Helen Harrison

Helen qualified with a BSc in Occupational Therapy in 2010 and has specialised in neurological rehabilitation ever since: fifteen years of it, first across the NHS and since 2018 in independent practice.

Those NHS years covered both ends of the recovery journey. She worked in neurological inpatient units, including a Level 1 rehabilitation unit for people who had sustained complex brain injuries and polytrauma, and in community neuro teams supporting people back at home. That combination shapes how she works now. She has seen what happens after discharge, and what people are genuinely left managing once the front door closes behind them.

Her work is with adults living with traumatic brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, brain tumours, hypoxic brain injury and post-concussion syndrome, alongside progressive conditions including Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease and motor neurone disease.

The first home visit is an assessment. It begins as a conversation: what you are finding difficult, what a normal day looks like at the moment, and what you would most like to be able to do again. From there Helen assesses your needs and your abilities in full, then builds the treatment around you and the goals that matter to you, rather than working to a standard programme.

Where it goes from there depends entirely on what you need. It might be cognitive rehabilitation, looking at memory, concentration, processing speed, planning, problem-solving, or simply getting started on a task, and the practical strategies that make those difficulties easier to live with. It might be the upper limb, assessing strength, movement, co-ordination and sensation before building a programme around what she finds. Often it is functional: washing, dressing, cooking, or getting back out into the local community. Fatigue comes up constantly, being one of the most common and least understood neurological symptoms, and managing it is frequently where the real gains are. She also makes bespoke splints, including functional ones for tasks such as writing or self-feeding, and advises on seating, posture and equipment.

Where returning to work is the goal, she assesses the workplace, recommends reasonable adjustments and assistive technology, and liaises directly with employers about how best to support someone back into their role.

Helen has considerable experience of medico-legal cases, where she works as the rehabilitation occupational therapist alongside a private multidisciplinary team: intensive rehabilitation, and report writing for solicitors and case managers. Case managers are a regular part of her week, and explaining complex information clearly to everyone involved is well-practised ground.

She is based in Stafford and covers Staffordshire through her practice, Helen Harrison Occupational Therapy Ltd, working alongside associate occupational therapists. Where an enquiry suits a colleague's skills or availability better, she will say so.

If you are not certain whether occupational therapy is what you or your relative needs, Helen is happy to talk it through on the phone first. There is no charge for that call, no GP referral is needed, and there is no obligation to book anything afterwards.