About us
Hayley Goodwin, Occupational Therapist
Graduating in 2006 from the University of East Anglia, I have spent most of my career with adults and children who are neurodivergent. Working in a range of settings in the NHS, including mental health inpatient units, community learning disabilities team, and community paediatric team, including leading and managing large therapy teams.
I set up Herts Beds OT because I wanted to support and help people who, like me, struggle with the activities they need and want to do. I am dyslexic and have ADHD with sensory processing difficulties, so I found participation in daily living activities, especially school, challenging. This is why I am passionate about supporting people to understand their strengths and help them overcome limitations.
My practice is neurodiversity-affirming. The work I do is around acceptance and inclusion. I work alongside people working on what is important to them, helping them to develop strategies, tools and accommodations.
I have had additional training throughout my career, more recently completing the Ayres’ Sensory Integration training. I am also trained in Model of Human Occupation (MOHO). I hold professional members with the National Handwriting Association (NHA), Sensory Network, and Sensory Project. I am registered with the Health Care Professional Councils, and I am a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapy (RCOT).
I volunteer as a school governor at my local village primary school as well as the Eastern Region Rep for Independent Occupational Therapists. I enjoy yoga, being creative and walking my therapy dog!
Jess Karol, Speech & Language Therapist
My name is Jess and I’m a Highly Specialist Independent Speech and Language Therapist. I graduated from the University of East Anglia in 2009 with a 2:1 in Speech and Language Therapy.
I spent over a decade in the NHS, working across adult and paediatric services. I became a Highly Specialist SLT, supporting adults with learning disabilities and dysphagia, before moving into paediatrics—helping children with communication needs, SEMH, ASC, and EHCP assessments. I now work independently.
My specialisms include Early Communication, ASD, ADHD, and feeding difficulties, including “picky eating” and sensory-based issues. I also support children with DLD, language delays, and childhood apraxia of speech.
I’ve trained in Dysphagia, Sensory Feeding, Attention Autism, Intensive Interaction, Talking Mats, Shape Coding, Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme, Makaton, Signalong, LAMP, SCERTS, TEACCH, and EHCP report writing.
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The Occupational Therapy approach
We take a strengths-based approach, supporting people to understand how they can meet their own needs in a society that often doesn’t.
We consider the whole person, working with individuals to identify any physical, mental health, learning and/or sensory needs that affect their daily life and well-being. Occupational therapists are skilled in working with complexity and supporting people with multiple co-occurring conditions or needs that affect their daily lives.
We take a person-centred approach, delivering services in a way that respects an individual’s personal, spiritual, religious and cultural needs, values or choices. We recognise that people are unique, even if they share the same diagnosis.
We work across traditional service boundaries, addressing physical and mental health and working with other agencies (housing, employment, education etc) to enable people to fulfil their potential and live their best lives.
We grade activities and work with individuals in context to enable them to take positive risks, master skills, grow and thrive. We recognise that performance may vary from day to day and help individuals find ways to accommodate this.
We work with individuals, employers and others to identify reasonable adjustments that support well-being and enable neurodivergent people to fulfil their potential.