This page is a partial summary. For my full professional history and qualifications, please see my LinkedIn Profile.
Summary
I am a HCPC-registered occupational therapist with a professional research interest in autistic adults.
Throughout my career as a locum in a variety of healthcare settings, I have a proven track record in adapting quickly to fast-changing and uncertain situations, absorbing and managing significant caseloads and developing rapport and effective communication with teams and clients to deliver and clear backlogs. I take a particular interest in identifying and suggesting efficient ways of working to make this possible, especially through the use of new technologies. As a middle manager in a team of fifteen during a pandemic, I have had to rapidly adapt our systems to address the challenges of delivering therapy in an educational setting.
I have a broad skillset, including qualifications in copyediting, digital marketing, and was ordained as a minister and spiritual counsellor by the One Spirit Interfaith Foundation in 2014. I am currently focused on developing my skills in management and strategic leadership with a long-term intention to further influence services to support and empower autistic adults.
I have also taken several non-executive roles, using my experience and skills to provide governance and oversight to several non-profit and public sector institutions in which I have a personal interest.
See what I am focussing on right now.
Experience
Barnet 18-25 Transition Pathway Lead – North London Mental Health Partnership
2023-
Managing a small team transitioning young people with enduring or complex mental health problems from CAMHS to adult mental health services.
Locum Occupational Therapist – London Borough of Redbridge
2023
A short-term agency role delivering EHCP provision to SEND children in mainstream schools in Redbridge. Initial assessments, sensory needs, sensory circuit training, some SEN Tribunal work.
Senior OT Autism Specialist – Barnet, Enfield and Haringey NHS Trust
2022
Managing a small caseload of complex clients to avoid admission or facilitate discharge, while available for consultation by any colleagues in the division who need advice or support working with the autistic clients.
Deputy Team Manager – Barnet, Enfield and Haringey NHS Trust
2020 – 2022
Deputy Team Manager in a community mental health team.
Senior Occupational Therapist – Eagle House Group
2019 – 2020
Full-time role in an independent special school for students with autism, one a primary school ages 4-11 and one a sixth form for 16-18 year olds preparing them for GCSEs and transitioning to further study or vocational work.
Responsible for managing the OT teams on both sites and working with the other Senior Therapist to support the role of OT across the Group.
Liaising with educational staff to develop and deliver functional curricula to teach self-care and self-regulatory skills.
Locum Occupational Therapist – Sugarman Group
– 2019
– Technical Instructor at North London Forensic Service: Running groups and one-to-one support sessions for patients across multiple wards.
– Care Coordinator for Lambeth Early Onset Community Team: Supporting and liaising with clients experiencing their first episode of psychosis.
– Ward Occupational Therapist for the Derwent Centre, Harlow: Assessments, one-to-one support, and some groupwork for patients across multiple wards.
– Occupational Therapist at Barnet Memory Assessment Service: Cognitive Stimulation Therapy Group, follow-up home visits in the community.
– Occupational Therapist at Merton CMHT & Merton Memory Assessment Service – follow-up appointments for existing clients, some care coordination.
– Ward Occupational Therapist at Newham Centre for Mental Health – ADL assessments and groupwork.
– Ward Occupational Therapist at St. Bernard’s Hospital (Ealing)- ADL assessments and groupwork
– Occupational Therapist at Hounslow Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Service – Home visits for OT assessments and equipment.
– Care Coordinator at Lambeth North Promoting Recovery Team – Supporting caseload of clients with a history of psychosis at risk of relapse.
Freelance Copyeditor, Writer and Digital Consultant
– 2016
Clients include:
• Jeff Ditchfield, international author on medical cannabis, published Winter 2013.
• Accessible Geeks, web design company developing accessible websites.
• Preeti Shah, author of Agnostic Spirituality, published Summer 2013.
• Philip Wylie, author of Very Late Diagnosis of Asperger’s published December 2013.
Education
London South Bank University
MSc Occupational Therapy
“Occupational therapy is the assessment and treatment of physical and psychiatric conditions using specific activity to prevent disability and promote independent function in all aspects of daily life. – College of Occupational Therapists”
Two year pre-registration course registered with Health and Care Professions Council and World Federation of Occupational Therapists. There are six consecutive modules broken up with four practice placements in a range of settings and a 12,000 research proposal in the final semester. My specific interests lie in autistic adults, mental health, and assessment.
Dissertation title: “What meaning do Augmented and Alternative Communication applications on iPads have for non-verbal adults with autism as means of communication?”
Squared Online
Certificate in Digital Marketing
The Squared Online Certificate in Digital Marketing is a master’s level distance learning qualification. Created by Google, certified by the IPA the content was crowd sourced by leading employers to meet the need for high calibre digital talent and leadership.
The digital marketing course is taught online over 6 months and features high profile guest speakers such as Sir John Hegarty, founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, and Richard Eyre, Chairman of the Internet Advertising Bureau. Module includes mobile marketing, cross-channel marketing, data analysis, change management and business development.
I chose to undertake this course in order to get a firm grasp of what I did and did not know about digital marketing, and to fill gaps in my knowledge base. Squared is not just about facts, but about creating a framework in which to put the ever-evolving range of tools, websites and marketing mediums to use.
One Spirit Interfaith Foundation
Interfaith Seminary, Ministerial Ordination
Located within the One Spirit Interfaith Foundation, the Interfaith Seminary trains open-hearted men and women in an inclusive global spirituality, to serve people from all faiths or none.
This experiential programme is designed to deepen each person’s awakening process as the basis for effective service. It provides a powerful and supportive structure in which to:
* Study aspects of the world’s major faiths and mystical traditions
* Create and present rituals and ceremonies
* Explore and practise Spiritual Counselling
* Substantially deepen your personal spiritual life and practice
* Refine your capacity to be a loving presence in the world
See http://www.interfaithfoundation.org for more information.
The University of Manchester
BA (Hons), Religions and Theology (69)
Dissertation: Tradition or change: What can three case studies tell us about the changing character of the Anglo-Jewish community?
Manchester Leadership Award (Gold): 60 hours volunteering and 4,000 word report:
How do leaders in voluntary organisations maintain their vision with high staff turnover?
Modules included Advanced Latin and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
University College Cork
Summer school, Ancient Greek
The UCC Summer School highly intensive week summer school, offering nearly two years of instruction in either Latin or Ancient Greek over an 8 week period. It is aimed primarily at postgraduates in any discipline who require knowledge of either language for further study. Classes are for four hours a day in the morning, six days a week, with self-directed study in the afternoon and exams on Saturdays. My overall mark was a First.