Thoughts From a Therapist: Working at an Environmental Level

Originally published on Sensory Integration Education on 28 April 2022.

Thoughts From a Therapist is a regular series written by Advanced SI Practitioner Anna Willis about something that piqued her professional interest or inspired her in some way over the last month. Anna, an occupational therapist and owner of Active Play Therapies, has over 10 years of experience working with children and adults with a range of learning disabilities and autism. This month, Anna reflects on a recent mentoring session:

“This term I’m taking on an exciting project. Rather than individual assessments and therapy, my independent OT practice has been commissioned by the NHS to work with 12 local schools with the aim to reduce levels of exclusion of neurodiverse students. The remit has been broad and I’ve been given free reign to design and implement what the OT input in this project looks like. The brief specifies it is not to work with individual students, but not much beyond this.

“I’ve found the concept incredibly liberating. Working at an environmental level feels so logical as an OT. I spend a long time writing recommendations for individuals OT reports. Realistically, as OTs, we know that our recommendations can all too often get buried in piles of other reports and paperwork, and teachers already have so much on their To Do lists, that things end up getting overlooked. 

“Instead, this term I get to work with staff and look at environment, culture, approaches and blend in new ways of working, environmental adaptations and staff consultation to really shift things for whole schools.

“I’m offering training, consultations, school site visits and video call support. I’m currently pondering offering short video content too, to recap or introduce key approaches, resources or ideas.

“My first reaction when approached about this project was “I can’t – I haven’t got the time!” But then I realised, if it works, it will save time overall. It will allow so many more students to benefit, rather than just those we assess individually. I look forward to updating you all on how I get on!”