Anchor Therapy: OT Support for Mental health and neurodiversity

Occupational Therapy

Anchor Therapy is an Occupational Therapy service that supports people to learn practical life skills to better manage their daily routine, work, self-care and their enjoyment in life.

Anchor Therapy specialises in working with Neurodiversity and Mental Health concerns in young people and adults. We offer online and face to face therapy sessions.

Why OT?

Psychiatrists diagnose, psychologists counsel and OTs "do". We support people to support themselves by building the necessary skills needed to manage and thrive at work, in school and in college.

All our therapists have degrees in OT and between 5-15 years experience working within neurodiversity and mental health.

Adults

Young Adults

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I cannot speak highly enough of the work Michelle does. Michelle has been so supportive of my teenage son who has ADHD and is finding secondary school very challenging. Michelle immediatley made a connection with him and helped him feel understood and supported. She has given him so many valuable tools to help him manage everyday tasks in his school day. Michelle has also been really supportive of me in giving me strategies to help make family life with my son easier on at home. We feel very lucky to have found Michelle and can highly recommend her.

Anne

Therapy experiences with Ailis 💫

Despite what people may think we don’t often get feedback from clients directly of how they experience OT but when we do it’s magic!

Supporting someone to foster and nurture self worth that enables them to feel “proud” is just gold🙌 @ailis_ni_dheaghaidh

#occupationaltherapy #adhd #assertiveness #selfworth

A moment to pause on Valentine’s Day ❤️

Showing yourself little moments of compassion is a wonderful way to connect and show kindness to you.

Think small. Each little moment helps and can build mental resilience.

#selfcare #selfcompassion #occupationaltherapy

Our first social group of 2025 🙌

Thank you to everyone that came along.
You are all very brave and it was wonderful to have you there.
We realised that we hav a lot more in common than we may have anticipated! The power of groups 🙌
@ailis_ni_dheaghaidh

Can’t wait for our next group on 6th March.
#socialconnection #friendship #group

First social group of the year! We can’t wait to see you all there 🙌#

Practice social skills
Create friendships
Have fun!

Considering Online therapy?
This video explains how to assess whether it might suit you 💫

#onlinetherapy

Wondering whether online support is right for you?

In my honest opinion online therapy and face to face can both be as beneficial as each other once you take into account the following considerations.

Consider:

1. Convenience: what keeps stress to a minimum
2. Access to a laptop and good wifi
3. Your age: often younger teens can find it easier to engage f2f
4. Your previous experience with online support
5. Your gut instinct

Reach out if you’d like to chat more!

#onlinetherapy #inpersontherapy #occupationaltherapy

Setting goals In 2025 🙌

* Be Specific – Define exactly what you want to achieve.
* Make It Measurable – How will you track progress?
* Set Realistic Goals – Challenge yourself, but stay realistic.
* Stay Relevant – Ensure your goals align with your bigger picture.
* Add a Time Frame – Set deadlines to stay accountable.
* Write It Down – The act of writing increases commitment!
* Break It Down – Split big goals into small, actionable steps.
* Create an Action Plan – Plan your steps carefully.
* Track Progress – Celebrate wins along the way!
* Stay Flexible – Life happens, adjust as needed.
* Get Accountability – Share your goals with someone or use tracking tools.

#occupationaltherapy #goalsettingtips

Check in with yourself this Christmas.

It can be a hard time of year. Be aware of your capacity and set boundaries when you need a break.

#stress #christmas #occupationaltherapy

Social meet-ups starting 2025!

Suitable for you if:
🔸between ages 18-30.
🔸neurodivergent or socially anxious.
🔸struggling to make friends/ access new friends.
🔸would like to practice communication and social skills in a safe space.
🔸would like to make friends and meet new people.

#occupationaltherapy #function #socialskills #friends

Feeling shame going to see your therapist 🧡

Have you ever felt shame and embarrassment going to a therapy session because you didn’t achieve your goals or because you felt like you’ve taken 10 steps backwards?

Feeling like this can make us avoid therapy and cancel sessions.

Know that if you feel this way you’re not alone and you’re very brave to share this with your therapist. You’re in the right place to sit with these feelings in therapy and be held by your therapist.

There’s no shame in feeling stuck. There’s no shame in not following through with goals. There’s no shame in feeling hopeless 🧡

#occupationaltherapy #shame #goals #empathy #compassion #change

Why bother with therapy?
Taking care of your mental health is just as important as your physical health.

Why?

1️⃣ A Safe Space
Therapy offers a judgment free space to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Sometimes, just being heard makes all the difference.

2️⃣ Tools for Life
Learn practical strategies to manage stress, improve relationships, and navigate life’s challenges. Think of it as a toolkit for your mind!

3️⃣ Self-Discovery
Uncover patterns, beliefs, and behaviors that may be holding you back. Therapy helps you better understand you. 🌱

4️⃣ Emotional Relief
Processing emotions like sadness, anger, or anxiety with a trained professional can lighten your emotional load.

#accessinghelp #occupationaltherapy

Can medication help ADHD?
In a short answer- yes!

Being open to medication is important. I really want to de stigmatise taking medication for mental ill-health or ADHD.

Pills and skills can work great together 🙌

#stigma #mentalhealth #medication #adhd

Work and access grant explained 💫

Eligibility:
⭐️Have a diagnosed mental health condition/ neurodiversity
⭐️Over 18
⭐️Struggling with work/ want help at work

#work #occupationaltherapy #inclusivity

Work struggles? Are you neurodivergent? Do you have a mental health diagnosis?

The Work and Access Grant is new funding being provided by the government.

It provides FREE workplace assessments and interventions by an Occupational Therapist, ensuring your work place is equipped to meet your needs.

Whether it’s adjustments to your workspace or tailored support, this initiative is all about empowering individuals to thrive at work.

It’s a brilliant initiative but unfortunately not very well advertised among the general population.

Anchor therapy OTs are very keen to help people access this funding to break barriers and build more inclusive workplaces together!

#WorkAndAccess #InclusionMatters #DisabilitySupport #WorkplaceAccessibility #breakingbarriers

Hi, I’m Ailís, a senior OT with Anchor Therapy.

I’m very driven to make a real difference in the lives of the young people and adults I support at Anchor Therapy. I have worked in inpatient settings and in the community ADHD service in the mid west.

I have a special interest in promoting inclusivity and anti-racism in practice. I set up the @irish_ots_for_palestine group to support our call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

When I’m not OT-ing I love CrossFit and being outdoors!

I offer face to face and some online support. 💫

#occupationaltherapy

Hi, I’m Laura, a senior OT with Anchor Therapy. I have a deep passion for supporting young people and adults in managing their mental health and achieving their life goals.

A large part of my experience has involved working with neurodivergent individuals supporting independent living skills, better executive functioning at work, school and college and overall wellness.

In my spare time I like walking by the sea with my young family, hiking in nature and engaging in yoga and fitness.

I offer online sessions. 💫

#occupationaltherapy

Christmas meet up 🎄
We would love if you could join us for a friendly and casual meet up on Dec 6th.

Reach out to me here or WhatsApp 0862725278 if you’d like more information.

Current/ past clients of Anchor Therapy are welcome as are friends and family.

Plan:
Myself and Ailis will meet at Sandycove store and Yard at 10am for an optional coffee/ tea and then a stroll by the sea after.

If you’re worried about any aspect of the meet up reach out and we can chat through it.

Really looking forward to this 🙌

Workshop ⭐️I had the pleasure of meeting some inspiring young men yesterday as part of @dscworkabilityprogramme and @athleticsirelandofficial personal development programme - supporting young people with a disability to enter employment.

We chatted all about our executive functioning skills. We chatted about anxiety and the difficulties people can face doing the every day things that some of us take for granted.

Groups are powerful and it’s always a privilege 🙌

#occupationaltherapy #groups

Workshop 💫 Ailis presented to an ambitious group of young men yesterday in collaboration with @athleticsirelandofficial and @dscworkabilityprogramme

Discussion:
-Self perception and how this can shape our ability to get work
-How to speak more kindly to ourselves: Accessing our inner supporter at work.
-Imposter syndrome and the different styles and how this can affect our performance in the workplace.

Perfectly timed on mental health day yesterday!
Thank you to all of the participants, @athleticsirelandofficial and @dscworkabilityprogramme for this opportunity.

#occupationaltherapy #workplaceskills #selfperception

World mental health day 💫

Theme: mental health at work.

As OT’s were very concerned with your ability to perform at work while enjoying it and feeling valued.

We support lots of different types of workers from accountants, engineers and teachers to solicitors, other health professionals and so on.

What we notice is that the workplaces that are open and eager to make changes to support their staff are often the workplaces that have the happiest and most hard working staff.

Having a fancy wellness day every now and then isn’t enough.

Meaningful and supportive staff measures need to be woven into a workplace’s culture and fostered daily.

We’ll keep fighting for more inclusive and supportive workplaces!

#occupationaltherapy #worldmentalhealthday #workplaceculture

Reviews ⭐️ Messages like these remind me why I set up Anchor Therapy.

We’re very lucky to be able to make a difference in someone’s world.

#occupationaltherapy #impact

Being a disruptor as an Occupational Therapist💡

Listened to an inspiring presentation today presented by our very own Ailís and her fellow OT colleagues about how we as OTs can be activists and advocates.

At Anchor Therapy, we hope that through our work we continue to challenge the barriers in society that alienate and deprive people with neurodiversities and mental health diagnoses from accessing education, work and a life of meaning.

How we strive to do this:
- Challenge and activate better school systems
- Improve college participation
- Support social groups and inclusion
- Advocate for better work accommodations
- Question and challenge negative and unsupportive thinking styles
- Educate and inspire others
- Question our own opinions and judgements

Feeling inspired after @aotiofficial conference today!

#occupationaltherapy

Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to every parent and young person who attended our webinar last night. We received some great feedback and were left buzzing afterwards 💫

We also had some interesting suggestions for further webinars which we’ll get planning for asap!

#adhd #occupationaltherapy #webinar #school

Using your body to help focus and regulation throughout the day 💫

We’ll chat more about this in next week’s webinar!

#movement #regulation #bodyawareness #movementbreaks #fidgets

OT webinar: how to manage 5th and 6th year 💫
Calling parents and students!

We will explore:

· Morning and evening routines to shape a better school day

· School routine: energy levels and sensory overload

· How to study better

· Time management

· Organisation

· Accessing help: knowing what you need

#occupationaltherapy #secondaryschool #mentalhealth #movement #focus #adhd #study

OT Webinar alert 🔔 Supporting you in 5th and 6th Year.

We’ll focus on:
- how to be more organised during your school day.
- how to pay attention and get the most out of your classes.
- how to remember what you need for class and for home.
- how to manage the changing demands within the school environment: noises, people, classes, corridors etc
- how to have a better morning and evening routine

We’re really looking forward to this one!

#adhd #occupationaltherapy #students #organisation #focus

World suicide prevention day 🧡

I sat in a session with a young woman this morning who told me that she feels sad and helpless so often that it pains her but feels like a burden on family and friends so has stopped sharing this with them.

I listened to a teenager yesterday tell me that he hates school and sometimes just wants it all to end.

I’m sure I’ll hear more stories tomorrow of struggles that feel insurmountable.

These people are in our families, our friendship groups, our workplaces, our gyms, our schools and colleges.

Be kind and open always 🧡

What is Sensory Processing and why is it associated with OT?

Sensory processing is how our brain interprets and responds to the information we get through our senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, movement, and body position. Everyone processes sensory input differently. Some may be more sensitive, while others need stronger input to feel things.

For example, do you ever feel overwhelmed by loud noises or uncomfortable in certain fabrics? This might be related to how your brain processes sensory input.

Sensory challenges can affect daily life, like getting dressed, focusing at school, or participating in social activities. But there’s good news—Occupational Therapy can help!

OTs help people:
🔹 Better understand their sensory preferences
🔹 Develop strategies to manage sensory overload or seeking tendencies

This can lead to improved focus, emotional regulation, and overall participation in daily life!

#occupationaltherapy #sensoryprocessing #neurodiversity #trauma #sensorysensitivities

Tip #6 Take action and beat procrastination!

Action helps to break the cycle of procrastination and build momentum towards more action and motivation.

Thinking about what you need to do won’t help you get it done. Focus your energy on “doing” something to help you get closer to your goal. You can apply this to any goal. Eg an action might’ve opening up your laptop, sending an email, gettjng up off your chair.

Sometimes the smaller the actions the better as they can feel more achievable. 💫

#occupationaltherapy #procrastination #action #motivation #goals

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