New Occupational Therapy Lecturer goes full circle by joining University

Date 2.10.2018

Joining University of Northampton has turned out to be a full circle journey for the newest addition to the Occupational Therapy lecturing team.

Mike Adams, a mental health (MH) Occupational Therapy practitioner, completed his degree when the course moved from St. Andrews’ Healthcare to the University’s Park Campus.

Mike spent the next two decades working exclusively at St. Andrew’s where he specialised in forensic mental health and deafness, helping deaf people with a criminal background who have MH issues to reintegrate with their communities.

He also has experience of assisting people with developmental disorders such as autism and learning disabilities to better engage with daily activities and interests.

Explaining what Occupational Therapy is and why he was drawn to the profession, Mike explains: “My interest in Occupational Therapy came about almost accidentally. I was studying for my ‘A’ levels and one of my tutors spoke about her experience working in Occupational Therapy. From that point, I was hooked and wanted to know more.

“Occupational Therapy has been described as helping people undertake their basic living skills, but it’s much more than that. The key word is ‘occupation’, not just working life, but also the valuable and meaningful things in our lives such our hobbies, going for a walk or listening to music.

“Life isn’t always plain sailing and things happen that disrupt our ability to do those things, such as being unwell. That’s where Occupational Therapist’s step in; we look at a person as a whole; their habits and passions, and develop adjustments to help them continue to live that life as best they can.”

Mike, who has just started his Masters’ degree in Advanced Occupational Therapy at the University, is also well-versed in using British Sigh Language (BSL). University of Northampton offers funded BSL training courses for Occupational Therapy students.

Encouraging his students to broaden their learning and push themselves forward, as well as seeking creative and practical solutions to help with life’s disruptions, are the mainstays of Mike’s teaching style: “Character is essential and alongside the ‘science’ of Occupational Therapy – getting to grips with the theory that underpins everything we do – the lecturing team and I will help students develop essential skills such as activity analysis, observation skills & interpersonal skills, using a variety of activities to assess and treat people in a way that appreciates the uniqueness of the person.

“The new Waterside campus is an inspirational place to work and it already feels like we have a real learning community here, something that our students are sure to benefit from.”

Find out more about the Undergraduate course in Occupational Therapy.

Find out more about the Masters’ in Advanced Occupational Therapy course.