Publish date: 8 September 2022

Well done to Laura Johnson, one of the Trust's occupational therapists, who has won a Royal College of Occupational Therapists award.

Laura won the college's Early Researcher Prize (pre-reg) for her MSc (Master of Sciences) research on the 'dark side of occupation' whilst studying at York St John University.

Laura explained that ‘the dark side of occupation’ is a concept that refers to the often unexplored daily activities that people engage in that are meaningful to them but may compromise their health, for example; smoking, gambling or even extreme sports such as parkour.

Occupational therapists are trained to promote people’s meaningful activities that are important to them, but they also have a duty to encourage healthy lifestyle choices.

Laura decided to pursue the topic in her research after realising there are misunderstandings around the term ‘dark side of occupation’ due to the language used, and aimed to explore further the possible dilemmas and ethical issues it could pose for occupational therapists in practice.

She said: "I was really honoured and surprised to receive this award. I really enjoyed carrying out this research and am very grateful to my research supervisor and participants for all their help and support.”

A spokeswoman for the Royal College of Occupational Therapists said: "Your work clearly demonstrated excellence throughout the research process, and we were impressed that you had the confidence as a learner to challenge misinterpretation of emerging concepts and the broader status quo to better prepare and support occupational therapists to work with a diverse range of people and their equally diverse occupations."

Her success was marked in a special feature in OT News and on the Royal College's website. Laura also received a £50 book token, and hopes to attend the RCOT award ceremony to receive her award in person.

Laura is currently working in the Community Independence Service’s Rehab Team in Hammersmith and Fulham. This role focuses on supporting people living in the community to become more independent, gain confidence, achieve rehabilitation goals and relearn skills to carry out daily activities.