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Frequently Asked Questions: 
Registration, practice and Insurance

1 

My child is most comfortable speaking German.

Can you offer therapy in German language?

I do not speak German beyond a basic level. I therefore cannot offer services in German, but if your child speaks to me in German often times I can understand and reply in basic German or in English and many children are comfortable with this model as they use both languages in school. Some of my clients speak neither English or German. For most children it is helpful for the language of therapy to be the one they are most comfortable with, however, since therapy is play based (especially for younger children) the language is not always the most important factor. I have worked successfully with children who only speak Chinese or Korean (where I speak neither). 

2

What professional bodies are you registered by and what is your qualification?

  • I have a a BSc Occupational Therapy degree with Honours, obtained from Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom in 2000. 

  • I have worked in the National Health Service (UK) and also in Hong Kong, in China and in Germany. You can read more about my professional experience in “About me” and read some of my feedback from parents under “Testimonials” on the Home page. 

  • I am registered under the British “Health & Care Professions Council” which regulates and supervises all health care professionals in the UK as well as those qualified and still covered by UK professional bodies. Please feel free to click the HCPC link at the bottom of the home page to see my name on the registration page.

3

I have German state insurance cover (e.g. TK / AOK) Are your services covered by German state insurance?

No. The short reason is that I am a British trained Occupational Therapist offering consultations in Germany as a child development specialist not an Ergo-therapist. I am not registered with the German Ergo-Therapist professional body and therefore local German state insurance cannot cover my services. My services in Germany are privately paid for and educational/behavioural in nature and not medical.

4

I have private German health insurance.

Are your services covered?

No.

5

I have private International health insurance.

Are your services covered?

No, or at least highly unlikely. Reach out to me if you wish to understand this further. 

6

Where do therapy sessions take place?

I can work with children in school, in your home, in a playground or in a clinic centre depending on circumstances. Typically I work in schools and so sessions will usually be “pull out” style (I will collect your child from the classroom and take them to our session space and return them at the end). This means I might do occasional observations in the classroom or playground if there is a reason to but the majority of our time will be in a private room on a 1:1 basis in within the school or in your home. For this reason I maintain up to date Enhanced Police clearance documentation every 2 years and try to be as transparent as possible with you about who I am and what we do. Importantly, if you, your child or I feel uncomfortable, safety and felt-safety are the priority so we will adjust as necessary to find a space everyone feels good in. 

7

How are the sessions structured?

Sessions are play-based. This means wherever possible the children will be working in the context of playing a game or completing some kind of challenge. It should be fun to come to me! Of course structure and boundaries are important. Within the context of a safe, playful environment we build a therapeutic relationship that facilitates exploring feelings, challenging topics, and stretching the children to try tasks they might find difficult. It is vital that children feel safe and respected. Therapy cannot be effective without this foundation.

8

Are you the same as an Ergotherapeutin?

No. While the terms are often used interchangeably (by Google translate and culturally) there are important differences in the training and both terms are legally protected titles.

 

Ergotherapeut,-innen cannot claim to be Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapists cannot claim to be  Ergotherapeut,-innen unless individuals complete the required processes within the professional bodies to be able to use the terms and become a member of their professional body.

 

Therefore, because I am not registered with the German Ergo-Therapist professional body I am unable to provide any "medical" services, offer diagnoses etc in my practice in Germany as I might in my country of training or in other countries globally. I offer consultations using the skills I was trained in to families seeking services or guidance in the English language. I can give you my professional opinion based on my knowledge and experience but if you need further clarification, diagnosis or a medical intervention you must seek out an Ergotherapist registered under the German Ergotherapeut professional body. Please note: It is not possible for foreign trained Occupational Therapists to register on the German board of certification unless we speak German to a level of B1/B2/C1 (state dependent).

9

Beyond your Occupational Therapy qualification, what additional training have you undertaken or specialized in?

  • My dissertation topic (for which I won an award for the best in year) was on Developmental Coordination Disorder and Handwriting difficulties.

  • I have consistently taken additional training courses to stay abreast of new developments in relevant topics, typically several courses each year. The list of courses I have attended is too long to list here but the below gives you a flavour of my interests and development over the years. 

  • In the last 5 years I have focused on intensive training with Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration (MNRI). I am a Core Specialist in Training for this organization and can be searched under: mnriguide 

  • I started offering Interactive Metronome ® in August 2024

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COURSES & TRAINING

  • Interactive Metronome Training (June 2024)

  • 15+ Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration courses since 2019 to current. 

  • MSC Module from the University of Sheffield on ADHD (2017-2018)

  • Ayres Sensory Integration (Part 1 of 4)

  • SI Certification Program run by University of Southern California (May 2015). Dr. Susanne Smith Roley, OTD, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA

  • Therapeutic Listening

  • Listening with the whole body, Accreditation Course. (May 2014)

  • Irlen Syndrome Screening, Accreditation Course (September 2013)

  • Handwriting Without Tears, Accreditation Course (September 2013)

  • Enneagram, Level 1 (Sept 2012) and level 2 (May 2013). The psychology of motivation.

  • Kidsmix: Helping Kids Become Social Heroes

  • Developing Children’s Social and Emotional Competence. Helen Davidson, Assoc OT, MSc Counselling. (Sept 2012).

  • Superflex: A Social Thinking Curriculum

  • Observed this course being run and worked with several clients following this course. (May 2012)

  • OT for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder, (February 2011). Sidney Chu, OT.

  • OT for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, (February 2011). Sidney Chu, OT.

  • Effective Interventions combining Sensory Intervention and Neurodevelopmental Treatment. (October 2010). Ricardo C. Carrasco, Ph.D., OTR/L.

  • OT for Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, (February 2010). Sidney Chu, OT.

  • Assessment and Treatment of Sensory Modulation Disorders in children with different developmental disorders. (Feb 2010). Sidney Chu, OT.

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