RCOMH Steering Group Member - Clair Le Boutillier
I am
the research and development lead for the College of Occupational
Therapist’s specialist section for mental health (COTSS-MH)
national executive committee and represent COTSS-MH on the RCOMH
steering group as a founding partner. This is a fantastic
opportunity to forge a partnership and to focus on building the
occupation and mental health evidence base by leading and
developing coordinated research programmes.
I am an occupational therapist with specialist
experience in mental health, vocational rehabilitation and
neuroscience, and I have a research interest in the translation of
evidence into routine practice. I graduated from Dorset House
school of occupational therapy, Oxford Brookes University in 1995
and was awarded the Elizabeth Casson memorial scholarship to
complete Masters level study at Boston school of occupational
therapy, Tufts University in 1997. Having gained academic and
practice experience in the United States, I returned to the UK to
incorporate my enthusiasm for research and evidence based practice.
I specialised in neuroscience and gained further overseas work
experience in Australia in 2000. I returned to the UK and continued
to work in neuroscience before moving to the field of chronic
fatigue syndrome, and more recently in 2003, to mental health.
I joined King’s College London in 2009 to work
on the REFOCUS research programme at the Section for Recovery,
Institute of Psychiatry. REFOCUS is a 5-year study funded by the
NHS National Institute for Health Research under the Programme
Grants for Applied Research scheme, which aims to develop a
scientific evidence base of recovery orientation. Alongside this
role, I am registered as a part-time PhD student. My PhD research
investigates staff perspectives on implementing changes in working
practices in order to make recovery orientated community-based
national mental health services a reality in England.