Heather joined the multi-disciplinary team at Richardson Care in June 2023 and supports service users to increase their overall mental and emotional well-being as well as their functional abilities.

Rebuilding self-identity

Engaging in meaningful occupations, such as voluntary work, cultural or leisure activities, helps individuals to rebuild their self-identity, which can be seriously impacted by brain injury. As a specialist neurological occupational therapist, Heather plays a crucial role in enabling people with a brain injury or other neurological condition to transition into volunteering or other vocational occupations.

Heather says: “I love cognitive behavioural rehabilitation because it encompasses the whole person. I love the challenge of thinking about the person: What do they need? What do they want to do? What makes them who they are? And how do we help them to do it?

“My role involves understanding the service users’ cognitive deficits and working out strategies to help them mitigate these and manage their condition to participate in what they want to do. By facilitating volunteering in the workplace, we use the work environment as a therapeutic platform. This means that we devise a strategy in the workplace which can increase someone’s abilities elsewhere.

Devising strategies

“We need to break down each activity into its different elements so that they can be applied to different situations. I help individuals identify effective strategies to manage their symptoms and challenges. This might include cognitive strategies for memory and attention or physical strategies for managing fatigue and mobility issues.

“It’s also important to build up tolerance and stamina. We do this by gradually increasing the duration and complexity of tasks, ensuring individuals can engage in activities without becoming overwhelmed.”

“In addition, we modify tasks to match the individual’s current abilities and gradually increase the difficulty as they progress. This ensures that the activities remain challenging yet achievable, promoting continuous improvement and skill development.”

Some of the occupational placements that Heather has set up for service users at Richardson Care include working as a mechanic, working in a library, gardening and groundwork projects, DJ-ing, shop work and furniture cleaning and restoration.

Regaining a sense of purpose

Heather adds: “I love the variety in my role and thinking outside the box to support people to follow their interests. By participating in meaningful occupations, people can rediscover their strengths and capabilities and gain a new sense of purpose, helping to increase their confidence and self-worth. These are all essential for overall mental and emotional well-being, and I love that aspect of my work.

“I love learning from all the people that I work with because their lived experience helps to inform what I do. I think it’s important to allow people to make their own decisions and take calculated risks.

Training and Qualifications:

• UK Matheson trained Functional Capacity Evaluator
• CBT-I / REST for insomnia
• Motivational Interviewing
• Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner
• Certified in the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS)
• BSc(Hons) Occupational Therapy