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The University of South Australia
will conduct an evidence-based
research study into the benefits of
Immersion Therapy this year thanks
to funding from the Lifetime Support
Authority.
Program Director for Clinical
Intimate Encounters team L-R Liam
Knierim, Denise Beckwith, Dieter
Knierim and Belinda Mason.
Exercise Physiology at UniSA Dr Kade
Davison said a lot of thought has
gone into how to best capture the
benefits from a scientific standpoint.
“It’s clear that the participants
are getting benefits but the
challenge for us is because the client
base is so diverse in their medical
history, how do we measure what the
benefits are, because the benefits
are quite different for each person,”
he said.
“What Peter has set up is such
Filmmakers fund
E
merging filmmakers
with disability Samia
Halabi, Dieter Knierem
and Daniel Monks have been
chosen to lead three teams in
creating short films through
the Create NSW Screenability
Filmmakers Fund.
A Muslim woman overcoming
Each project receives a
$30,000 grant from Create NSW,
executive producer assistance,
and will be considered for
screening as part of the 65th
Sydney Film Festival in June.
The Screenability Filmmakers
Fund is part of a suite of initiatives
under Screenability NSW, an
a unique therapeutic approach and a childhood speech impediment open-ended policy commitment by
anecdotally it seems to be having is the focus of Samia’s Tip Of Create NSW to work with industry to
really amazing outcomes but some My Tongue, Dieter’s Intimate create opportunities for Australian
of the funding bodies need more Encounters will revisit the subjects filmmakers with disability.
rigorous evidence. of 1998 portraits exploring
The three shorts (each up to 15
“So we’ve come on board to try sexuality and disability, and minutes long) will be filmed and
to put some rigour around evaluating Daniel’s Broken will tell the produced in NSW for delivery by
what the outcomes are and providing personal tale of the impact of the end of March.
the research evidence that validates disability in a gay relationship.
www.screen.nsw.gov.au
what they are seeing anecdotally.”
Peter said Immersion Therapy was
designed to complement existing strength in those muscles by doing have been able to reduce their
therapies, not replace them. it,” he said. medication; people on medication
“The fact that people are
“It’s also just the joy people get
for depression or anxiety are able
underwater and moving against from our service – generally people’s to either stop those altogether or
resistance, every movement they wellbeing is significantly increased. heavily reduce them.”
make means they are building A lot of people on pain medication
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