Being a parent can be a wonderful, but treacherous rollercoaster.

The question that pretty much every Occupational Therapist (also referred to as OT) is asked.

Occupational Therapists work in most areas of health care, to maintain or improve people's physical and mental health. The science behind the profession is that wellbeing is supported if individuals are able to engage in what is meaningful to them, these activities are known as occupations (not just someone’s job role which is confusing, we agree). Occupational Therapists do so through rehabilitation, environmental adaptations and implementing practical strategies.

It helps to think of occupations as how we ‘occupy’ our time. We break down these occupations into broad categories; selfcare, productivity and leisure, and look at how our individual roles, routines and identities are interlinked with these occupations.

The Parent Health Hub applies Occupational Therapy to being a parent and the challenges that parents may experience. Our support and courses are specifically directed to supporting parents' health and wellbeing. Click here to see how we can support you or which of our courses is best for you.

How the birth of her second child also brought along the birth of the Parent Health Hub

Alice has worked in health care for over a decade, in many different areas of health. Following graduation from her MSc, her main specialism and experience was within paediatrics, providing her with the privilege to work with 100’s of families.

Alice has always had a clear awareness that parents' health was vital for children’s development. During her MSc, she conducted research specifically on parental self-efficacy, exploring the strong connection that it has on children’s goals and participation.

While working as a Paediatric Occupational Therapist, Alice covered many areas of assessment and intervention. One area that Occupational Therapists specialise in is sensory regulation work. Alice furthered this specialism in 2018, studying Foundations and Neuroscience with the Sensory Integration Network. The experiences from her career and her knowledge from this has laid the groundwork for her work to help parents manage feelings of overwhelm, frustration, outbursts and dysregulation.

The seed was officially planted for the Parent Health Hub after Alice gave birth to her second child. A few weeks postpartum, Alice sat in her living room and felt as though a whirlwind had been through and completely disheveled her identity, emotions, thought processes, appearance and routine. Said whirlwind had then continued on to crash through the house causing havoc with everyone else living there and everything in sight. It felt like life was unrecognisable again, and this was something Alice did not expect to feel, so lost again in something she had experienced before.

It was in this moment, on the sofa under this second little life changing whirlwind catalyst, that Alice thought she needed an OT. She needed someone who specilaised in roles, identity, environmental changes and regulation.

And there we had it, following the birth of her second child also came the birth of the Parent Health Hub.

As Alice began training as a Perinatal Occupational Therapist, it was clear the work that Perinatal OT’s do is vital.

Within NHS guidelines Perinatal care is offered from conception until the child is 12 months old (the plan is to extend this period to the child’s second birthday as outlined in the NHS’s Long Term Mental Health Implementation Plan)

The Parent Health Hub does provide support to parents throughout this period, however, it is clear that the need to support parents’ health continues to be a priority throughout the entire parenthood journey. From toddlers to teens, neurodevelopmental changes present themselves at all ages in your child’s development, and we are here with you through all of it.

And as our children's reactions and behaviour may cause challenges, what about the challenges parents face in other areas of their lives? One of the main areas we support is returning to work or going through other transitional periods in your life.

Therefore, we do not class this company as Perinatal Occupational Therapy, but more so parental support at any stage of your parenting journey.

These face to face or virtual sessions are perfect for parents returning to the workforce after maternity leave or families that are about to become parents. These sessions aim to empower parents through any transition they may encounter.

We are proud to offer a range of courses that are designed to address different challenges you might encounter as a parent.

Our courses can be held in person by our founder Alice Vincenti. This option also offers the opportunity for us to design something unique if you so wish to your company's specific needs. This opportunity allows you to be able to receive therapeutic advice and feedback. Please contact us directly if this is something you would be interested in via hello@parenthealthhub.co.uk.