Vigere Occupational Therapy Logo
Our passion is to support children and young adults to thrive, flourish and be actively engaged in life

Providing specialist occupational therapy services throughout the southwest using a team based approach

Cornwall, UK

Find Out More
rcot member
hpc registered logo
dbs checked logo

Who We See

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Dyspraxia & Developmental Coordination Disorder
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Autistic spectrum conditions (ASD)
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Neurodevelopmental conditions
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Acquired brain injury
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Sensory processing difficulties
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Behaviours that challenge
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Learning Disabilities
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Hypermobility/Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
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Individuals who have had Adverse Childhood Experiences
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Mental Health

What We Provide

Initial consultation

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Full Occupational Therapy assessment and recommendations

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Development of specialist support programs

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Close working with the multi-disciplinary team

Direct therapeutic intervention at home or school

Application of Ayres Sensory Integration Theory

Contribution and Reports for Educational Health Care Plans

Advice on environmental adaptations

Bespoke training and guidance to school/care teams/ families

Consultation to school through termly contracts

Formal reports

What We Do

Play/

Learning through fun

Self-directed approach

Parent and child sessions

HOLISTIC APPROACH

Fine Motor Skills/ Handwriting

Whole Body Coordination

Ayres Sensory Integration

ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTATIONS

Meaningful Functional Activities

Nature Approach

Emotional Regulation

A STRENGTHS BASED APPROACH TO AUTISIM

SCHOOL AND HOME VISITS/SESSIONS

BUILDING INDEPENDENCE SKILLS

Who We Are

Rosie Gibbons

Rosie Gibbons

Co Director and founder of Vigere OT ltd
Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist
PG Dip OT, BSc (Hons) and MSc, RCOT, HCPC, Advanced Sensory Integration Practitioner

I have over 16 years’ experience in the field of paediatrics, and am passionate about supporting children, young adults and their families to engage and thrive in everyday life. Having a sibling with additional needs has given me an intrinsic understanding of the experiences and challenges that families experience throughout life.

I provide assessment and treatment for children and young adults with a range of needs, including autistic spectrum condition, global developmental delay, developmental coordination disorder/dyspraxia, cerebral palsy, ADHD and Acquired Brain Injury. I have a special interest in Sensory Integration (ASI), and am qualified as an Advanced Sensory Integration Practitioner. I have also completed training in Sensory Attachment Intervention, and actively apply these techniques in my work.

As part of my role as director of Vigere OT Cornwall I work closely with local organisations and funding bodies including Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). I have also developed extensive experience through previous work as a Case Manager, providing specialist support to adults and children with Acquired Brain Injury and Autism.

For me, living and working in Cornwall is all about harnessing our great outdoors. Where possible, I use nature and whole-body movement as part of the therapeutic process. I am currently developing this through EcoSensory Therapy, a treatment approach to support physical and mental health by working with nature to regulate through the senses.

Louise Thrower

Co Director and founder of Vigere OT ltd
Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist
BSc (Hons), RCOT, HCPC, Accredited Sensory Integration Practitioner

I am an experienced Children’s Occupational Therapist with a kind, holistic, family centred approach. I am motivated to find creative ways to support children and young adults to learn, thrive, develop and engage within their physical and social environment.

I have a specialist interest and passion for supporting children and young adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities and in November 2022 spoke on this subject in the conference section at the OT Show.

Since qualifying over a decade ago, I have developed specialist knowledge and expertise in a range of paediatric areas including: child development, trauma, acquired brain injury, neurodevelopmental conditions, developmental coordination disorder/dyspraxia, learning disabilities and mental health. I have worked as an OT within the private sector, NHS and education setting, providing comprehensive assessment, professional reports and effective intervention.

I am an Accredited Sensory Integration Practitioner (ASI) and actively apply principles of Sensory Attachment Intervention (SAI) when understanding the needs of a child or young person.

As part of my role as Director of Vigere OT Cornwall, I am the Lead Consultant Occupational Therapist for the Special Partnership Trust. My primary role is to oversee the analysis of activity and environmental modification with a goal of reducing pupil’s barriers to learning; ensuring pupil participation in meaningful school occupations. A focus on supporting children to feel organised and regulated.

I work extensively with children and young adults with a full range of physical, emotional and learning needs, always seeking to understand how a child/young person has and is experiencing the world, as I believe that only then can we begin to help them grow and feel safe within it.

Louise Thrower

Louise Thrower

Co Director and founder of Vigere OT ltd
Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist
BSc (Hons), RCOT, HCPC, Accredited Sensory Integration Practitioner

I am an experienced Children’s Occupational Therapist with a kind, holistic, family centred approach. I am motivated to find creative ways to support children and young adults to learn, thrive, develop and engage within their physical and social environment.

I have a specialist interest and passion for supporting children and young adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities and in November 2022 spoke on this subject in the conference section at the OT Show.

Since qualifying over a decade ago, I have developed specialist knowledge and expertise in a range of paediatric areas including: child development, trauma, acquired brain injury, neurodevelopmental conditions, developmental coordination disorder/dyspraxia, learning disabilities and mental health. I have worked as an OT within the private sector, NHS and education setting, providing comprehensive assessment, professional reports and effective intervention.

I am an Accredited Sensory Integration Practitioner (ASI) and actively apply principles of Sensory Attachment Intervention (SAI) when understanding the needs of a child or young person.

As part of my role as Director of Vigere OT Cornwall, I am the Lead Consultant Occupational Therapist for the Special Partnership Trust. My primary role is to oversee the analysis of activity and environmental modification with a goal of reducing pupil’s barriers to learning; ensuring pupil participation in meaningful school occupations. A focus on supporting children to feel organised and regulated.

I work extensively with children and young adults with a full range of physical, emotional and learning needs, always seeking to understand how a child/young person has and is experiencing the world, as I believe that only then can we begin to help them grow and feel safe within it.

Meet The Associates

“We believe in the importance of working closely as part of a multi-disciplinary team to ensure the best outcomes for our families. Vigere Occupational Therapy uses an associate model approach, with close links to a medical practitioner and local specialist professionals.”

Cornwall Autism is run by Speech and Language Therapist, Oni Law, and Occupational Therapist, Mary Hosken and offers private autism assessments for children and young people in Cornwall. Both Oni and Mary have extensive experience of autism assessment in the NHS, and still work in the local ASDAT and Neurodevlopmental Assessment Teams; they are also passionate about being able to offer families another choice for pursuing a diagnostic assessment. Find out more about them on their website:
www.cornwallautism.com
or email them on:
hello@cornwallautism.com

Kate Rollo

Specialist Occupational Therapist

BSc (Hons) 2:1 in Occupational Therapy, University of Plymouth, Sep 2011 – June 2014

I am a motivated individual with a passion for Occupational Therapy, particularly in the area of paediatrics and learning disabilities. My career covers adult mental health, stroke rehab, acute trauma, adult learning disabilities and more recently paediatric mental health services and learning disabilities. I have enjoyed working for the NHS and within the private health and social care sector. I am someone who takes pride with having a broad range of experience and an eye for learning and developing new skills in a number of fields. I have excellent communication, social and organisational skills, along with the dedication and eagerness to work and succeed. I am a hardworking Occupational Therapist committed to my career and the individuals, families and teams whom I support.

Claire Willetts

Admin and Financial Support

I have a background in social care, working with children and adults who have additional needs. Over the last ten years I have been working in administration, helping small businesses with the day to day admin and financial tasks that ensure their business runs smoothly. I love living in Cornwall and spend as much time as I possibly can either in or beside the water.

Meet Me Where I am

 
Where am I going?
Where should I be?
Is that where I’m headed?
Is that what you see?

You’re already there
In this place that I’m not
That’s where you’re starting
That’s what you’ve got

A place that’s without me
That’s foreign, afar
Goals have been written
But who are they for?

My parents or peers?
My teachers or friends?
Am I something to fix?
Something to mend?

You want to know me
So enter my world
Don’t help me unravel
Watch me unfurl

Can you start where I am?
Why not meet me there?
Invite me to play
We’ll make quite a pair

Play is a window
Play is my door
Play is a language
We’ve both learned before

They say its not play
Doesn’t look as it should
But I’m telling you more
Than they thought that I could

So liven my senses
See what I seek
Come into my world
Just take a peek

Do you know where my world is?
Can I show you where?
Can I ask you a question?
Will you meet me there?
 

Developed by Lou Thrower, Written by Katie Flaxman

What They Say About Vigere OT

Parent

“We had an full assessment for our 16 year old son who has complex needs (including ASD). He has high anxiety and is refusing to engage with any education or therapy. Louise’s enthusiasm and warmth enabled him to take a risk and begin the assessment. He actually ended up enjoying the process and clearly trusted Louise. The report is incredibly helpful and gives us a much clearer idea of his challenges and strengths. This will enable us to ask for the support he needs in the future, including for his new EHCP and his PIP claim. Louise also gave us (parents) some follow-up sessions to help us begin to implement some of her suggestions. This was by far the most useful information and advice we have ever had from a professional, I cannot recommend Louise highly enough. “

Parent

“Lou has worked with my daughter, age 17 with Autism, complex trauma and mental health issues for 4 months. She has made such a difference already to my daughter’s life in ways such as being able to sit her GCSEs examinations this year which is incredibly important to her. This wouldn’t have even been imaginable 6 months ago and she wouldn’t have achieved this without Lou’s valuable input. She is now considering attending College, again with Lou’s input it’ll help prepare us and the College to ensure it’s a success. “

Parent

“Lou is professional and very personable, my daughter isn’t keen on people in general but has said ‘I like Lou!’ which is a credit to Lou as building a trusting relationship is important for my daughters recovery. “

Parent

“Because of the way Lou works, her anxiety has reduced and she is beginning to self advocate, make decisions and self regulate and not use self harm as a form of coping which is a real breakthrough. Many years we have been going round in circles where nothing at all was working and it was an incredibly tough time. Lou has introduced several aids for my daughter to use and they work very well too. “

Parent

“Rosie has been my daughter’s OT for six years. She played a key role in identifying her Dyspraxia and Sensory processing issues at six years old. Since then she has completed therapy sessions for her at school working with teachers and my child, in clinic settings and at home or via Zoom on a weekly basis during Lockdown. She was the first private OT allowed to do in school lessons and sessions at my child’s primary school. “

Parent

“She has played a key role in pioneering the treatment of young girls diagnosed with Dyspraxia and their ‘in school’ private OT treatment in Cornwall. She is the only I have found who does school visits and she continues to see my child now she has started secondary school.”

Parent

“Lou has also helped me to understand her challenges and the reports Lou shares after every session are very informative and helpful. “

Parent

“I would highly recommend Lou without any hesitation, I just wish we had found Lou sooner before my daughters mental health began to decline. “

Parent

“Rosie is a very knowledgeable and child centred practitioner, especially in areas of sensory processing dysfunction, which is a key feature of our daughter’s difficulties. She is very natural around young children, using her quiet, gentle presence to gain trust and cooperation, adapting activities and employing humour, distraction and play to quickly put children at ease. “

Parent

“All our communication with Rosie was professional and discreet and it felt so reassuring to have her support. Her clear explanations of the research around sensory processing has not only helped us to understand our child better, but her accurate and thorough reports meant our daughter secured a place in the best possible specialist provision to suit her needs. I honestly cannot recommend a more qualified and caring occupational therapist for your child.”

Parent

“Rosie has played a key role in all IPM (individual pupil management) meetings to ensure the child’s SEN needs and views are met and heard in primary school providing essential, non partisan feedback and comments. She is an expert in the EHCP process and is my daughter’s private OT expert for her plan. This includes writing essential reports, completing and helping fill in the application forms, attending meetings with teachers, and county representatives. Without Rosie, her excellent advice, measured approach and precise and decision report writing the plan would not have been as far reaching and focussed as it is.”

Parent

“Rosie’s expertise is to assist my child not just with her physical OT needs but her cognitive and emotional OT needs and this is a rarity in Cornwall. She has been an absolute rock and the fact she has seen my child weekly, fortnightly or every three weeks over the past six years and ensured her progress and development with special educational needs (SEN) is a blessing to me. I cannot recommend her skill base enough. She is an expert’s expert in the field of multi-disciplined OT for SEN children.”

Training

We love providing training and our focus is always on making this accessible, engaging and transferable to real-life settings. Vigere OT have a high level of experience in developing and providing bespoke sensory integration-focused training within specialist settings. Our recent specialist training packages have included training the newly developed Autism Liaison and Development (ALIT) team within the CAMHS Service as well as writing and delivering ‘sensory friendly wards’ training to Sowenna, Cornwall’s Children and Adolescent Mental Health inpatient unit.

We regularly facilitate bespoke training packages for specialist provision and mainstream schools/college’s and provide training and direct support and guidance in supported living and residential settings.

We also enjoy opportunities to present at national conferences and act as specialist trainers of sensory processing in children’s and young people’s mental health. This has included the Clinical Associate Psychologist (CAP) Masters Programme, the PGDip Psychological Therapies Training course, the Speech and Language Therapy Conference and guest lecturing at the University of Exeter. We actively engage in research including the SenITA (Sensory Integration therapy for sensory processing difficulties in children with autism specific disorder) randomised control trial.

We are passionate about providing accessible training and consultancy services to develop a shared understanding of the young person, family, environment and whole team around them to make long-lasting positive changes and develop a sense of empowerment.

In addition to training we are able to provide clinical supervision, please contact us for further information.

Feedback from training to the KIOSK –
Kernow & Isles of Scilly Keyworking (formerly ALIT – Autism Liaison & Intervention Team)

“Training with Lou and Rosie has been so inspiring. They work brilliantly as a team and are so friendly and approachable. They ensured the training was entertaining, engaging and varied (as well as being highly informative!). They pitched the material at the perfect level for us but were also flexible and totally willing to dive deeper with us when we wanted. The pacing of the training was also spot on. 5 minutes of clinical case discussion with these brilliant women was worth a year of discussion with other OTs! Thank you.”

Work With Us

We are always seeking experienced and confident occupational therapists to join our team as an Vigere OT Associates.

We provide clinical supervision to all our associates and a competitive rate of pay.

We are able to offer our associates both occasional assessment contracts and longer term treatment intervention contracts

Email Us

info@vigereotcornwall.com
Rosie Gibbons PG Dip OT, BSc, MSc
Lou Thrower BSc(Hons)