What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy is a health profession that helps people live healthier, more fulfilling lives by supporting them in the activities that matter most to them. “Occupation” refers to all the everyday tasks and roles you engage in, whether at the conservatoire, at work, or at home.

Occupational therapists take a holistic approach, meaning they look at all aspects of your life, including your mental wellbeing, cognitive functioning, physical health, and sensory needs. They work with individuals to tackle challenges that may make it difficult to do the things you want or need to do, such as managing personal care, studying, working, or engaging in meaningful hobbies. The goal of occupational therapy is to help people live their best lives, no matter what challenges they may face (Royal College of Occupational Therapists, 2023).

What can Occupational Therapy help me with?

• Support with health conditions and disability
• Cognitive and Executive functioning assessment and skills
• Incorporating structure and meaningful routines into daily life
• Managing environments, to ensure that you can function at your best
• Occupational balance, to avoid burn-out and stress
• Self-care skills
• Fatigue management
• Addressing Sensory needs
• Social participation and engagement

How do Occupational Therapists work at Leeds Conservatoire?

We meet with students on a one-to-one basis and also run workshops and support sessions.

Depending on your support needs, you will be matched with a Student Wellbeing Adviser, Mental Health
Adviser, Occupational Therapist, or Counsellor. Usually, you will work with the same team member throughout your time with us.

Occasionally, we may decide that you would be better supported by another member of the team. We will
discuss this with you and keep you involved in the process.

The number of appointments you have will vary based on the kind of support you receive. 
 
Wellbeing advice, mental health support, and Occupational Therapy interventions usually follow a four appointment model. 
 
In your Initial Meeting we will identify the problem, set goals, and create an action plan. Over the next two appointments we will work to help you achieve these goals, taking time to review them as we go. In the fourth appointment, we will review your progress and consider our next steps, which may involve extending or ending contact. 
 
Counselling interventions last for up to six appointments. Usually, these will be held weekly at the same time, on the same day, and in the same room. 

We hold appointments in person and online via Microsoft Teams. You can indicate your appointment
preference in the referral form, and we will try our best to accommodate it.

In-person appointments are held in the St Peter’s Square building on the fourth floor.

No. Just bring yourself and be ready to talk about what is troubling you.

Try not to arrive too early for your appointment. We do not have a waiting room and space outside our
meeting rooms is limited. If you are very early, you may be asked to return at the arranged start time.

To respect your confidentiality and privacy, we ask that you attend appointments alone. This also applies
to online appointments.

If you require someone to support you, please email us prior to your appointment on:
healthandwellbeing@leedsconservatoire.ac.uk

Yes. Everything you tell us will remain confidential, unless we believe that you are at risk of harm, or that you pose a risk of harm to somebody else. 
 
To ensure we work safely and ethically, our team regularly undergoes peer supervision, during which we discuss the students we are supporting. These discussions adhere to the same confidentiality conditions detailed above. 
 
We will never speak to parents, guardians, family members, or friends about your access to the service without your explicit consent. Similarly, we will not share any details about other students accessing the service with you. 
 
Occasionally, we may share limited information with the Disability Support team to help coordinate support (e.g. declared disabilities, your access to our service). 
 
If you are involved in absence procedures or applying for additional consideration, we may let HE Admin and/or the Exams team know that you are accessing our service.  
 
Sometimes, it may be appropriate to pass your details on to another staff member or external service (e.g. a support charity or NHS service). In normal circumstances, we will always seek your consent before doing this. 

If you are running late for any reason, let us know as soon as possible by emailing: 
healthandwellbeing@leedsconservatoire.ac.uk. We will advise what to do depending on the length of your delay. 
 
If we don’t hear from you, we will wait for 15 minutes after the scheduled start time. If you do not arrive within this period, we will cancel the appointment and mark it as a ‘no-show’. 
 
After a no-show, we will email you asking if you want to reschedule. If you do not respond within 5 working days, we will end your intervention. 
 
We will also end your intervention if you miss two consecutive appointments without notice. 

If you can’t make your appointment, let us know as soon as possible by emailing: 
healthandwellbeing@leedsconservatoire.ac.uk. We will cancel your appointment and help you reschedule. 
 
If you cancel three consecutive appointments, we will end your intervention. 

At the end of your time with us, we hope that you will feel equipped with the tools and techniques to take control of your own wellbeing. In your final appointment, we will reflect on and celebrate your progress, creating an ongoing support plan if necessary. 
 
At this point, we will usually end your intervention. This simply means that we will no longer be contacting you to arrange support. 
 
You are welcome to return to Health and Wellbeing support at any point during your studies, but you will need to complete the referral form again. 
 
We may end your intervention early if we lose contact with you after a no-show; if you miss two consecutive appointments without notice; or if you cancel three consecutive appointments.  

If you are worried about a friend and think they would benefit from our support, there are several actions
you can take:

• Talk to them: Share your concern for their wellbeing and let them know that our team can help. Direct them to this Health and Wellbeing page on the Student Info site, and direct them to the referral form if they wish to seek support.
• Encourage them to email us: This allows them to explain their difficulties in their own words and seek support on their own terms.
• Talk to us: If you think a friend would benefit from our support but may be hesitant to reach out, send an email to: healthandwellbeing@leedsconservatoire.ac.uk
  
  When emailing, please:
  • Include your friend’s full name, course, and year of study (if known)
  • Provide a brief description of their current difficulties

Where possible, tell your friend that you are contacting us about them. When we reach out
to offer support we will usually tell them that someone has raised concerns.

If your friend needs urgent support, follow the guidance on the Urgent Support (SOS) page.

Due to the nature of our service, we cannot offer drop-in appointments. However, each week we keep free
a small number of short-notice appointments.

These can be booked via email.

No. The Health and Wellbeing team are not involved with Additional Consideration applications. It is the Exams team who process the applications and make the final decision. 
 
We cannot make an application on your behalf, nor can we influence the outcome. 
 
Health and Wellbeing staff members cannot provide supporting evidence for your Additional Consideration application. We encourage you to speak to a GP or other healthcare professional to provide this. 
 
For more information, visit the Additional Consideration information page. 
 
Of course, we can support you with the issues that are causing you to apply for Additional Consideration in the first place. To access our support, follow this link to the Student Support Referral Form and complete the Health and Wellbeing section.  

If you have a long-term mental health condition, the Disability Support Team could offer you some extra
help.

Head to the Student Support Referral Form and complete the Disability Support section to declare and
evidence your condition(s). They can help you form long-term support strategies, which may include
permanent adjustments to Teaching & Learning and Assessments. For more information, see the Disability
Support Space page.

If you are receiving help from the Disability Support Team, you are still welcome to attend Health and
Wellbeing appointments for additional one-to-one support.

Your data will be generally collected and used in accordance with the Leeds Conservatoire HE Student
Privacy Notice. This will include the personal data that you provide to us in the Student Support Referral
Form, any subsequent forms, and appointment notes made by our team.

After every appointment, we make short written notes to record progress, document important
information, and describe any interventions. These notes are stored in a secure digital system and can only
be accessed by relevant Student Support staff. Handwritten notes are disposed of and destroyed as
confidential waste. In normal circumstances, appointment notes will not be shared without your consent.

All records are used for the purpose of providing support and information will be held securely on Leeds
Conservatoire-approved drives for 7 years from the date that you leave Leeds Conservatoire. We also
produce anonymised statistical data for the purposes of service analysis and development.

You can email us at: healthandwellbeing@leedsconservatoire.ac.uk

Make sure to contact us from your Leeds Conservatoire student email address, for security purposes we
cannot respond to emails from personal accounts.

Free hearing checks are available to all full-time Conservatoire students. They are limited to one
appointment per student, per academic year.

Simply complete our hearing check referral form.

Once Leeds Audiology Clinic receive your form they will contact you directly to arrange an appointment.
Feel free to choose a time that suits you best.

Appointments will take place at Leeds Audiology Clinic, a 20-minute walk from Leeds Conservatoire.

Make sure you know where you’re going beforehand and allow plenty of time for your journey. Walking directions are available on Google Maps.

Appointments last around 15 minutes. Firstly, the audiologist will use an otoscope to perform a quick
check for any wax build-up. Then they will carry out a more comprehensive hearing screening. For this, you
will be fitted with a pair of headphones and given a response button. Various tones will be played through
the headphones, one ear at a time, and you will be asked to press the response button if you can hear
them. This indicates the volume at which various pitches/frequencies are heard and will highlight any
hearing loss.

The audiologist will explain the results to you and send them to you as a PDF.

You don’t need to prepare or bring anything with you for your appointment, but do make sure you arrive
promptly.

Please note – In rare cases the clinic may be unable to test your hearing due to wax build-up. The clinic can
remove earwax at a cost of £40 for one ear and £70 for both ears. The Conservatoire are unable to cover
the cost of this procedure. For alternative options, speak to a pharmacist or your GP.

Nothing! We will cover the cost of your initial hearing check.

Please note – If you do not attend your scheduled appointment or cancel with insufficient notice you will
be charged a £15 missed appointment fee. This is in accordance with Leeds Audiology Clinic’s missed
appointment policy.

Please note – In rare cases the clinic may be unable to test your hearing due to wax build-up. The clinic can
remove earwax at a cost of £40 for one ear and £70 for both ears. The Conservatoire are unable to cover
the cost of this procedure. For alternative options, speak to a pharmacist or your GP.

If you need to reschedule or cancel your appointment, you should contact the clinic with at least 24 hours’
notice. You can email them at hello@leedsaudiologyclinic.co.uk, or call 0113 8800 190.

Please note – If you do not attend your scheduled appointment or cancel with insufficient notice you will
be charged a £15 missed appointment fee. This is in accordance with Leeds Audiology Clinic’s missed
appointment policy. After a missed appointment we will open up your space to other students. If you wish
to request a new appointment you will have to complete the referral form again.

Please contact Leeds Audiology Clinic directly.

hello@leedsaudiologyclinic.co.uk / 0113 8800 190

Free physiotherapy appointments are available to all full-time Conservatoire students. Students are
entitled to one free appointment per academic year.

Musical theatre students can access physiotherapy directly through their course. Please email Harriet
Spence for more details – h.spence@lcm.ac.uk

To request a free physiotherapy appointment, please complete our online physiotherapy referral form.

Once Leeds Physiotherapy Clinic receive your form, they will contact you directly to arrange date and time.
Feel free to choose a time that suits you best.

Please note – if the clinic cannot get through to you and do not receive a response to their attempted
contact, your referral will be marked as ‘no response’. At the end of each semester, we will remove nonresponsive referrals from the system to free up space for other students.

Appointments will take place at Leeds Physiotherapy Clinic in Park Square, a 20-minute walk away from
Leeds Conservatoire.

Make sure you know where you’re going beforehand and allow plenty of time for your journey. Walking directions are available on Google Maps.

Please arrive promptly for your appointment wearing loose, comfortable clothing.

Musicians should bring their instrument with them, if possible.

You will be seen by John Rutherford, a physiotherapist. John has over twenty years’ experience of treating
performing artists and a long-standing relationship with the Conservatoire.

In your appointment, John will assess you to determine what help you might need. Help in physiotherapy
comes in three main forms:

• Education and advice
• Prescribing movement and exercises
• Performing manual therapy

Appointments will last around half an hour.

Nothing! We will cover the cost of your initial assessment.

Follow-up appointments can be arranged at a discounted rate of £25 per appointment (the usual price is
£40).

Please note – if you do not attend your initial appointment, or if you cancel with insufficient notice, you will
be charged a £25 missed appointment fee.

If you need to reschedule or cancel your appointment, you should contact the clinic with at least 24 hours’
notice. You can email them – physio@leedsphysioclinic.com, or call 0113 2457 800.

Please note – if you do not attend your initial appointment, or if you cancel with insufficient notice, you will
be charged a £25 missed appointment fee.

After a missed appointment we will open up your space to other students. If you wish to request a new
appointment you will have to complete the referral form again.

You can contact Leeds Physiotherapy Clinic directly.

physio@leedsphysioclinic.com / 0113 245 7800