Dr Rob Brooks

About Dr Rob Brooks

Rob is the Course Director for Occupational Therapy. His teaching focuses on occupational science, occupational therapy models and complex interventions. His research interests are in neurodisabilty and children and young people's mental health.

Rob has an extensive clinical background as an occupational therapists for children, young people and families. Working with children with physical and mental health difficulties Rob has specialist clinical skills in the assessment of occupation and delivering occupation-based and occupation-focused interventions. Before entering academia he provided professional leadership in child and adolescent mental health services.

Rob's PhD explored how occupational therapists use occupation when working with children and young people with mental health difficulties. The study developed an Occupational Practice Model to conceptualise the use of occupation in practice. Rob has spoken nationally and internationally about his research findings.

At Leeds Beckett University Rob is the School Research Ethics Coordinator. Rob is a member of the Strategic Research Group of the British Academy of Childhood Disability and the Research Lead for the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section for Children, Young People and Families.

Current Teaching

• Humans as Occupational Beings
• Contributing to Professional Knowledge
• Transition into Practice

Research Interests

Rob is currently leading on two funded research projects:

1. A Royal College of Occupational Therapists Elizabeth Casson Trust Postdoctoral Award: Identifying occupational therapy interventions in children and young people's mental health: A mixed methods systematic review.
2. British Academy of Childhood Disability Castang Foundation: Promoting Social Participation to Prevent Mental Health Problems in Children and Young People with Neurodisability: An Interventions Development Study.
3. SPaN Social Participation and Neurodisability

Blog Articles

• Delivering Occupational Therapy Placements Online
• Welcome Professor Matthew Molineux
• Doing, being, belonging, becoming...