Hello

Dr Hassi's Story

About me

I grew up in both rural and urban settings in Devon, North London, and Cornwall in a unconventional family with my mum and dad, three siblings, a dog (Minka) and two horses (Hickory and Schweppa). I had a childhood crafted of traditional values and creative expression, learning who I was and what mattered to me in life.  I was not really sure what I wanted to do with my life until I was in my late 20s. I started my current career when I enrolled on a Psychology undergraduate degree and I have not stopped growing yet.  I currently live in Devon and I’m very happily married with one daughter, a dog (Sunny-the-Bunny) and cat (Luthie-woothie).  I enjoy cooking and eating, nature-bathing, horse riding, yoga and walking, all of The Arts which includes everything between Netflix and Bach. I am a lifelong learner and I never get bored. 

I am that supportive professional Occupational Therapist who will rehabilitate your functioning in any everyday personal or work based activities.  You can trust me because I work with your values and put myself in your shoes and look at the world as you see it, so I don't tell you what to do, I support you as you live life your way.  I have your best interests at heart, work at your level and to your pace, and encourage your progress in ways that matter to you.​​   One of my written testimonials that most captures this was when someone I worked with wrote “Thank you for your support and kindness on your visits… whilst I had lost my way and had mental health issues... It has been a very difficult journey but I feel blessed to have been given your support along the way”.

Another written testimonial that makes me so glad I do what I do is, “[You] helped me get my life back again”.

I can help with

Rebuilding your confidence

Helping you find or re-find your identity

Managing your anxiety, worry, and stress

Moving you through depression, or sadness

Moving you past a lack of meaning or connection in life

Managing your new or old social roles and/or connections

Adjusting to life circumstances that have increased  your daily tasks, or brought losses or changes to your social roles.

Improving productivity and other work-based challenges

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I work with the here and now, can provide therapy for internal or external barriers, and will rehabilitate performance on any valued tasks and activities, as a vehicle to your wellbeing.  My toolbox draws on:

Core clinical skills of health professionals

Personalised Care, Humanistic Counselling, listening, and motivating

Evidence-based treatment, particularly using Occupational Therapy and cognitive and behavioural approaches.

Activity analysis, grading, adapting and compensating, assistive technology, education and training, and practical and therapeutic exercise.  

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I work with your whole person, 24/7, in their world.  It is a biopsychosocial therapy and whole system approach

Prioritising what matters: Supporting everyday activities that foster independence, health,  meaning, connection and physical and mental wellbeing, particularly in fulfilling your social preferences, personally held values, or spiritual needs

For your mind and your emotions; Counselling, developing coping skills and useful knowledge, Person-centred and Compassionate Focussed Therapy,  Cognitive and behavioural therapeutic approaches, or Cognitive rehabilitation, and support.

For the body: Managing long term health conditions, pain and fatigue, supporting lifestyle changes to diet, exercise and sleep,  Rehabilitation equipment prescription and living environment adaptation and modification, people moving and handling.

For the context: I consider what you want or need to do, and I am able to carry out an activity analysis that understand the contextual, social, cultural and physical barriers and enablers.  

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Qualifications

Hassina Carder-Gilbert, PhD, PG Dip, PG Cert, BSc, BSc, BTec HND, FHEA, HCPC registered.

• Accredited with the HCPC as an Occupational Therapist

• Member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists

• Fellow of the Higher Education Authority

• PhD (Psychology) with published peer reviewed research paper authorship in youth mentoring, executive functioning and memory, and children’s play, and grey literature related to service evaluation, social prescribing, children’s eating, and co-occupation.

• BSc Hons x 2 (Occupational Therapy; Psychology)

• PG Dip (Psychological Research Methods)

• PG Cert (Learning and Teaching)

• BTec HND (Business Studies with Publicity and Promotion)

As well as being experienced in private practice, my clinical experience includes placements in these NHS settings;

Acute, rehabilitation and community settings (in both mental health, and physical health, and in residential care for complex conditions), and working in individual’s homes and lives.

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Teaching/training/coaching and mentoring experience includes

I have worked as a facilitator/teacher/ trainer/coach/mentor/supervisor since 2000.  I have worked in further and higher education, work places, and with individuals and groups, online, over the telephone and face to face.

I have many proudest moments since I love to see those I work with grow and succeed, but one piece of feedback I feel good about is that I am “ warm and friendly, encouraging a warm environment to grow between us [as a group] where we can speak and share ideas without the fear of being judged”

What are my aims?​

Improve  Occupational Balance,  Occupational Presence, and Occupational Flow

Increase Occupational Engagement and Occupational Participation

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