Lauren Redshaw always knew she wanted to help people in some way. When she left high school she thought she would become a psychologist or a journalist. “However after returning from a year living overseas, a good friend suggested that I look into Occupational Therapy, describing it as a profession that helped people through doing. I was hooked from that point on because it meant combining my desire to help people with my own interests in creative pursuits.”

This led to Lauren studying the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy with Honours at Otago Polytechnic.

“I chose Otago Polytechnic because it was located in Dunedin, my home, and offered the degree that I was interested in. Highlights from the course of my study was doing a community project for the Hearing Association to investigate noise-induced hearing loss, and getting a research scholarship from Arthritis New Zealand to complete a small scale qualitative study on young adults with arthritis.

“I now work in Invercargill in the Inpatient Mental Health Unit, as the primary Occupational Therapist. I have also worked since graduating at Dunedin Hospital and as a Community Physical Occupational Therapist, in Balclutha.

“I’m not sure what my dream job looks like because the more I learn about myself and occupational therapy the more my vision changes. As long as I am working in the mental health sector, I will be happy because that is where my heart lies. In the next few years I would like to live and work overseas as an Occupational Therapist, preferably in Scotland. I am currently completing postgraduate study for new entry allied health clinicians, and would someday like to do my PhD.”