Samantha qualified in 1992 as an occupational therapist and gained her masters in 2011.  She also holds a post-graduate teaching qualification in academic practice. Samantha is a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) and a member of RCOT’s specialist sections – Older Persons and Mental Health as well as being registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council.

Samantha’s clinical speciality centres on those with mental health concerns, while her wider role with The OT Service involves supervision and mentoring as well as consultancy to businesses focusing on training and occupational therapy expertise.

Samantha is the president of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT).  She is committed to promoting and advocating for the profession by supporting the development of professional standards and new educational programmes.

Until 2016 Samantha held the position of senior lecturer at Northumbria University overseeing aspects of the BSc (Hons) and MSc (pre-registration) occupational therapy programmes, with a particular interest in supporting students and graduates in developing new services. Samantha remains a regular guest lecturer at various national and international universities.

Through her work with the WFOT Samantha represents the occupational therapy profession at high-level World Health Organisation (WHO) meetings and contributes to specific WHO projects for example the GATE (Global Assistive Technology) initiative, Rehabilitation 2030 and Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP). Samantha is also a founding board member for the International Society for Wheelchair Professionals (ISWP).

Samantha is a sought after speaker at national and international conferences sharing her expertise on promoting professional identity and establishing occupational therapy services.