OTs Doing it Differently

I have been an occupational therapist since 1998, initially following a traditional path in the NHS. However, I did not take the conventional rotational post, opting instead for a role in adult mental health that bridged community and acute settings. Over the years, I worked across various NHS environments, including day services, older people’s mental health, community hospitals, and intermediate care. Despite my commitment, I became disenchanted with the system early on in my career and transitioned into academia, securing…

Claire Stevens

June 17, 2025

Jen Gash

Business Development for OTs, Inspiration, OTs Doing it Differently, Taking action, making plans

I had a traditional start to my occupational therapy career in that I did a broad-based rotational job which took me through acute medicine, rehabilitation, rheumatology, vascular surgery, care of the older person and inpatient and outpatient trauma and orthopaedics. I worked within a very cohesive occupational therapy team at a fantastic district general hospital and when I got a senior post in Trauma and Orthopaedics, it felt like I was probably in there for the long haul. One fateful…

Doing Work That Matters; A Discussion between Rhiannon Crispe and Jen Gash

November 3, 2021

Jen Gash

If you haven’t “met” Rhiannon Crispe and her fabulous work creating and running The OT Lifestyle Movement, you really are missing out. With a fabulous podcast (more about that in a mo) a growing and active Facebook community, Rhiannon has created something very special. Here is the truly inspiring and juicy introduction on the website: “We believe in a holistic approach to healthcare and creating sustainable behaviour change through lifestyle optimisation. We believe in a back-to-basics approach to living well; real food,…

Occupational Therapists doing it differently: Alice McGarvie

February 22, 2018

After working for a couple of years in the NHS, within mental health and learning disabilities, I became frustrated with the lack of resources for running creative groups as well as the volume of paperwork and generic work that kept me at my desk and away from my occupational therapy clients. I felt I wasn’t able to practice as the holistic, creative, problem solving occupational therapist that I wanted to be. I’d always enjoyed music and playing instruments, (piano, accordion…

The OT Hub

February 20, 2018

Jamie moved from London in 2015, to train as an Occupational Therapist at the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol.With past experiences in hospitality, television production and student radio, he took a new direction. After spending a year as a mental health support worker, he discovered that a career in health care better matched his values and would tick a lot of boxes! In his final few months at UWE Bristol, Jamie has occupational therapy placement experience in stroke rehabilitation, community rapid response and within a young…

OTs Doing it Differently: Dr Lynne Goodacre, Letting go of being in the room

January 18, 2018

The inspiration for this post came from a comment Jen made in her last ezine when writing about her drives with her daughter: She faces forward and we don’t need to make eye contact. This is really helpful in terms of freeing up our brains to do their own sorting and regulating and so helpful in coaching, which is why I enjoy telephone coaching so much. This comment really resonated with me in terms of my coaching journey and my…

OTs Doing it Differently: Julia PFLAUM, Occupational Therapy and ADHD

January 18, 2018

I work in a clinic for adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which is a fascinating area to work in. I started in a new Occupational Therapy role in the clinic at the beginning of the year as it expands to offer more psychosocial interventions. Adult ADHD has been established as a diagnosis only relatively recently and many of our referrals are from people who have contacted their GP after having a child diagnosed or learning about ADHD in…

OTs DOING IT DIFFERENTLY: Lyndsey Barrett, Sport For Confidence

January 12, 2018

Senior Occupational Therapist, Lyndsey Barrett worked in the NHS for 19 years. Towards the end of this period she began to question whether the traditional delivery methods employed by the NHS are always the most effective means of achieving positive client outcomes on a large scale. As a keen netball player, Lyndsey was very aware that regular physical activity, delivered in a controlled, safe, mainstream, environment could provide the perfect setting to achieve positive occupational outcomes. So, in 2015, Lyndsey joined…

OTs doing it differently…. Rachel Wilson

January 10, 2018