when to give tasks away that are not in my zone of genius, has been the biggest thing to evolve for me, says Lisa Harrison, a director at Rehab Jigsaw.
Financial discipline matters too.‘ Put money away for investment, because at some point you’ re going to need it.’ advises Lisa Thacker, Director and founder of Evergreen Occupational Therapy Services.
While Mary poses a practical test, asking:‘ If I was unexpectedly incapacitated today, how would my associates still have employment?’
A sustainable practice is not built in a single step. It requires occupational therapists to engage with their identity as business owners, invest in culture and systems, and delegate with intention. These four practitioners are not exceptions, their message is consistent: get clear on who you are, invest in your culture and build structures that hold. They are what allow meaningful care to continue, year after year.
References Cohen C, Pignata S, Bezak E, Tie M and Childs J( 2023) Workplace interventions to improve wellbeing and reduce burnout. BMJ Open, 13( 6), Article e071203.
Maslach C and Leiter MP( 2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15( 2): 103-111.
Royal College of Occupational Therapists( 2015) Supervision: guidance for occupational therapists and their managers. London: RCOT. Available at: www. rcot. co. uk / explore-resources / standards-guidelines [ accessed 8 May 2026 ].
Written by KARLENE RUDDOCK, dual registered occupational therapist and social worker with a practice interest in perinatal mental health. From interviews with Mary McCarron, Connect Neurotherapy Services and former Chair of the RCOT Specialist Section – Independent Practice, Jill Martin, Purpose People Practice and Mental Health Practice Network Lead, Lisa Thacker, Evergreen Occupational Therapy Services and CYPF Independent Practice Lead, and Lisa Harrison, Rehab Jigsaw and Specialism Lead for Occupational Health
Is your practice giving you early warning signs?
The Health and Care Professions Council( HCPC) Standards of Proficiency( 2023) now explicitly require registrants to develop strategies for physical and mental self-care as part of fitness to practise. Use these questions to check in with yourself honestly.
Boundaries: Are you regularly working outside the hours you intended, or finding it difficult to switch off at the end of the day?
Delegation: Are you still doing tasks that fall outside your zone of genius because there is no one to hand them to, or because handing over feels harder than just doing them yourself?
Financial resilience: Do you have money set aside for investment, a quiet period, or an unexpected interruption to your practice?
Capacity planning: If you were unexpectedly incapacitated today, how would your practice continue?
Connection: Do you have regular peer support or supervision in place? Working alone without it increases the risk of both burnout and unsafe practice( RCOT 2015).
Identity: Are you still identifying as both clinician and business owner, or has one role quietly eclipsed the other?
If you answered‘ no’ or‘ not sure’ to two or more of these, it may be time to treat your own sustainability with the same rigour you would bring to a client’ s occupational balance.
RCOT’ s Professional Advisory Service is available to members at hello @ rcot. co. uk.
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