Post 1 - About Me

 I thought I'd do a little introductory blog post.  My name is Lizzy and I'm embarking on a new venture with my small business.  I'm an HCPC registered Specialist Occupational Therapist and have been qualified for over 20 years (how am I that old?!).  I've had the pleasure of working in the NHS all of that time and still do.  

Why set up a business to work privately as an Occupational Therapist/Coach?  Well why not? I like trying new things and I feel like I have a lot of information, knowledge and skills that others would benefit from. I have worked privately for a few years in the past but never really marketed myself then.  This time I'm going for a social media approach alongside working with individuals/families (social media links below).  

My clinical experience includes child and adolescent mental health (CAMHS) and adult mental health and I am particularly interested in working with those with neurodevelopmental differences/conditions such as autism and ADHD.  I can provide sensory assessments and can offer recommendations and advice to schools and workplaces on reasonable inclusive accommodations to support students/employees.  I am also experienced in supporting young people and adults experiencing anxiety difficulties using a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy approach.  

As well as my clinical knowledge and experience, I'd also like to offer coaching.  I'm thinking along the lines of supporting/coaching others where I use my knowledge and experience as a clinician but also as a parent of an autistic child myself.  Perhaps there are adults or parents/carers/siblings who would benefit from my experience in terms of preparing for an neurodevelopmental assessment; adjusting to a neurodevelopmental diagnosis; preparing for a school meeting; completing disability benefit applications and so on.  I have learned so lot as a mum and a clinician and I'd love to be able to share that, if it is helpful to others on their journey.  

My other interests and possible areas for coaching are perimenopause and neonatal post-discharge support - both of these are non-clinical and based on my lived experience and knowledge gained through this.  

I have a busy family life outside of work.  My children are 18, 16 and 4 and I live in Aberdeen.  My hobbies include organising things (this is life!); camping with my family (very new this year); listening to informative and funny podcasts; audiobooks and making my own greetings cards.  

Social media links: Instagram    Facebook     Twitter

Thanks for reading and let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know :)