This week is Occupational Therapy Week: Meet Juliet Sweeney

November 7, 2023

Occupational therapy is one of the allied health professions that helps people of all ages who have physical, sensory, or cognitive problems. Occupational Therapy Week aims to increase awareness of and celebrate the essential service occupational therapists provide in helping patients regain independence in all areas of their lives. This year’s Occupational Therapy Week is celebrated between 6 – 12 November.

Meet Julie Sweeney:

“I qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 2000.  For the last 21 years I have been working in Community Paediatrics

“I am passionate about Early Intervention for children to help them achieve their long term goals in all aspects of activities of daily living, and the earlier support is provided the better the outcomes are.

“I have recently started a new post as a Neonatal Occupational Therapist which is part of a new Allied Health Professionals Team that is working on the neonatal unit at City Hospital.

“Working on the neonatal unit I have to consider the occupations of the babies, which include feeding, sleeping, growing and bathing and how I can support the parents to carry out their parenting occupations which may include bathing, feeding, changing their baby and understanding the behavioural cues their babies are showing them.

“On the neonatal unit we also talk about co-occupations (completing occupations together) for example the baby and parents both have bathing as their individual occupations, but this is an occupation that is completed together.

“Developing this new role is an exciting challenge for me, but every day is different and working with both babies and their families provides a very rewarding experience to help them complete the occupations that matter to them.”

To celebrate Occupational Therapy Week, we will be hosting a special drop in event on today at Sandwell Education Centre until 3pm for all colleagues to attend.