number I had envisioned, the reaction – a moment of sheer bewilderment followed by a wave of laughter – instantly made the room feel lighter and safer.
Of course, the goal was never to start a musical number in a council meeting. Instead, it was an attempt to answer the Chair’ s sincere question,‘ What can we do?’, with an equally sincere action.
As occupational therapists, we are experts in adapting the built environment, because an inaccessible space sends a clear and psychologically unsafe message;‘ You were not considered’.
But what I think is often less visible is the social environment; the feeling of being truly seen, heard and accepted by the people that inhabit it.
For individuals like me, who may not have visible physical disabilities, but whose neurodivergence affects how we operate within and engage with the world, that acceptance is everything.
So, my conclusion is that the laughter in that room began not with my dance, but with the Chair’ s question. In asking‘ What can we do?’, she modelled the very foundation of psychological safety; a genuine, humble curiosity and a willingness to cede expert status.
This is our starting point. We don’ t need to have all the answers for creating inclusive spaces, we just need to be brave enough to ask the people who live in them. I felt safe in sharing my experiences with HCPC Council, because I shared with them my diagnosis and in return they asked,‘ How can we change?’
In practical reality, the language of psychological safety isn’ t really spoken in words, but demonstrated in actions. It is found in the shared responsibility we take for each other’ s wellbeing and manifested in the small, but often hugely impactful, gestures we make for one another.
A recent real-world example of this was when I was applying for my first Band 5 occupational therapy post. I completed two interviews, and as I have auditory processing delay, it takes me longer than average to process what is being asked before I can formulate a response.
For the first interview, I received no adjustments. The anxiety of trying to process the questions while simultaneously filling the silence caused by my processing delay – just to avoid appearing incompetent – was overwhelming, to the point that I lost my sense of self and could not demonstrate my true capabilities. In short, I bombed the interview.
For the second interview, my interviewer noted my diagnosis and to accommodate it, all applicants for that post were offered one simple, thoughtful adaptation – the chance to see the questions beforehand.
The difference was profound. I was able to use the time in the interview actually answering the questions instead of processing them, and I was offered the job the same day – all because I got a reasonable adjustment that negated the potential effects of my auditory delay.
I felt safe and was able to demonstrate my actual knowledge and abilities; as it wasn’ t my capacity that had changed between the two interviews, but the environment. That small gesture was the language of psychological safety in action.
What struck me the most, though, was the very fact that I was invited to speak to the HCPC Council on this topic in the first place. To me, it signals that the topics of neurodiversity and inclusive spaces are moving higher up the agenda, and that we, as occupational therapists, and the wider allied health professions should capitalise on this momentum.
Our profession’ s expertise in understanding the relationship between the person, environment and occupation puts us in a strong position to influence how these concepts are embedded in education, regulation and practice.
Opportunities like this do not come often, and when they do, we should be ready to step forward with evidence, lived experience, and practical strategies that can make a tangible difference to the narrative.
I hope to continue exploring these ideas further and connecting with others who are also working to create more psychologically safe, inclusive spaces within our professions.
Words DAGBJARTUR( DABBI) TAYLOR, Band 5 Occupational Therapist, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services( CAMHS), Glasgow. If you would like to connect with the author and continue the conversation email dabbitaylor. ot @ gmail. com or why not post on RCOT Communities? Please note that the views in this article are the author’ s own and not those of his employer, RCOT or HCPC
Above: Dabbi Taylor
September 2025 OTnews 27