Occupational Therapy Service and Consultancy provides a consultancy service to all age groups, specialising in sensory processing difficulties. Occupational Therapy Service and Consultancy is also able to provide a comprehensive screening and assessment service, including the 'gold standard' Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT).
Business owner: Rosalind Paul
Date business started: November 2015
Business location: 5 Fairhill Crescent, Perth. PH1 1RR
Business Tel: 07990 808451
1. What did you do before you started your business?
Since graduating I have worked in the Local Authority, NHS and private sectors. Whilst working in mental health I specialized in vocational rehabilitation gaining my post-graduate certificate in Occupational Rehabilitation from Glasgow Caledonian University. I travelled to Halifax in Canada to attend a Mattheson course in Functional Capacity Evaluation and, subsequently, became a certificated Disability Management and Rehabilitation Professional through the National Institute of Disability Management and Rehabilitation. I have also been fortunate to have had the opportunity to gain valuable experience working in Occupational Health within the NHS.
Subsequently I have worked with people with learning disabilities and autism and this stimulated an interest in sensory processing disorder. I achieved my post-graduate certificate in Sensory Integration (Ulster University) and have attended numerous short courses, all delivered by world-renowned experts in their field, including: Feeding Difficulties and Sensory Issues (Isabell Beaudry-Bellefeuille); Sensory Defensiveness (Julia Wilbarger and Tracy Murnan Stackhouse; and Sensory Integration Intervention (Susanne Smith Roley).
2. What drew you towards your field of business?
I am committed to person-centred practice and, as an independent practitioner, I have the freedom to develop my service in response to individuals’ needs. I value the opportunity this gives me to work with a wide variety of people (children, those of working age and older adults) in their own homes, communities and places of education or work.
3. What hurdles and challenges have you faced in getting to the stage you are currently at?
Physical difficulties are generally well understood and psychological problems are gaining greater recognition. However, sensory processing dysfunction is not well understood: Many struggle to gain recognition for their problems; there is a dearth of appropriately trained professionals within the statutory sector and waiting lists for assessment can be long.
In all aspects of dysfunction, failure to receive the necessary input and accommodations can give rise to negative outcomes. Sensory processing dysfunction, however, can compromise learning, exacerbate pre-existing learning disabilities and, if untreated, can impact negatively on psychological wellbeing.
Business Gateway’s seminars have provided valuable information and my Business Advisor introduced me to Skills Development Scotland, from which I received a small grant towards the cost of a course.
5. Since starting your business, if you could have done one thing differently, what would that be?
I would have started my business sooner!
6. What aspect of your business have you taken the most pride in since you started?
I am proud of the quality and timeliness of the service I offer. Investment in a comprehensive set of assessment tools and personal skills development has equipped me to assess and treat a range of ages and problems.
7. What do you love about running your business? Or the sector you work in?
I have had the privilege of meeting a wide range of people, sometimes at times when they are experiencing considerable stress. I gain immense pleasure from making a contribution to the alleviation of that stress. In addition to my immediate locality of Perth and Dundee, my work has taken me to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. I love the diversity of my role. I can be working with children, older people or working age people in their schools, homes or workplace.
8. What plans do you have for the future of your business?
I have plans to develop an intensive therapy service that will provide functional rehabilitation in the individual’s own home.
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