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Gwyneth Ataderie is head occupational therapist in a mental health trust, responsible for occupational therapy in the acute wards and home crisis teams. Alongside this she is completing a Masters in Advanced Clinical Practice.
Gwyneth talks about her varied OT career history, including pushing for the role of OT in a crisis team where generic roles were the norm. This involved demonstrating what she could offer through generating her own referrals, completing interventions, writing case studies and evaluations, as well as building relationships within the team.
Gwyneth is also currently completing a fellowship in population health with The Kings Fund. This involves a number of pieces of work, including researching the engagement of allied health professionals around health inequalities. She talks about the application process and how fellowship opportunities are available for OTs to apply for, though we don’t always hear about them.
Gwyneth discusses the support groups she has run for black women who have experienced difficulties with their mental health, due to stigma around mental health within the black community. She has also led on a BAME AHP mentoring scheme within her trust, following her own difficult experiences as a black OT student which led to her not practicing as an OT for the first few years after qualifying. She talks about the lack of black OT role models and peers she had at university and how she wants to support those coming into the profession who may be facing discrimination and doubting themselves.
Read Gwyneth’s blog post about her fellowship for The Kings Fund here.
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