Sarah Walton

Kia ora,

My name is Sarah and I am a registered occupational therapist who specializes in supporting people who have sensitive claims with ACC. Occupational therapists use a mix of different techniques, education, environmental adaptations and equipment to reduce the barriers that people face when they try to do the activities or engage in social roles that are important to them. I work in a client-centered way which flattens the hierarchy between people who give and people who receive health services. I view mental illness and recovery through a social lens which considers factors such as inequality, discrimination, resource scarcity, government/social systems and lived experience above more traditional bio-medical perspectives.

I use my position of privilege to advocate for my clients and support them to reconnect with their autonomy, gain confidence and find meaning in life via their daily activities.

As a new graduate I spent time working for a non-profit which ran social groups, events and programmes for adults with disabilities. It was in this environment that I gained insight into the array of different sensory processing styles and built up skills in task and environmental modification – great assets upon transitioning into the mental health field. While my excitement for occupational therapy is far-reaching, some of my favourite areas to focus on with clients are emotional regulation strategies for PTSD and anxiety, techniques for addressing low motivation, creative projects/interventions and food related issues.

The central values of occupational therapy are justice, dignity, equality, truthfulness and autonomy. I am proud to be practising in a profession which overlaps with my own values and gives me the opportunity to be of service to others. As well as being an occupational therapist I am also an artist, a volunteer, a friend, a partner. It is important to me that I live in a way which aligns with my interests and values to model what self care looks like in practice.

Experience and skills:

• Experienced using a range of different Occupational Therapy models including the Kawa Model, Shades of Independance, MOHO, PEO, C-MOPE and ValMO

• Skilled in CBT, DBT, ACT and mindfulness approaches

• Experience assisting clients with sleep and rest practices, energy conservation, emotional regulation skills, social interaction skills, maintaining relationships, engaging in hobbies and meaningful work, structures and routines, self care, food related issues and activities of daily living.

• Strength focused practitioner; building people up and watching as they gain confidence and skills excites me.

• Emotional attuned through years of practice, awareness of myself and feedback from others I listen, sense, recognise and respond to the whole spectrum of human emotion in a calm and accommodating way.

• Special interest in working with neurodiverse individuals, people in the queer community and artists/creatives.