January 2025
Lauren’s role at Gray Healthcare is to help the people we support achieve their personal goals. As an Occupational Therapist working with people with mental health and learning disabilities, part of the role is helping the people we support re-engage with hobbies and activities they enjoyed in the past and introducing them to new activities that they may not have ever considered. We use the Model of Human Occupation Screening Tool (MOHOST) to assess an individual’s occupational functioning and to document progress towards achievement of goals.
Lauren has a BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy from University of Worcester.
Both my parents work in healthcare, so from an early age I knew that I would also have a career in healthcare. At school I did an A-level in Health and Social Care which introduced me to Occupational Therapy, as well as providing an overview of other disciplines. When my great grandfather received end of life Occupational Therapy support, this provided me with further insight into the role of an Occupational Therapist. To determine whether Occupational Therapy was the profession for me, I undertook some Occupational Therapy work experience which covered paediatrics, mental health and older adults. From this work experience I realised just how holistic the role of an Occupational Therapist is, and this really appealed to me. After sixth form, I went to train as an Occupational Therapist at the University of Worcester. My first role post-graduation was working in a community hospital with older adults who had either suffered falls or needed support post-surgery. As part of this role, I started to do some community visits, but there was never an opportunity to build lasting therapeutic relationships with individuals and to see how they were improving over time. For this reason, a community-based role with younger individuals was particularly appealing so this prompted me to apply for the role at Gray Healthcare.
‘What has stood out for me so far is the team – everyone is so friendly and approachable, and just a phone call away. I’m enjoying being able to make a difference to the lives of the people we support and helping them live a more meaningful life. The support is truly person-centred and lives up to the promises made on the website – I have the freedom to be creative in my interventions which is exciting.’
‘Compassionate, person-centred, creative’