Occupational Therapist - Nic

About Nic

Hi, I’m Nic and I’m a UK-based, HCPC registered occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience. I am also a registered professional member of The Royal College of Occupational Therapists and have a PG Cert in Autism.

I look at where your strengths lie and how these can be better utilised.

I can help support you in identifying what reasonable adjustments you might need and want at your workplace/school/university, and how to ask for them.

I offer a package where we can discuss what difficulties you are experiencing at work, and what recommendations/accommodations would help you return to or remain at work. This is an official ‘AHP Health and Work Report’, which you can then share with your employer and/or your GP. I can also support you with many other aspects around employment.

I practice within the neurodiversity paradigm and am neurodivergent-affirmative – meaning that I don’t see being Autistic or otherwise neurodivergent as a disorder or a condition, or something to be ‘fixed’. I see it as a difference in neurotype and I support people with any difficulties and challenges they experience. I do this by looking at how best to adapt their environment and help them and others to understand their differences better and find strategies that work for them.

As an occupational therapist, I look at the activities (‘occupations’) in your life that you might be struggling with and help you to find practical strategies and solutions to remove or reduce the barriers you’re experiencing.

This includes all the things that you have to do, want to do, or are expected to do, and can be in any area of your life. For example:

– Socialising
– Communicating with others
– All aspects of employment and managing in the workplace
– Household tasks
– Self-care
– Family life
– Parenting
– Hobbies/interests
– Studying
– Schooling

Sensory Processing:

We all experience the world differently through our senses, and neurodivergent people very often have different sensory experiences to others. Knowing our own unique sensory profile can have a profoundly positive effect on managing our emotions and energy levels.

I offer a standardised sensory profile assessment: the Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile and the child version (which is well respected amongst many schools), and/or an informal sensory processing exploration, to help both adults and children understand themselves better. This assessment is beneficial to anyone, neurodivergent or not.

With this knowledge, we can then look at how to change the environment to better suit your needs (e.g., home, school, workplace), and how to help others understand your differences and needs better.

I can help support you to explain any challenges you might have in informing others that you’re Autistic/neurodivergent, and help to boost your confidence and ability in advocating for yourself.

Parent support:

There is a lot of misinformation about neurodiversity and being neurodivergent, which can make it difficult for others to understand.

As a parent, I understand the difficulties parents of Autistic children face with schooling, education, other parents, societal expectations…… Therefore I can offer support, guidance, and signposting with this; all absolutely without judgement.

I provide post-autism assessment support for adults, children and/or parents of Autistic children and adults, who have recently been officially identified as Autistic. This support is also for people who identify as Autistic or think their child(ren) might be but have not been formally assessed.

My sessions are person-centred and will be led by what you feel is important, and I am very happy to conduct them in any form that’s most comfortable for you. This could be video call, email, text, phone call, whattever is your preferred method of communication. You don’t have to have your camera on, and if you do, please free to move around and be yourself, without needing to ask or explain.

It will be a very relaxed session, and we can be as focused on one subject or as varied as you like.

I use the combination of my occupational therapy skills and lived experience of being neurodivergent/ADHD, along with having neurodivergent children, to help others.

I look forward to meeting and supporting you on your journey

Cancellation Policy: If you need to cancel, please try to let me know no later than 48 hours prior to your appointment, so I have enough time to fill the place. Otherwise, I will have to charge for the full session. Thank you.