Support for Therapists Working as a Sole Trader
Guidance for occupational therapists navigating their professional role while working independently
Working as a sole trader brings both flexibility and responsibility.
This pathway supports therapists to navigate the realities of working for themselves, where clinical work, business decisions and your way of working are closely connected.
Working as a Sole Trader
Working as a sole trader can be both rewarding and challenging.
You are not only responsible for your clinical work, but also how your work is structured, how decisions are made and how your practice operates day to day.
Many therapists move into working as a sole trader for greater flexibility and autonomy, but over time it can become difficult to balance all aspects of the role.
This pathway supports therapists to build clarity, structure and sustainability across their work as a whole.
Who This Pathway Is For
This is for occupational therapists working as a sole trader.
You may be:
Starting or growing your work as a sole trader
Balancing clinical work alongside business responsibilities
Trying to create a way of working that is clear and sustainable
Feeling unsure about decisions or direction
Looking for support that understands both your clinical work and how you work overall
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Working as a sole trader can feel isolating at times.
Having space to think through decisions and challenges with someone who understands the realities of working for yourself can make a significant difference.
How The OT Coach Supports Therapists Working as a Sole Trader
- Support focuses on helping therapists make sense of their work as a whole.
- This includes clinical thinking, business decisions and how you structure and sustain your work over time.
- The aim is not to separate these areas, but to support how they come together in your day to day practice.
Ongoing mentoring is the primary way therapists working as a sole trader are supported.
This provides regular space to step back, think through your work and navigate the different aspects of working for yourself.
If you are working in paediatric practice, additional support is available through the Paediatric Hub and professional supervision.
These provide space to continue developing your clinical thinking alongside your work as a sole trader
Workshops support key stages of working as a sole trader to build strong foundations and practical systems in their work.
These sessions are practical and grounded in the realities of working for yourself.
 When You Need Focused Clarity
Sometimes you need space to step back and think through a specific decision, idea or next step.
A Strategic Solutions Session is a one off session designed for therapists working as a sole trader, providing a focused space to work through where you are at and what comes next.
Building a Sustainable Way of Working
Working as a sole trader requires you to balance multiple parts of your role.
The OT Coach supports therapists to build ways of working that are clear, sustainable and aligned with how they want to work over time.
