Experience

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  St. francis' special school

  Apr 2013 - May 2013

  Occupational therapy student

  When working in this setting, I;• Gained experience of working with children aged 5-18, who had severe to profound disabilities. • Learned about many different conditions, such as Autism, Down syndrome, Angelman’s Syndrome and many more. I gained an awareness of how these conditions functionally impacted the children. • I furthered my non-verbal communication and incorporated observation skill through working directly with children, particularly my case study client., and sitting in on sessions with the OT.• I enhanced my time management, documentation and self-directed learning skills through keeping different diaries, client records and completing research in residual time.• I became more skilled at receiving and integrating feedback from my educator, and also at evaluating myself at half-way and the end of placement.• I created a therapeutic intervention plan for my client, and a long term programme, and presented this to the team, thus enhancing my clinical reasoning and presentation skills.• I furthered my knowledge on the MDT by observing physiotherapists, teachers, recreation facilitators and special needs assistants working with the children. Show less

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  L.i.f.e occupational therapy

  Jan 2014 - Mar 2014

  Occupational therapy student

  When working in this service, I; • Gained experience in working with the student population in a university, who presented with a wide range of both physical and mental health difficulties, such as Fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, stress and substance misuse.• Fulfilled a self-starting and responsible role through meeting my own clients, running a social group and stress management workshop, and compiling policies and procedures for this service.This placement was an invaluable experience for me, as I was part of an emerging O.T service in this setting. This gave me the opportunity to be creative and innovative in designing intervention plans, promoting the service and planning for the future. Show less

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  Sexual health west

  Oct 2015 - Aug 2021

  Wiser relationships and sexuality educator

  I spent 6 years working for Sexual Health West (formerly AIDS West), an organisation which offers the highest quality care and support to those affected by HIV/AIDS/STIs and to those worried about their sexual health. In this role, I;♥Delivered WISER (West of Ireland Sexual Education Resource), a comprehensive Relationships & Sexuality Education programme to young people in primary, secondary and alternative education settings. ♥Continuously developed the WISER programme, website and WISER written materials and resources, by contributing to design and content.♥Frequently engaged in professional development and training, please see 'Certifications' section.♥Wrote for the Sexual Health West publication, which is delivered to service users, health centres, hospitals, medical practitioners and other individuals and organisations who are interested in the area of sexual health.♥Recruited Youthboards and organised and facilitated meetings to gain the adolescent perspective on our RSE programme and additional workshops.♥Provided a confidential rapid HIV testing service on behalf of Sexual Health West.♥ Created and piloted a Positive Body Image workshop for adolescents, in addition to delivering add-on workshops which compliment our core WISER programme. These workshops have focused on topics such as consent, pornography and sex and technology/social media.♥Appeared as a participant on RTE's 'Asking For It?: Reality Bites', presented by Louise O' Neill, which explored consent and sexual assault in Ireland. Show less

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  National university of ireland, galway

  Oct 2016 - Feb 2017

  Research assistant

  As a research assistant in the Health Promotion Research Centre, a WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Promotion Research in NUI Galway, I was involved in varied roles and projects which have required a range of skills. The first focused on health literacy and I completed a scoping literature review on health literacy interventions in the context of Healthy Cities. I was also responsible for conducting telephone interviews with expert informants in different ‘Healthy Cities” in Europe, undertaking template analysis and compiling the findings. Based on the literature review and data analysis, I wrote a report for the HSE, which recommends actions for Galway Healthy Cities in relation to health literacy. I presented this research in poster format at the 2017 Health Promotion Conference in June. The second project focuses on the Food Environment around schools and involves analysing focus group data, collected from post-primary school students. This study is ongoing and will contribute to the debate on environmental determinants of obesity and dietary behaviours. I coded this data and completed thematic analysis. Show less

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  Unesco

  Apr 2017 - Oct 2017

  Research assistant

  The position involved working on two programmes of research. The first project relates to the civic and political engagement of young people which is part of an EU Marie Curie funded Fellowship project.The second relates to an international project with a partner organization Lumos involvingknowledge transfer and dissemination activities to support the deinstitutionalization of children.My tasks included; thematically analysing recorded data and report-writing, coordinating fieldwork planning and communication with stakeholders in different countries. via email, phone and Skype, supporting the Project Manager in coordinating a range of professional exchanges and training programmes involving Irish organisations, and assisting the Principal Investigator with meetings, consultations and networking. I was one of the primary organisers of an interactive and highly successful symposium, which brought together participants from Ireland, the US, the UK, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Moldova, and facilitated knowledge exchange pertaining to supporting parents in different cultural contexts. I was also responsible for the planning and facilitation of a training programme in coordination with Foroige, in order to teach young people about the research process and gain an insight into their views on our own research. Show less

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  National university of ireland, galway

  Oct 2017 - Mar 2019

  Unesco researcher

  In October 2017, I was awarded a scholarship to conduct research on Empathy, Social Values and Young People, which primarily involved working on a systematic literature review on empathy education. I furthered my teaching, tutoring and lecturing skills during my time as a doctoral researcher. I have delivered lectures on subjects including 'Body Image, Sex and Sexuality', 'Researching Children's Lives', 'Adolescent Risky Behavior' and 'Gender, Sex and Sexuality', and acted as a facilitator on the 'Student Resilience Project'. I also created and facilitated the ‘Being Kind Online’ workshop at the 2018 Youth Empathy Event, which was hosted by Cillian Murphy at the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre. I presented my research at events such as the 2018 All-Ireland Doctoral Conference held in Queens University (Belfast). I also assisted in quantitative and qualitative data collection as part of the YES (Youth, Empathy and Social Values) project. During my time in NUIG I also worked on the 'The NUI Galway Employability Award' as a CV and presentation grader and workshop facilitator, and worked as part of an 'Exam Support Team' where I was responsible for being a first responder to students who become distressed before, during or after their exams. Show less

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  Penn state university

  Aug 2018 - Sept 2018

  Visiting unesco scholar

  During my time as a researcher in the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre (NUI Galway), I was awarded funding to complete a month-long visit to Pennsylvania State University (PSU), which was an invaluable learning experience. During the placement, I worked closely with Professor Mark Brennan (Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education). I networked extensively with fellow researchers, professors and young people. Through these meetings, I was able to significantly enhance my knowledge of empathy and empathy education in general, particularly in relation to the different cultural context of the U.S., and regarding what has been successful and unsuccessful within empathy-based programmes and projects. I established a wide circle of contacts and connections in the field of empathy research and practice, and was able to use the information and knowledge gained to inform my research and writing processes. Show less

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  Grace alice

  Jun 2020 - now

  Sex & intimacy specialist and author

  As a sex and intimacy specialist, I combine the knowledge, experience, and skills I have acquired through my training as an occupational therapist, sex edcuator and intimacy coach. I offer 1-1 and couples coaching sessions, tailored workshops and my signature Better Sex For Women course to adults, as well as running RSE & Me, a landmark sex education programme for schools and Youthreaches in Ireland.I have been kept busy delivering sex education through the media (The Irish Times, RTÉ, Her.ie and lots more), my Instagram page, newsletter and my podcast (The G Spot) and have worked with the likes of Durex and Playblue. Please see gracealice.com for more, and I can be contacted via the site or via email at [email protected]. Show less