage strong emotions when things don’t go their way
  • Agree on natural consequences with your child and follow through on these calmly

When the SPARK Your Support Program will run in 2024:

  • Term 1 – Primary Parent/Carer | Fridays starting 9 Feb ending 15 March
  • Term 2 – Secondary Parent/Carer| Fridays starting 3 May ending 7 June
  • Term 3 – Primary Parent/Carer | Tuesdays starting 16 July ending 20 August
  • * Term 3 – Secondary Parent/Carer | Saturdays starting 20 July ending 24 August
  • * Term 4 – Primary Parent/Carer | Tuesdays starting 8 Oct, ending 12 Nov
  • * Term 4 – Secondary Parent/Carer | Saturdays starting 12 Oct ending 16 Nov
  • Term 4 – Secondary Parent/Carer| Saturdays starting 12 Oct ending 16 Nov

* Telethon Subsidised Program | Check Eligibility for Telethon Subsidy

Times for Weekday Programs: 4:30pm – 6:00pm
Times for Saturday Programs: 9:00am – 10:30am

Location:
ADHD WA Hub – 109 Montgomery Ave, Mount Claremont
or next door at the Mount Claremont Community Centre.
* The Telethon Subsidised Program may also run at a location south of the river in Term 3 and 4.

🟢 SPARK Your Potential (Parent/Carer + Child)

🟢 SPARK Your Potential
This 6-week program focuses on developing executive function skills (eg organisation and time management) for primary and secondary school-aged children together with a parent/carer.

Weekly Focus Areas for the SPARK Your Potential Program:

  1. Understanding ADHD and executive function, goal setting
  2. Maximising wellness, working together
  3. Getting a system in place for homework
  4. Managing barriers to application and follow through
  5. Prioritising, deadlines, and getting down to work
  6. Projects, tests, making notes, and study sessions

Following the SPARK Your Support Potential Program, attendees will be equipped to:

  • Set goals collaboratively (parent/carer + child)
  • Improve motivation and wellness for both parent/carer and child
  • Develop a clear system for tracking homework tasks
  • Use scaffolding and support to ensure there is a clear framework for organisation tasks
  • Address blocks to completion of homework and organisation tasks
  • Complete homework sessions by prioritising, breaking tasks down, and checking in at the end

When the SPARK Your Potential Program will run in 2024:

  • Term 1 – Primary Child + Parent/Carer | Mondays starting 5 Feb ending 18 March
  • Term 2 – Secondary Child + Parent/Carer | Thursdays starting 2 May ending 6 June
  • Term 3 – Primary Child + Parent/Carer | Thursdays starting 25 July ending 29 August
  • Term 4 – Secondary Child + Parent/Carer | Saturdays starting 12 Oct ending 16 Nov
  • * Term 4 – Secondary Child + Parent/Carer | Saturdays starting 12 Oct ending 16 Nov
  • * Term 4 – Lower Primary Child (Year 1-3) + Parent/Carer | Thursdays starting 10 Oct ending 14 Nov

* Telethon Subsidised Program | Check Eligibility for Telethon Subsidy

Times for Weekday Programs: 4:30pm – 6:00pm
Times for Saturday Programs: 2:00pm – 3:30pm

Location:
ADHD WA Hub – 109 Montgomery Ave, Mount Claremont
or next door at the Mount Claremont Community Centre.
* The Telethon Subsidised Program may also run at a location south of the river in Term 3 and 4.

🔵 SPARK Your Resilience (Parent/Carer + Child)

🔵 SPARK Your Resilience
This 6-week program focuses on better understanding emotions and friendships to help build resilience and social skills for primary and secondary school-aged children together with a parent/carer.

Weekly Focus Areas for the SPARK Your Resilience Program:

  1. Understanding stress, triggers, and emotions
  2. Managing difficult emotions, enhancing wellness
  3. Unhelpful and helpful thinking patterns, and problem solving
  4. Resilient thinking styles, values, and character strengths
  5. Positive friendship behaviours: empathy, reading the room, chatting, compromising
  6. Handling social difficulties: disagreements, teasing/belittling

Following the SPARK Your Support Resilience Program, participants will be equipped to:

  • Understand and recognise stress, triggers, and emotions
  • Manage difficult emotions, enhancing wellness
  • Recognise unhelpful and helpful thinking patterns
  • Use resilient thinking styles, values, and character strengths
  • Implement positive friendship behaviours: empathy, reading the room, chatting, compromising
  • Better handle social difficulties: disagreements, teasing/belittling

When the SPARK Your Resilience Program will run in 2024:

  • Term 1 – Secondary Child + Parent/Carer | Thursdays starting 8 Feb ending 14 March
  • Term 2 – Primary Child + Parent/Carer | Mondays starting 22 April ending 27 May
  • * Term 3 – Primary Child + Parent/Carer | Mondays starting 15 July ending 26 August (South of the River location)
  • * Term 3 – Lower Primary (Year 1-3) Child + Parent/Carer| Wednesdays starting 17 July, ending 21 August
  • Term 3 – Secondary Child + Parent/Carer | Mondays starting 29 July ending 2 Sept
  • Term 4 – Primary Child + Parent/Carer| Thursdays starting 24 Oct ending 28 Nov
  • * Term 4 – Upper Primary (Year 4-6) Child + Parent/Carer| Wednesdays starting 9 Oct, ending 13 Nov
  • * Term 4 – Secondary Child + Parent/Carer| Saturdays starting 12 Oct ending 16 Nov

* Telethon Subsidised Program | Check Eligibility for Telethon Subsidy

Times for Weekday Programs: 4:30pm – 6:00pm
Times for Telethon Subsidised Saturday Programs: 11:00am-12:30pm

Location:
ADHD WA Hub – 109 Montgomery Ave, Mount Claremont
or next door at the Mount Claremont Community Centre.
* The Telethon Subsidised Program may also run at a location south of the river in Term 3 and 4.

Register for the ADHD WA SPARK Programs:

Programs run at the 🏡 ADHD WA Hub – 109 Montgomery Ave, Mount Claremont WA

🟣 SPARK Your Support
Term 4: Secondary Parent/Carer – starting Saturday 12 October ⏰ 9:00am – 10:30am  – register

🟢 SPARK Your Potential
Term 4: Secondary Child + Parent/Carer – starting Saturday 12 October ⏰ 2:00pm – 3:30pm – register

🔵 SPARK Your Resilience
Term 4: Primary Child + Parent/Carer – starting Thursday 24 October ⏰ 4:30pm – 6:00pm – register

Telethon Subsidy

ADHD WA is thrilled to have received a Telethon grant which enables us to offer the three SPARK Programs at a subsidised cost to more families in the community.

Check Eligibility for Telethon Subsidy

Group Therapy Program FAQ

What is the Medicate rebate and how do I access it?

For participants who are eligible, ADHD WA Group Therapy Programs are offered under Medicare’s Better Access Initiative, namely Group Therapy. To obtain the rebate, participants who are eligible need to provide ADHD WA with specialist referral to the program from their psychiatrist, paediatrician, or a Mental Health Plan and referral from their GP stating the Group Therapy Item Number.

How much is the rebate?
If eligible, the rebate should be a minimum of approx $31 per session attended.
You must supply your referral and Mental Health Care Plan prior to the commencement of the program in order to receive the Medicare Rebate.

A referral must:
1. Include Group Therapy Item Number listed in the course details above
2. Dated before the start date of the program
Note: you do not need a referral to book or participate.

How do I claim the rebate?
For those who have an eligible referral, a receipt per session attended will be emailed to them following attendance at a session. These receipts can be used to claim the Medicare rebate.

Please note that Medicare rebates cannot be claimed for sessions which the member does not attend and it is a Medicare requirement that a minimum of 4 participants attend in order for any participants to get the rebate. We cannot guarantee the rebate due to participant non-attendance should total numbers fall below the minimum requirement of 4.

Private Health Care

If you wish to access your private healthcare cover, please check with your provider if you are entitled to a rebate from your private health insurance policy.

Who facilitates and runs the group therapy programs?

At ADHD WA we have an excellent team of clinicians who run and facilitate group therapy programs.
The team consists of Clinical Neuropsychologists, Clinical Neuropsychologist Registrars and Clinical Psychologists Registrar.
Click here to meet the team 

Do I need a formal ADHD diagnosis to attend a Group Therapy Program?

No.
ADHD WA Group Therapy Programs and services are for people with or without formal ADHD diagnosis.

What Group Therapy Medicare Item Number do I include in my referral?

Acing University – 80122
Boosting Productivity – 80022
Emotional Regulation – 80122
Romantic Relationships – 80022
Mindful Self Compassion – 80122
Getting Better Sleep – 80122
SPARK – 80022

Although it is recommended to put down “80122/80022”

Expression of Interest (EOI):

Be informed of future dates: Complete a SPARK EOI form

Questions?

Please contact our friendly team at the ADHD WA Hub: 
📧 Email: hello@adhdwa.org
📞 Telephone: (08) 6255 8880

For any questions regarding SPARK Telethon please contact Susie, the SPARK Telethon Coordinator:
📧 Email: spark.telethon@adhdwa.org
📞 Telephone: (08) 6255 8880