Kerry Coyne

Occupational Therapist

Hi, everyone! I grew up in Chicago, Illinois, where I spent most of my time playing soccer, volleyball, and jumping into Lake Michigan for a swim. I became fond of traveling at quite a young age as my family spent many summers travelling to visit family in Ireland and to escape the winters of Chicago. We have enjoyed travelling to Fort Myers Beach to continuously update our rankings for the best ice cream on the island.

Throughout high school, I worked as an inclusion aide at summer camps in Chicago. In this role, I would adapt games and activities in order to ensure that all of the children were able to participate successfully. I really enjoyed structuring play to facilitate successful participation in activities, so this experience soon led to my discovery of occupational therapy as a career. I love using my knowledge and creativity to put together the puzzle pieces and help children learn foundational skills to promote successful participation in everyday activities.

I studied exercise science and psychology at The University of Dayton and received my master’s degree for occupational therapy at Lewis University in Chicago. Some of my favourite OT experiences throughout my master’s program include the opportunities to travel to Ecuador to work at a developmental disability centre and to work with children at a paediatric medical transition centre in Chicago. These experiences, along with the rest of my training, have provided invaluable experiences working with children and families, utilising each child’s strengths, being creative with play structure, and incorporating the child’s culture and what is most important to them to reach successful outcomes.

Since moving to London last year, I have had the best time discovering different areas of the city, meeting people from all over the world, and trying all sorts of new cuisines. I have especially loved going to markets to try street food dishes and seeing all of the hand-crafted artwork. I also enjoy staying active by running, doing yoga, and going to barre classes. I have completed two half marathons and look forward to doing a full marathon next year. I am so excited to have joined such an amazing team at TCP and look forward to working with all of the wonderful families.