HoneyBeeOT Policies and Scope of Practice

Scope of Practice:

HoneyBeeOT provides neurodiversity‑affirming, regulation‑focused occupational therapy and OT‑informed support for children, young people, families, and education settings. My work centres on understanding environments, reducing barriers, and supporting emotional safety and regulation to enable meaningful participation in daily life. 

Across all services, my aim is to support occupational participation by helping children and young people engage more comfortably in the activities, routines, and roles that matter to them. Participation is at the heart of occupational therapy — not performance, not compliance, not “fixing,” but enabling people to live, learn, play, rest, and connect in ways that feel safe, possible, and authentic. 

I combine professional OT training with lived experience, trauma‑informed practice, and a whole‑environment approach. My work is grounded in the understanding that children’s behaviour, communication, and participation are shaped by their nervous systems, sensory experiences, relationships, and environments. When we reduce demands, increase safety, and adjust expectations, children can access more comfort, connection, and capacity. 

My OT Philosophy 

I believe that every child and young person deserves to participate in daily life without masking, fear, overwhelm, or pressure to meet expectations that don’t fit their nervous system. Occupational therapy, in my practice, is not about correcting deficits — it is about uncovering strengths, reducing barriers, and supporting children to understand themselves. 

I work from the principle that: 

regulation is foundational 

safety enables learning 

connection precedes participation 

behaviour is communication 

environments matter 

children thrive when adults understand their nervous systems 

My approach is relational, low‑demand, and collaborative. I aim to create spaces where children and young people can show up exactly as they are. 

1. 1:1 Occupational Therapy 

When I work individually with a child or young person, this is occupational therapy. These sessions aim to support: 

regulation and co‑regulation 

sensory understanding 

emotional safety 

participation in daily routines 

understanding overwhelm, shutdowns, and burnout 

building self‑awareness and self‑advocacy 

adapting environments and expectations 

supporting transitions and routines 

My 1:1 work is: 

child‑led 

relational 

low‑demand 

ND‑affirming 

grounded in real‑world function 

collaborative with families 

focused on participation, not performance 

This is occupational therapy delivered through a nervous‑system‑aware, environment‑focused model. 

2. OT‑Informed Regulation‑Focused Support (Not Therapy) 

Some services are OT‑informed but not therapy. These include: 

small‑group sessions 

whole‑class sessions 

young person workshops 

community‑based group work 

These sessions may use: 

movement‑based activities 

sensory‑aware strategies 

co‑regulation 

playful, strengths‑based approaches 

These are educational, preventative, and participation‑focused. They are not clinical therapy and do not replace 1:1 OT. 

3. Whole‑Environment Assessments 

I assess: 

classrooms 

early years spaces 

high‑school settings 

community spaces 

workplaces 

These assessments explore sensory, emotional, and environmental barriers to participation. You receive clear, practical, non‑medico‑legal recommendations. These are informal, practice‑based assessments — not statutory or diagnostic assessments. 

4. ND‑Affirming Training & Workshops 

I provide training for: 

teachers 

support staff 

leadership teams 

youth workers 

organisations 

Topics include neurodivergence, regulation, sensory needs, trauma‑informed practice, and inclusive environments. Training is educational and OT‑informed, not therapy. 

All training aims to support environments that enable meaningful occupational participation for pupils, staff, and teams. 

5. Parent/Carer Support 

I offer collaborative, validating guidance around: 

regulation 

sensory needs 

school‑based challenges 

environmental barriers 

routines 

participation 

This is OT‑informed support for parents, not therapy for the parent. The aim is to help adults understand their child’s nervous system and participation needs so they can respond with clarity, confidence, and compassion. 

6. Mental‑Health‑Supportive OT Practice 

I do not provide clinical mental‑health treatment. Instead, I offer occupational therapy and OT-informed support that aims to support children experiencing: 

anxiety 

overwhelm 

shutdowns 

burnout 

stress 

school‑based distress 

My approach focuses on: 

regulation 

sensory load 

routines 

participation 

environmental stressors 

This supports mental wellbeing through an OT lens, without offering counselling, psychotherapy, CBT, trauma therapy, crisis intervention, or clinical mental‑health assessments. 

7. Written Summaries & Recommendations 

I provide descriptive, supportive, ND‑affirming written summaries and recommendations. These are not formal clinical or medico‑legal reports. They aim to support understanding, communication, and participation. 

What HoneyBeeOT Does Not Do 

Clinical Mental‑Health Treatment 

No: 

counselling 

psychotherapy 

CBT 

trauma therapy 

crisis intervention 

clinical mental‑health assessments 

diagnosis 

Medical or Diagnostic Services 

No: 

diagnosis 

medical assessments 

medication advice 

Highly Clinical or Medico‑Legal OT Services 

No: 

medico‑legal reports 

tribunal reports 

equipment prescription 

manual handling 

physical rehabilitation 

formal functional assessments for legal/medical purposes 

Behaviourist Approaches 

No: 

reward charts 

compliance‑based strategies 

behaviourist language 

deficit‑based framing 

Who I Work With 

primary and secondary schools 

early years settings 

families 

community organisations 

workplaces 

My Approach and What Informs My Practice 

My work is grounded in: 

Occupational therapy training and core OT principles 

Neurodiversity‑affirming approaches 

Trauma‑informed and low‑demand practice 

Current research and good‑practice guidance around regulation, participation, and everyday occupations 

Relevant professional standards, safeguarding requirements, and government guidance for working with children and young people 

Lived experience, including parenting and being a former young carer 

My own process of understanding my nervous system and how it shapes daily participation 

Years of supporting neurodivergent children and young people in care, education, and family settings 

Collaboration with families, schools, and community environments 

A focus on real‑world contexts, comfort, and everyday participation rather than performance or outcomes 

I aim to create environments where children, young people, and adults feel understood, supported, and able to participate in ways that feel safe and sustainable. 

Reports and Summaries Policy: 

HoneyBeeOT offers written summaries and recommendations to support understanding, communication, and practical next steps. My written outputs are descriptive, strengths‑based, and focused on regulation, participation, and the environment. They reflect the information available at the time of writing and aim to support clearer shared understanding. 

I offer three types of written outputs, depending on the service: 

1. Individual OT Summary Reports (for families only) 

(These are the only reports that require assessment time and are charged separately.) 

These reports are written for families, not for schools. Families may choose to share them with school, but I do not write school‑commissioned individual child reports. 

These reports are available when I have gathered enough information through: 

1:1 occupational therapy sessions 

assessment session 

parent/carer consultations 

These reports include: 

regulation profile 

sensory and environmental observations 

patterns of overwhelm or stress 

strengths and protective factors 

barriers to participation 

practical recommendations 

suggested next steps 

These reports are descriptive, not diagnostic, and do not include standardised scoring or clinical sensory integration assessment. 

2. Environmental Assessment Summaries (for schools or organisations) 

(Included in the environmental assessment fee — not charged separately.) 

These summaries: 

are written for the commissioning school or organisation 

focus on the environment, not individual children 

include practical, non‑medico‑legal recommendations 

describe sensory, emotional, and environmental barriers 

offer participation‑focused adjustments for pupils, staff, or teams 

These are not individual child reports and do not include individual assessments, observations, or recommendations for specific pupils. 

3. Parent Session Summaries (optional, included) 

After 1:1 parent/carer support sessions, I can provide a brief written summary of what we discussed. These summaries may include: 

key ideas explored 

nervous‑system or sensory concepts 

practical strategies that felt supportive 

links to relevant resources 

These summaries are for parents/carers only and are included in the session fee. They are not clinical reports, do not assess the child, and are not intended for schools or external professionals. 

What I do NOT provide 

I do not provide: 

written summaries for staff training 

written summaries for young person workshops 

written summaries for class sessions 

individual child reports for schools 

diagnostic statements 

clinical sensory integration assessments 

medico‑legal opinions 

tribunal reports 

capacity assessments 

mental‑health diagnoses 

medication recommendations 

standardised scoring 

Workshops and training are experiential, educational, and relational, and written summaries are not part of these services. 

When Written Output is Offered 

Reports or Summaries may be provided after: 

1:1 occupational therapy sessions 

assessment sessions 

environmental assessments (summary included) 

parent/carer consultations (optional summary included) 

Reports are not provided for workshops or training. 

Fees 

Individual OT Summary Reports → charged separately 

Environmental Assessment Summaries → included in the assessment fee 

Parent Session Summaries → included, optional 

If a report is cancelled after writing has begun, a partial fee may apply to cover time already spent. 

Sharing reports 

Individual OT Summary Reports belong to the commissioning family. 

Environmental Assessment Summaries belong to the commissioning school or organisation. 

Parent Session Summaries belong to the parent/carer. 

I retain a copy as part of the clinical or professional record. I do not share reports unless you ask me to, or unless safeguarding law requires it. 

Purpose of reports 

Reports and Summaries are designed to: 

support understanding 

improve communication 

highlight needs 

offer practical recommendations 

advocate for wellbeing 

support participation in daily life 

Reports are not suitable for legal, diagnostic, or medico‑legal pathways. 

Training & Workshop Policy: 

HoneyBeeOT provides two types of group‑based services: 

Staff Training – for adults in education, community, and workplace settings 

Young Person Workshops – for children and young people in schools, youth groups, and community settings 

Both are neurodiversity‑affirming, regulation‑focused, and informed by occupational therapy practice. Neither service is clinical therapy. 

1. Staff Training (Adults) 

Staff training is educational, preventative, and designed to build understanding, confidence, and shared language around neurodiversity, regulation, and participation. 

Nature of Staff Training 

Staff training is: 

educational and conceptual 

grounded in OT theory and ND‑affirming frameworks 

trauma‑informed and strengths‑based 

practical and accessible 

focused on environments, expectations, and adult nervous systems 

not therapy and not child‑specific intervention 

All staff training aims to support environments that enable meaningful occupational participation for pupils, staff, and teams. 

What staff training covers 

Topics may include: 

understanding neurodiversity 

behaviour through a nervous‑system lens 

co‑regulation and adult nervous system awareness 

sensory needs and supportive environments 

trauma‑informed, low‑demand practice 

reducing overwhelm and increasing accessibility 

ND‑affirming language and approaches 

Who staff training is for 

teachers 

support staff 

leadership teams 

youth workers 

community organisations 

workplaces 

What staff training does not provide 

Staff training does not include: 

individual therapeutic intervention 

clinical sensory integration assessment 

behaviourist programmes 

compliance‑based strategies 

diagnostic frameworks 

medico‑legal content 

accredited qualifications 

Certificates of attendance (not qualifications) can be provided. 

2. Young Person Workshops (Children & Young People) 

These workshops are primarily aimed at upper‑primary and secondary‑aged young people, though they can be adapted for younger groups. The ideas we explore — regulation, sensory needs, and executive functioning — are relevant to many learners, not only neurodivergent children. 

Young Person Workshops are OT‑informed, early‑intervention group sessions designed to help children and young people understand their nervous systems, sensory needs, and how these areas can impact participation in daily life. 

These workshops can be delivered: 

in schools during class time 

in youth groups 

in community settings 

as part of wider wellbeing or inclusion programmes 

Nature of Young Person Workshops 

Workshops are: 

low‑demand 

emotionally safe 

accessible and sensory‑aware 

strengths‑based 

relational and connection‑focused 

educational and preventative 

not clinical therapy 

Workshops aim to support occupational participation by helping young people understand how their nervous system affects learning, social life, routines, and wellbeing. 

What workshops cover 

Topics may include: 

understanding neurodiversity 

why we behave the way we do 

executive functioning 

sensory awareness 

emotional regulation skills 

identity, masking, and overwhelm 

participation in school, home, and community life 

Who workshops are for 

upper‑primary pupils 

secondary pupils 

youth groups 

community organisations 

What workshops do not provide 

Workshops do not include: 

1:1 therapy 

clinical assessment 

diagnostic statements 

behaviourist programmes 

crisis intervention 

mental‑health treatment 

Workshops are OT‑informed and educational, not therapy. 

3. How Training and Workshops Are Developed 

All content is: 

created independently by HoneyBeeOT 

informed by OT theory, research, and Neuro‑affirming frameworks 

updated regularly 

shaped by feedback 

adapted to each setting’s context (not individual clinical needs) 

4. Booking and Customisation 

Training and workshops can be: 

standalone 

combined with environmental assessments 

tailored to your setting 

adapted for different roles or age groups 

Fees include preparation, delivery, travel (if applicable), and agreed follow‑up resources.