Managing Director
I learnt about Occupational Therapy in my mid to late teens as two of my brothers had Occupational Therapists - of course they were doing very different things as Occupational Therapy is so diverse! One was working on a behavioural programme for one of my brothers with a learning disability who was struggling to understand what he could and couldn`t do in public, as well as adapting our bathroom for him. The other was an upper limb and hand specialist as one of my other brothers had a tendon release, and once I was driving I took him to his hand therapy post-surgery for a few months. I got it straight away - it`s about helping someone be as independent as possible whatever their injury/ illness and the environmental barriers. My parents adopted 5 children - 4 had a mixture of physical, learning/cognitive disabilities and mental health diagnoses. My parents were all about all of us living our best life, so Occupational Therapy just made complete sense!
I love working with such inspiring people who get to take the time to really get to know their clients and their individual challenges and what’s most important to them – then help them achieve their goals. Not a day goes by I don’t get goose bumps. And from my childhood, not doing something for someone they could do for themselves really resonates. It’s so important and meaningful for people to be independent in the things they want to be independent in, even if it takes them longer or they have to do it a different way. That sense of autonomy is actually also part of our sense of self and taking it away – even to be helpful – is really damaging and quite belittling. But at Think Therapy 1st the whole team get that entirely and so it’s about empowerment and support and facilitation. And it’s not our achievement either – it’s the clients. I like that there are no pants being worn on the outside with a matching cape! The team will support the client journey but we don’t claim it as our own.
Meaningful, fast-paced, joyful.
I’m happiest in nature, especially with animals. Being quiet, reading, learning, expanding my understanding. We have re-homed sheep, hens and geese. The hens and geese are quite noisy but the sheep know how to chill so we have a bench in with them and go and do what we call ‘sheeptation’ – so not quite meditation but you just go and be with them. On a nice day that’s where I’ll be.
