Our Approach
As an experienced Occupational Therapist myself with 24 years of active Clinical development and provision of therapeutic interventions, I have seen the massive impact that Occupational Therapy can have in people's lives of all ages, especially in Mental Health. Occupational Therapy is recognised as the catalyst for recovery and independence that brings together social, medical and psychological theories and models of practice to create a unique approach that sees the person holistically.
In Life-OT, a new service offer for all children and young People as well as adults in Havering and surrounding Boroughs, we share the values of resilience, togetherness and hope in order to achieve excellence.
Life-OT is here to support everyone who needs advice, guidance, therapeutic input or professional mentoring.
This is achieved by using the contextual model and approach. We can never meet the individual's needs in isolation without considering the impact of the personal, social, cultural, national and international context. In other words, our approach aims at the person as a whole. If we are able to achieve positive outcomes in just one of these contexts then we will see the domino effect of positivity, resillience, self-esteem development and independence in all other areas.
We aim to provide individualised and highly personalised interventions that do not only meet the needs but exceed expectations. The basis of all our interventions are nurture and safety. We do not offer magic solutions and cannot promise miracles. What we can promise is honesty, co-production, collaboration and engagement in order to empower the individuals to maximise their independence in their daily lives.
Life-OT can support children, young people and adult service users as well as their families and carers who face challenges with mental health issues, learning difficulties and related issues. By supporting the child/Young person and service user we provide support to the family/carers, school, teachers, colleges, work placements, Universities and the wider community. We offer extensive training and workshops about Mental health and Occupational Therapy as well as advice and recommendations on simple techniques that can be used at home or at school to support the needs of the child/young person/service user. We can also offer support with EHCPs, and second opinions. This support can be given either on one to one meetings or via on-line/telephone consultations
Our Approach
Mental Health has always been our passion. We are an Occupational therapy service with extensive experience, 35 years. We believe in empowering individuals to maximize their skills and achieve independence in their daily life regardless of their struggles and challenges. Developing and maintaining a secure and strong Occupational Identity, with meaningful occupational roles, self-empowerment, self-esteem and resilience is our priority. Our approach follows the strong Principles of the Model of Human Occupation-MOHO as well as the Recovery Model. Occupational challenges are opportunities to maximize and support the individual to learn new skills or re-discover lost ones.These same challenges are faced by the individual's family/carers/peers/physical and social environment. We aim in supporting and providing bespoke recommendations offering a holistic approach to the individual and their context according to their needs.
About Evangelia Theochari
Experienced Service Head and senior leader with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital & health care industry as well as Special Education (SEMH). Highly Skilled in Adolescent Mental Health, Developmental Trauma, Sensory Processing approaches and interventions, Coaching, Budget management, Case Management, Clinical and Management Supervision, and Occupational Therapy Interventions-evidence based practice. Strong professional support with a highly inclusive and analytical thinking, strong budget management, risk management and service restructure fit for the future .