About Me

Hi there, I’m Laura Ludowyke, the founder and creator of OT Trauma Tools.

I come from a lived experience background and was inspired to become a mental health Occupational Therapist to help people manage their illness, improve their lives, and release their full potential. My approach is to provide evidence-based, practical therapy techniques and strategies, some of which have been personally tested and proven effective. As someone who has lived through complex trauma, I am highly empathetic and understand the struggles and stigma that people with mental health issues face. That’s why I am dedicated to providing resources that are tailored to meet the unique needs of individuals and healthcare professionals. I ran my own private practice, and I’m currently completing my PHD. In addition, I have run many events to support people with mental health issues, including local face-to-face groups and online therapy sessions. My goal is to help people gain the tools and resources they need to manage their mental health effectively, and I am committed to providing high-quality, practical resources based on theory and personal experience. Thank you for choosing OT Trauma Tools, and I hope you find the resources you need to support you in creating a life of meaning and purpose.

Professional Experience

Experience

Registered Occupational Therapist (Research Honours) 2015
Monash University Educator 2016- Ongoing

Mental Health Professional Network Coordinator Borderline Personality Disorder and Complex Trauma

International Speaker

  • January 2023 – Presented to Arizona Occupational Therapist Association

PhD – Doctoral Studies

Project: “The lived experience of people with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder.”

  • Expertise in completing scoping reviews which evaluate and explore best practices within creative interventions for people living with mental illness in the community.
  • Exceptional qualitative research methods skills, including formulating research designs, obtaining ethical clearance, in-depth interviewing, analysis and reporting.
  • Sensitive nature to interview clinicians and consumers on various mental illness topics.

Community Projects

  • 2019-2022 Community Participatory Project Ongoing – In partnership with Monash University

Teaching

2016-2022 Monash University Teacher and Academic

  • Experienced in providing mental health theory and practice skills to Bachelor and Masters Monash Occupational Therapy students.

Contributions of Lived Experience Research

  • 2021 Contributed to developing and delivering the ‘My Allied Health Space’ as a consumer and therapist expert. https://www.myalliedhealthspace.org
  • 2019 Long-Term Romantic Relationships with People with Borderline Personality Disorder (Deakin)
  • 2019 Service dogs (Monash University)

Research

Publications (previously known as Thyer)

  1. Ludowyke, L., Lentin, P., & Brown, T. (2023). The meaning and purpose of creativity in the daily life occupations, activities, acts and behaviors amongst adults living with mental health conditions: A scoping review.  Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, (In process)
  2. Brown, T. & Thyer, L. (2019). The convergent validity of the Children’s Leisure Assessment Scale (CLASS) and Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment and Preferences for Activities of Children (CAPE/PAC). Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 27:5, 349-363, DOI: 10.1080/11038128.2019.1672784
  3. Lalor, A., Yu, M., Brown, T., & Thyer, L. (2019). Occupational therapy international undergraduate students’ perspectives on the purpose of practice education and what contributes to successful practice learning experiences. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 82(6), 367–375. DOI: 10.1177/0308022618823659
  4. Roe, D., Brown, T., & Thyer, L. (2019). Validity, Responsiveness, and Perceptions of Clinical Utility of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure When Used in a Sub-Acute Setting. Disability and Rehabilitation, 42:19, 2772-2789, DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2019.1573934
  5. Thyer, L., Brown, T., & Roe, D. (2019) Client and Therapist Perspectives of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) in Sub-Acute Rehabilitation Settings. New Zealand Journal of Occupational Therapy.
  6. Yu, M., Brown, T., & Thyer, L. (2018) The association between undergraduate occupational therapy students’ listening and interpersonal skills and their performance on practice education placements. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy.
  7. Thyer, L., Brown, T., & Roe, D. (2018). The validity of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) when used in a sub-acute rehabilitation setting with older adults. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 1-17. doi: 10.1080/07380577.2018.1446233
  8. Yu. M., Brown, T., White, C., Marston, C., & Thyer, L. (2017). The impact of undergraduate occupational therapy students’ interpersonal skills on their practice education performance: A pilot study. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12444
  9. Ludowyke, L., Lentin, P., & Brown, T. (Submitted-2022). The use of creative acts, activities, behaviours and occupations amongst people with a mental illness living in the community. Journal of Occupational Science.

Conference Presentations

  1. Ludowyke, L., Lentin, P., & Brown, T. (2021). The Use of Creative Activities in the Daily Lives of People with a Mental Health Diagnosis Living in the Community: A Scoping Study. Occupational Therapy Australia, 29th National Conference and Exhibition, June 2021
  2. Thyer, L., Brown, T., & Roe, D. (2018). The validity of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) when used in a sub-acute rehabilitation setting with older adults. Perth, Occupational Therapy Australia Conference. July 2016

Awards

Australian Occupational Therapy Journal’s Top 20 Downloaded Articles 2017-2018