Andrea Moncur Mental Health Occupational Therapist

Andrea Moncur Mental Health Occupational Therapist I offer emotional, sensory and mental health support to young people ages 10-25 both in person and online. Who will I work with.

My name is Andrea and I am a Specialist Occupational Therapist. I have worked as an Occupational Therapist for the last 22 years in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) both in Edinburgh and Sydney. I am now starting my own private business in supporting children and young people who are experiencing low mood, anxiety, and low self esteem due to a variety of reasons. My core belief in working with young people is the “doing” and how I can best support the young person to problem solve through their own routines, motivations, environment and skills to be who they want to be. I believe that building strong relationships underpins all the therapeutic work I do and allows the young person to make changes at their own pace. Many young people especially since lock down have become increasingly anxious and have struggled with a lack of routine and structure. Other young people have found attending school more difficult especially those who have underlying neurodevelopmental challenges. I can assess and recommend strategies to assist with sensory challenges and emotional regulation. I can carry out sensory assesments which can provide personalised strategies to manage self-care and sensory challenges at school, home and in the community. I can also help the young person link in with community activities and sign post to longer-term community supports. I can receive referrals for young people from age 12-21. Areas that I can support with include developing a routine and structure, help increase independent living skills, linking in with community activities, managing emotions, organisational skills, and transitions especially within education. I am also able to advocate on the young persons behalf and attend meetings with education if needed. I prefer to meet the young person face to face either at home, at school or in a community building, but can also offer on line sessions via zoom. I am happy to discuss any questions so please feel free to contact me at Motivateandrea@gmail.com

28/02/2026
25/02/2026

If you’re going through a difficult patch or are feeling overwhelmed, anxious or lonely, it’s important to remember that help is available.

🔗www.nhsinform.scot/mindtomind

25/02/2026
20/02/2026
11/02/2026

When most of us are asked how we’re feeling, or how something made us feel, we find it relatively easy to express,
e.g..

A flutter in the stomach?
➡️ Nervous.
A heavy chest and rapid heart beat
➡️ Anxious.

Our bodies give us clues, and those clues can be expressed as words.

But what if you didn’t know what you were feeling, or why?

This could be due to Alexythymia.

Alexithymia is a difficulty identifying and describing emotions. It’s closely linked to interoception- our ability to notice what’s happening inside our bodies, like hunger, thirst, pain, tiredness or rising stress.

Many autistic young people have weaker interoception, which means those internal ‘warning signs’ aren’t clear or arrive too late.

Alexithymia can be different for everyone:

🤷🏻Some can feel something but can’t name it
😊😡Some recognise certain emotions but not others
😆😰Some confuse emotions (excitement can feel like anxiety)
🤷🏻 And many say, “I don’t know how I feel”

This matters, because every emotion comes with a need.
If we don’t recognise the emotion, we can’t meet the right need.

That’s when emotions build up and show up as shutdowns, meltdowns or a freeze response, because their body didn’t give them clear signals in time.

Alexithymia also affects how emotions are shown.

Some autistic people don’t naturally display emotions in expected ways. This is where the myth comes from that autistic people ‘don’t have emotions,’ when in fact they do.

So when you ask a young person how they feel and they say,
“I don’t know?”

Believe them 🙏🏼

Patsy x💜💙

11/02/2026

💛 It’s !

Looking after your mental health matters at every age. If you’re a child or teenager in Edinburgh, our Young People’s Mental Health hub is here to support you.

Find tips to understand your feelings, tools to manage emotions, videos on wellbeing, and links to trusted organisations like YoungMinds and Childline. You don’t have to face challenges alone, support is available, and it can get better.

👉 https://ithriveedinburgh.org.uk/self-help/self-help-guides-resources/young-peoples-mental-health/

11/02/2026

Life as a young adult can be challenging—between work, education, and planning for the future.

But an incredible 97% of people said their confidence and self-esteem increased after taking part in Space at The Broomhouse Hub's mental health and wellbeing service, .

Thursday group sessions offer a chance to engage in mental health support in a friendly and welcoming environment, with others your own age.

If you need someone to talk to privately, we're also here to help with 1-to-1 support sessions.

Contact PHEW@spacescot.org for more info.

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Edinburgh
EH105TE

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