MELISSA POUNDER
Occupational Therapist
Summary
Compassionate and adaptable occupational therapist with a background in eating disorders, mental health, and dementia care. Passionate about supporting people to build confidence, independence, and resilience through meaningful activity and tailored interventions. Experienced in delivering 1:1 and group support that blends occupational therapy with psychoeducation to promote wellbeing, emotion regulation, identity exploration, and practical life skills. Committed to collaborative working and empowering individuals to reach their goals.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Occupational Therapist
Schoen Clinic (Eating Disorder Service)
06.2025 - 09.2025
- Delivered specialist interventions for inpatients and outpatients with eating disorders and co-occurring autism, ADHD, anxiety, EUPD.
- Designed and facilitated 1:1 and group interventions to address identity, meaningful occupation, values, emotion regulation, and independent living skills.
- Integrated behavioural activation, ACT, and CBT/DBT informed strategies to support motivation, regulation, and engagement in meaningful activity.
- Contributed to MDT meetings, CPA reviews, admission interviews, and discharge planning.
- Completed functional, cognitive, sensory, environmental, risk, and MOHO-based assessments to inform personalised treatment planning.
- Liaised with social workers and community teams to inform discharge planning and address housing needs.
Occupational Therapist
Thera 360 GmbH
01.2024 - 06.2025
- Managed and prioritised own caseload.
- Conducted assessments to determine functional and cognitive abilities of adults with mental health conditions.
- Planned and conducted interventions.
- Facilitated 1:1 and group activities to promote wellbeing, sensory stimulation, and cognitive engagement.
- Worked within multidisciplinary team.
- Collaborative goal planning and measuring effectiveness.
- Maintained records of patient progress with detailed therapy reports.
Community Education Coordinator/Covid-19 Crisis Response Team
British Red Cross
01.2020 - 01.2021
- Coordination of youth and adult education.
- Taught first aid courses and refugee awareness.
- Recruited and trained volunteers.
- Developed strategic partnerships with local schools and organisations to expand educational outreach.
Assistant Campus Manager and Instructor
Progressive Training College of Business and Health
01.2019 - 01.2020
- Designed and taught academic courses.
- Implemented student wellbeing service.
- Developed curriculum and e-learning content to strengthen remote learning opportunities.
- Assessment and counselling of prospective students.
- Organisation of internships.
English Instructor
Chonnam National University
01.2014 - 01.2018
- Taught English to graduate and undergraduate students.
- Designed and delivered courses for Korean Ministry of Education.
- Curriculum design
- Conducted student needs assessments and designed individual learning plans (ILP).
English Teacher
Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE)
01.2012 - 01.2014
English Teacher
Senaprasit School Princess Sirindhorn’s College
01.2010 - 01.2011
Prison Custody Officer
Serco
01.2007 - 01.2010
Education
MSc - Occupational Therapy (pre-registration)
Teesside University
12.2022
MA - Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages
University of Sunderland
01-2018
BSc - Sociology
University of Leicester
01-2004
Skills
Intervention planning
Collaborative goal setting
Group facilitation
Psychoeducation delivery
Functional, cognitive, sensory and risk assessments
Behavioural activation and graded exposure
MDT collaboration
Timeline
Occupational Therapist
Schoen Clinic (Eating Disorder Service)
06.2025 - 09.2025
Occupational Therapist
Thera 360 GmbH
01.2024 - 06.2025
Community Education Coordinator/Covid-19 Crisis Response Team
British Red Cross
01.2020 - 01.2021
Assistant Campus Manager and Instructor
Progressive Training College of Business and Health
01.2019 - 01.2020
English Instructor
Chonnam National University
01.2014 - 01.2018
English Teacher
Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE)
01.2012 - 01.2014
English Teacher
Senaprasit School Princess Sirindhorn’s College
01.2010 - 01.2011
Prison Custody Officer
Serco
01.2007 - 01.2010
MSc - Occupational Therapy (pre-registration)
Teesside University
MA - Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages
University of Sunderland
BSc - Sociology
University of Leicester
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