Ciarán Gaynor
Senior Occupational Therapist
Hi, I’m Ciarán. I am a Senior Occupational Therapist at Neurodiversity Ireland, where I support neurodivergent children, young people and families to participate in everyday life in ways that are meaningful, authentic and sustainable. My practice is rooted in neuroaffirmative values and a belief that occupational therapy is about understanding how people experience, inhabit and participate in the world. I am autistic, myself, so my practice is also greatly influenced by my lived experience of being neurodivergent.
I completed my Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Limerick and am CORU registered. Alongside my clinical training, I have a longstanding interest in philosophy, design and the relationship between people and their environments. These interests shape how I think about occupational therapy and the kinds of worlds we create with and for the people we support.
My approach is collaborative, reflective and occupation-focused. Rather than beginning with assumptions or one-size-fits-all interventions, I aim to understand each person’s lived experience, strengths, interests and everyday environments. I work closely with children, families and multidisciplinary colleagues to support participation, autonomy and belonging across home, school and community life.
I have a particular interest in what I describe as Occupational Phenomenology - an approach that brings together occupational therapy, phenomenology and ecological thinking. I am interested in how environments, relationships, movement and design shape the opportunities people have to engage in meaningful occupations. My work explores how thoughtful changes to the worlds people inhabit can make participation more available.
At the heart of my practice is a belief that good occupational therapy is not simply about helping people adapt to environments, but about creating environments in which people can flourish. By understanding how people experience the world, we can build spaces, relationships and communities that invite participation, curiosity and possibility.
In my everyday life I’m a huge fan of pop music, and love talking about it almost as much as listening to it.
