What is Mental Health Occupational Therapy?
Mental Health Occupational Therapy explores how our mental health, emotions, bodies and life experiences shape the way we live, relate to others and engage in everyday life.
Our relationships, environments and routines all affect our wellbeing. When we experience stress, anxiety, burnout, trauma or significant life changes, it can become difficult to feel connected to ourselves, manage daily responsibilities or engage in the things that bring meaning to our lives.
As a Mental Health Occupational Therapist, I offer a supportive, non-judgemental space where we can slow down and explore what you are experiencing. Together, we look beyond symptoms to understand your unique experiences, needs and strengths, and how these are organised in your daily life.
My approach is holistic, person-centred and trauma-informed. I am particularly interested in the connection between mind and body, and in how awareness of our sensations, emotions and patterns can help us understand ourselves more deeply. Alongside practical, everyday strategies, sessions may include mindfulness, sensory awareness, gentle movement, breathwork and other body-based approaches, depending on your needs and what feels right for you.
Our work is guided by you, at a pace that feels comfortable. The aim is to support you in building self-awareness, developing a more compassionate relationship with yourself, and finding ways of living that feel meaningful, sustainable and aligned with who you are.
What is Hakomi?
Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy is a gentle, experiential approach to therapy developed by Ron Kurtz. It brings together mindfulness, compassion and the intelligence of the body.
Much of what shapes us, such as how we relate to others, what we expect from the world and how we see ourselves, was learned early in life and lives beneath our conscious awareness. These patterns often show up in the body: in our posture, gestures, breath and habitual tension.
In a Hakomi-informed session, we slow down together. With your consent, I invite you into a mindful, curious state where we can notice what arises, whether sensations, feelings, images or memories, without needing to analyse or fix anything. From this place, we can gently explore the beliefs and early experiences that sit underneath patterns that may no longer serve you.
Rather than only talking about change, Hakomi invites you to experience it. New experiences, felt in the body, can open space for new ways of being.
At the heart of Hakomi is the relationship: warmth, safety and deep respect for your pace. Nothing is forced. You remain in charge of your own process at every step.
I am currently training in Hakomi, and I integrate its principles into my occupational therapy practice alongside other somatic and trauma-informed approaches.