Dr Simone Coetzee
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Email
scoetzee@essex.ac.uk -
Telephone
+44 (0) 1206 872278
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Location
2S2.3.26, Colchester Campus
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Academic support hours
9-5 Monday-Friday
Profile
Biography
I qualified as an occupational therapist in South Africa in 1998. In Johannesburg, I worked in the field of adult neurology and general rehabilitation until 2002. I came to the UK in March 2002 to explore occupational therapy in a different context and worked at the Homerton University Hospital in Hackney, East London in the fields of adult neurology, rapid response (A&E), older people and intermediate care (general rehabilitation) full time and part time over the next 13 years. I became interested in researching the role of occupational therapy in non-traditional/third sector settings while working in intermediate care day services for older people and those with long term disabilities. In 2011, I took up a PhD studentship at Brunel University London exploring the occupational experience of people with different abilities in a horticultural social enterprise. I completed my doctoral studies in 2016 and continue to do active research on the benefits and outcomes of food growing and community gardening as an occupation in different contexts. I also have a continued interest in occupational therapy practice in the third sector, particularly in role emerging and non-traditional occupational therapy settings promoting occupational, social and environmental equity and justice. In education, research and practice, I have a focus on promoting service user collaboration in both training of occupational therapists and in evaluation and development of services. My background in disability studies and has led to a strong interest in making research accessible and participatory for the people involved.
Qualifications
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PhD Brunel University London, (2016)
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MSc (Global Health and Development Disability Studies) University College London, 2009
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BSc (Occupational Therapy) University of the Witwatersrand, 1998
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Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Institute, UK
Research and professional activities
Research interests
Participatory action research and critical ethnography
Organisational case study &ndash sustainable health and social care
Third sector health and social care involvement
Social enterprises
People with learning disabilities
Occupational science
Food growing as a tool for community development and individual wellbeing
Permaculture as a working approach to promote occupational, social and environmental justice
The Occupational Experience of People with Different Abilities in a Horticultural Social Enterprise
Simone is currently writing up a qualitative research project using participatory action research and critical ethnography. Her doctoral research was done in collaboration with a food growing social enterprise in East London to investigate the occupational experience of people participating in this social enterprise. The enterprise use permaculture philosophy as a guide to running the organisation. Simone is interested in the impact this ethical approach to working with people, along with the organisation being a social enterprise, has on the volunteers with and without disabilities and whether the organisation naturally promotes social inclusion.
Conferences and presentations
The impact of the environment on service users’ engagement in therapeutic activities in an adult acute mental health inpatient unit
SHSC Postgraduate Research Seminar, University of Essex, 26/1/2021
The impact of the environment on service user’s engagement in therapeutic activities in an adult acute inpatient mental health unit (Virtual poster presentation)
Society for the Study of Occupation (USA) Conference, Society for the Study of Occupation, United States, 24/8/2020
Cultivating Change: Measuring Personal Development Through Food Growing
Occupational Science Europe Conference: “Europe in Transition: Impact on Occupation and Health”, Occupational Science Europe Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 30/8/2019
Staff and service user’s perception of health facilities impact on service user’s engagement in therapeutic activities
Royal College of Occupational Therapists Annual Conference, Birmmingham, RCOT, United Kingdom, 17/6/2019
Football and food-growing: Utilising the co-occupation continuum within participatory action research
World Federation of Occupational Therapy Congress, World Federation of Occupational Therapy Congress, Rondebosch, South Africa, 25/5/2018
Propagating Justice: Using participatory action research in a community food growing setting to identify risks of exclusion in seldom-heard populations
World Federation of Occupational Therapy Congress, World Federation of Occupational Therapy Congress, Rondebosch, South Africa, 25/5/2018
17 October 2014: College of Occupational Therapy Specialist Section for People with Learning Disabilities Conference, London. Platform presentation: The role of support workers working with people with learning disabilities in a food growing social enterprise
London, United Kingdom, 2014
21 November 2014: Conference Presentation - Sowing, growing and working together: participatory action research in an organic co-operative. Simone Coetzee and Dr Wendy Bryant. The challenge of sustainability in a finite world: The 7th University of Essex & Writtle College Interdisciplinary Conference
Colchester, United Kingdom, 2014
03 05 June 2014: (Poster) College of Occupational Therapy Annual Conference, Brighton. Title: Learning Disability Support Worker Roles in a Food Growing Project.
Brighton, United Kingdom, 2014
03 April 2014: (Paper presentation) Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa Congress. Title: Providing for Our Futures: The Reciprocal Relationship between Food Growing and Occupational Therapy.
2014
10 Sept 2014: North West London Research Forum for Allied Health Professionals, Midwives and Pharmacists (Imperial College London). Title: With me, not for me: Learning Disability Support Worker Roles in a Food Growing Project **Poster Prize 1st Place winner
London, United Kingdom, 2014
11 July 2013: (Platform presentation) Brunel School of Health Sciences and Social Care PhD Conference. Title: Growing Places: The participation of people with a learning disability in a horticultural social enterprise.
Uxbridge, United Kingdom, 2013
12 13 July 2013: (Poster presentation) Growing Towards Recovery Conference, Kent. Title: Growing Places: The participation of people with a learning disability in a community market garden
Kent, United Kingdom, 2013
30 April 2013: (Poster) Brunel Graduate School Poster Conference. Title: Growing Places: The participation of people with a learning disability in a community market garden
Uxbridge, United Kingdom, 2013
17 July 2012: (Poster) Brunel School of Health Sciences and Social Care PhD Conference. Title: The Occupational Experience of Participating in an Inclusive Horticultural Social Enterprise
Uxbridge, United Kingdom, 2012
October 2010: (Poster) UCL Centre for International Health and Development and Leonard Cheshire Disability: The Future of Global Disability ResearchTopic: Key Factors Influencing the Success of Direct Payments and Individual Budgets in the UK, and locally in the London Borough of Hackney
London, United Kingdom, 2010
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
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Becoming a Professional: Professional Skills (HS372)
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Becoming a Professional: Professional Skills (HS808)
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Speech and Language Therapy - Paediatrics 4 (HS834)
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Research Activity (HS859)
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Foundations for Occupational Therapy (HS892)
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Advancing Professional Practice in Occupational Therapy (HS894)
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Mastering Occupation (HS895)
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The thinking therapist (HS896)
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Informing Sciences (HS173)
Previous supervision
Degree subject: Occupational Therapy
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 10/2/2022
Publications
Book chapters (2)
Rogerson, M., Kelly, S., Coetzee, S., Barton, J. and Pretty, J., (2019). ‘Doing’ Adventure: The Mental Health Benefits of using Occupational Therapy Approaches in Adventure Therapy Settings. Editors: MacIntyre, T. and Aoife, D., . Routledge
Bryant, W., Pettican, AR. and Coetzee, S., (2016). Designing Participatory Action Research To Relocate Margins, Borders and Centres. In: Occupational Therapies Without Borders Integrating Justice with Practice. Editors: Sakellariou, D. and Pollard, N., . Elsevier. 73- 73. 070205920X. 9780702059209
Conferences (5)
Coetzee, S. and Taylor, S., (2019). RELEVANT OUTCOMES FOR A GROWING WORLD: MEASURING THE IMPACT OF PARTICIPATING IN COMMUNITY FOOD CULTIVATION
Adomako, E., Coetzee, S., Nolan, F. and Barrett, K., (2019). STAFF AND SERVICE USERS' PERCEPTION OF HEALTH FACILITIES IMPACTS ON SERVICE USERS' ENGAGEMENT IN THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITIES
Williamson, N. and Coetzee, S., (2019). WHEN STATUTORY REHABILITATION ENDS: OCCUPATIONAL NARRATIVES OF WORKING-AGE MEN LIVING WITH A STROKE
Coetzee, S., Sluman, J. and Atwal, A., (2015). How can Occupational Therapy measure patient outcomes in acute care?
Coetzee, S., McKay, E., Bryant, W. and Nicholls, L., (2014). With me, not for me: learning disability support worker roles in a horticultural project
Thesis dissertation (1)
Coetzee, S., (2016). "Connecting people and the earth": the occupational experience of people with different capabilities participating in an inclusive horticultural social enterprise
Grants and funding
2024
To co-produce, implement and evaluate a Best Practice Toolkit which will revolutionise engagement between adults with learning disabilities, their family carers, and Minstead Trust staff, leading to improved outcomes for all stakeholders.
Innovate UK (formerly Technology Strategy Board)
2018
Assessing the validity of the Organiclea Wellbeing Log outcome measure
Organiclea Limited
Trial of standardised and locally developed outcome measures for the health and wellbeing service within Organiclea Community Market Garden, East London
Organiclea Limited
Contact
Academic support hours:
9-5 Monday-Friday
