Occupational Therapy with Sarah Butler

08/09/2025

I'm currently able to offer access to the Rest and Restore protocol listening therapy, and support to clients as they progress through it listening at home. I am excited to soon be able to add the Safe and Sound protocol to the options available too. I love how this approach links the body and mind and brings peace, progress and understanding to those using it.
Send an email to otsbutler@gmail.com if you're interested in learning more.

26/08/2025

It is ridiculous how well this worked for us last year. We were getting out of the house 10 minutes quicker and my stress levels were much much lower. Once my kids figured out what my drawings represented they were able to use it to remember what else they had left to do and loved marking when they had it done.
We're back tomorrow in this household, let's see how it works!

22/08/2025

Going back to school stressors.
The uniforms, the booklists, the lunch planning, the meltdown/burnout prep, the transition time, the separation adjustment...shoe shopping nearly sent me over the edge today. I had to reach out to friends for text support, put in my loop ear buds to reduce the music in the shop so I could better help my "it all feels wrong...it felt OK sitting down but now I'm standing it doesn't" child regulate and choose a pair. I've also been on the side of just buying a pair a child said no to, and watching 50euro grow too small untouched on the shoe rack!
Remembering that differences in sensory awareness are real, and that things like stress, hunger, thirst and big emotions change our sensory senstivities too....

15/08/2025

12/06/2025

I feel torn between using social media more and less from my professional stand point.

I get alot of really good info and support from my own social media use but also feel like we are a bit inundated with info and feeds and not the better for that. Torn.

I decided to make an instagram profile, so people can choose. It just will have the same things I post here (or a little less as I can't figure out how to share stuff on instagram and find it a little harder to use) As ever I only share stuff I think is really useful, it's not for marketing as I'm booked solid.

https://www.instagram.com/otsarahbutler?igsh=MW9hb2I3bmliNXhpbA==

07/06/2025

Does everyone feel dread at the thought of sitting in a room all day? Course day today and I am nervous for my body and brain!!! The dread of understimulation stapled to a chair...

17/05/2025

08/05/2025

Catching some rays before course day kicks off. I see beanbags and body socks in our study room, phew, the relief of working with educators who know that movement helps people learn!

28/04/2025

I'm so happy to see this in Athy playground, though it could be more wheelchair accessible if facing the path!

03/04/2025

I'm thinking about how to support change. This image in my hall made me think of the 'formula for change' and wonder why the shoes continue to sit on the floor beside the shoe shelf, which I have placed here as the shoe cupboard a metre to the left was proving unused too.

There is a natural resistance to change, as it takes effort and thinking.

In order to overcome this the multiple of Dissatisfaction x Vision of change x First steps has to be greater. This is something I always check when working with people around their goal areas -

Are you (all of you) unhappy with how things are now?

Are you clear about how you want things to be, what will "success" look like in this area?

What are the first few steps towards achieving that, what will you try first?

I've added in my own multiple too -
Do you have capacity to do this at the moment?

So why are the shoes staying on the floor here? I think I'm the only person who doesn't like the shoes on the floor, so a Dissatisfaction level of '0' in everyone else is nullifying our formula!!

09/01/2025

"Do you like that I'm scraping the bark off the tree?" he asked.
"I like that you're doing something you like and find rewarding and productive" I answered, and then thought to take a photo because I was also doing something that was rewarding and productive for me - sitting to rest my body and get sun on my face.

Being active and completing a task is a much stronger draw for me than taking rest, and I have been using strategies to build a habit of rest and to increase my tolerance, comfort and ease for taking rest.

07/01/2025

New year new me etc. I finally committed to a tablet stand, so will retire the original "chair on table with bluetac support". It served me well.