What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy (OT) is a CORU (Health & Social Care Professionals Council) regulated healthcare profession. OTs believe that participating in activities that are meaningful and important to us is essential for our health and wellbeing. OTs promote health and wellbeing by supporting people to do the things they need and want to do. They do this by working with people to develop skills, adapt activities, or modify environments to support participation (WFOT 2012).
OT Services in TU Dublin City Campus
The OT service is a confidential, practical support service for students registered with the Disability Support Service in TU Dublin. The OT service is provided by two experienced CORU Registered Occupational Therapists; Rachael Farrell Senior Occupational Therapist and Róisín Aherne Occupational Therapist.
What can the Occupational Therapist offer me?
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The aim of the OT Service in TU Dublin is to enable you to develop practical skills and strategies to support you in your role as a student. Sessions are guided by what you want and need to work on.
Examples of some of the areas OT may be able to support you with are:
- Developing a healthy balanced routine
- Developing skills for your student role
- Managing the academic/practical demands of coursework
- Developing relaxation skills
- Exploring leisure opportunities and overcoming barriers to participating in leisure activities
- Developing personal and practical strategies to engage in your role as a student
- Assessment and exploration of strategies to support with managing your sensory processing needs within the college environment
How can I access the service?
You can use the OT Service if you are a student in TU Dublin City Campus and are registered with the Disability Service. The OT Service is a referral-only service - you need to be referred to the OT before you can make an appointment. You can be referred to OT by your Learning Support Officer (LSO), Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Coordinator or Assistive Technology (AT) Officer in the Disability Support Service.
I have been referred to OT, what is next?
- The OT will contact you by email to offer you support. Please note that the OT will always use your student email address to contact you so you will need to check your email regularly. Appointments can be scheduled in person, or online via Microsoft Teams.
- You will be sent by email information about the OT service and asked to complete a questionnaire before your first appointment with the OT.
- At your first appointment, the OT will explain further about the OT service, and you will have a chance to discuss how you are managing your student role and what your goals might be.
Background to the service
The Occupational Therapy Service in TU Dublin operates according to the Unilink Model, developed by Dr. Clodagh Nolan, Assistant Professor in the Discipline of Occupational Therapy in Trinity College Dublin (TCD), in collaboration with the Disability Support Services in TCD.
Contact
You can contact the Occupational Therapist by email or phone – view contact details.