Hey, I am Lynsay,
I have been an OT for thirty years, and I still love it. I have spent most of my career working with children, young people and families from birth to 25 years old. A significant amount of that time has been spent in school and college-based environments. Working with this client group is brilliant. On some occasions, I meet young people at various stages of their lives and educational journey, and I have the pleasure of witnessing the impact of occupational therapy on their skills and mindset.
In 2015, after 20 years in the NHS, I decided to move into independent practice and become self-employed. I aimed to improve my work-life balance and create the space I wanted for my family. Being self-employed gave me this space. In all honesty, when I left the NHS, I was burnt out; work and life were not aligning, and the resulting friction I experienced was impacting my overall well-being.
Independent practice was great as work and life once again became aligned. I could make choices and work flexibly, meeting both my needs and those of my family. However, in 2020, I started to experience back pain and felt it was time to reduce my clinical work. This was hard as I love my job, but the reality of pain made me quickly realise that diversifying my practice was essential.
I am an OT through and through, so I need to explore what’s next. I didn’t want to give up clinical work altogether; I wanted something to complement it. So, I considered my other passions within occupational therapy. The answer was simple: supervision. I have always engaged in and delivered supervision. During the pandemic, I set up a peer support group with former NHS colleagues. I also supported OTs and early career therapists online, an experience I valued. The success of this prompted me to explore whether it could be the next chapter of my OT career and a business opportunity.
First, I undertook a PG certificate in clinical supervision. It was enjoyable taking a deeper dive alongside colleagues from other disciplines. I developed a model of long-arm occupational therapy supervision that reflected the approach I believed would benefit OTs and something I wanted to deliver, while also being evidence-informed. It is on my to-do list to publish this; however, I did share it at the RCOT CYPF conference in November 2024. You can find a free PDF of this model on my website.
For me, OT supervision is not just the chance to change direction or set up a new arm of my OT business, but it is part of a bigger mission to do it differently. Like you, I have experienced a variety of styles and approaches to supervision throughout my career. Traditionally, it focuses on productivity, service needs or development and is often service led. My passion was to create something that was person-centred. We are missing opportunities in supervision to support one another, as evidenced by OTs leaving the profession at early career stages. Those with experience are also experiencing burnout, both in the UK and internationally.
I believe we need to focus on the variety of skills we possess as OTs, ones that consider our whole selves, both personally and professionally, our occupational balance and our OT businesses. We need to place the individual and their well-being at the core; supporting OTs to feel aligned in practice and life, respecting boundaries and values and identifying in advance where these can result in friction within services and OT business. My model and supervisory practice reflect this.
I provide OT supervision in the online space, serving as a long-arm supervisor, also known as an external supervisor. My business comprises both one-to-one and group supervision, primarily to independent UK-based occupational therapists, with some NHS colleagues also reaching out. I am also creating OT supervision training, scheduled for release in Autumn 2025, to support OTs in upskilling their supervisory practice.
It’s OT supervision with a difference, and I’m proud of that. You set the agenda, and I’ll meet you there. We cover professional and personal skills, OT business, and your well-being to explore and support your unique occupational balance.
I offer a private community where OTs can connect, ask questions, share resources and celebrate each other’s successes, ensuring they never feel isolated; your own cheerleading team. I create space to support the documentation of our continuing professional development (CPD). We are all good at participating in CPD activities, but not so great at recording them. To address this, I hold a monthly implementation session where we come together to focus on recording our CPD and creating a quiet yet collective space to work. I provide ‘made for you’ wellbeing practices, short and practical, that you can add to your day or week. Created by wellbeing practitioners giving breathwork and somatic practices.
I believe I offer something unique, more than supervision – it’s a community. A space to bring all the parts you need as a therapist and OT business owner, put them down for a moment and reset, ready to pick up what you need and carry on being a fabulous OT. The aim is to honour ‘you’, your needs, your occupational balance, to grow your confidence and for you to step into alignment so you can enjoy all the things you need and want to do, not just in work but in life.
If you’d like to know more or get in touch, please don’t hesitate. I love a cuppa and a chat.
Email contact: Lynsay@OTsupervisor.com
Website: www.otsupervisor.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lynsay.mcfarlaneshaw
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Lynsay.McFarlaneShaw
