About Belong OT
Experience, evidence and practical support for everyday life
Belong OT is led by Déarbhla O’Reilly Malone, a CORU-registered Senior Occupational Therapist with more than 20 years of experience across health, education, disability and community services in Ireland and Western Australia.
Based in Ardnacrusha, Co. Clare, Belong OT supports children, young people and adults, alongside families, schools and organisations.
Meet Déarbhla
A practical approach shaped by varied experience
Hello, I’m Déarbhla O’Reilly Malone, founder of Belong OT and a Senior Occupational Therapist.
I graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy in 2005. Since then, I have worked across early intervention, HSE primary care, children’s disability services, trauma-informed care, complex physical disability and school-based occupational therapy.
While living in Western Australia, I worked with children and young people affected by trauma, abuse and disrupted care through Parkerville Children and Youth Care. I later worked as an Advanced Clinician Occupational Therapist with Therapy Focus, with responsibilities across complex seating, mobility, specialist equipment, home modifications, environmental adaptations, staff mentoring and service development.
Most recently, I worked as a Senior Occupational Therapist with the National Council for Special Education’s Sustained In-School Therapy service. I worked alongside education teams to strengthen inclusive practice, build staff confidence and support participation throughout the school day.
Working across HSE, disability, education and community services has given me a practical understanding of the systems people often need to navigate. I value clear communication, useful reports, realistic recommendations and joined-up support across home, education, health and community life.
Family life and practical support
Outside work, I am a mum of three. Parenting has reinforced that the same approach will not suit every person, family or day. Much of our family life happens around school, football and camogie, which keeps me grounded in busy mornings, tired evenings, changing routines and limited time.
Advice only has value when it fits the person and the life they are already living.
Experience that shapes my practice
A broad clinical and professional foundation
Health and community services
Experience across early intervention, primary care, children’s disability services and community occupational therapy.
Education and inclusion
School-based occupational therapy, teacher collaboration, assistive technology, classroom access and whole-school capacity building.
Complex disability and adaptation
Specialist experience in seating, mobility, equipment, home modifications and environmental adaptation.
Trauma-informed practice
Experience supporting children and young people affected by trauma, abuse, disrupted care and complex life experiences.
Leadership and service development
Clinical supervision, student education, staff development, training, quality improvement and accessible service design.
Supporting adults too
Practical support across the lifespan
Much of my clinical career has focused on children and young people. Working collaboratively with families has also shown me how often a parent recognises similar patterns in themselves.
Parents sometimes describe lifelong experiences of sensory overload, coordination difficulties, organisation, energy or keeping up with daily demands. These conversations helped me recognise a need for thoughtful, practical adult occupational therapy support.
Through Belong OT, I bring skills developed across children’s, disability and community practice into adult support. This includes understanding everyday function, identifying patterns, adapting environments, coaching people through change and finding strategies that respect the person’s strengths and circumstances.
I continue to develop my specialist knowledge and work within clear professional boundaries. Where another service would be a better fit, I will discuss this openly and recommend appropriate next steps.
How I work
Four principles guide my practice
Start with what matters
Support begins with the routines, relationships and activities that matter to the person or family.
Understand the whole situation
I consider the person, the activity, the environment and the demands involved. Difficulty does not always sit within the person.
Make recommendations useful
Advice needs to be clear, prioritised and realistic. The aim is to identify meaningful actions people can use in everyday life.
Work collaboratively and keep learning
The person’s priorities guide the work. Research, supervision, specialist education, reflection and feedback continue to shape my practice.
Why the name Belong OT?
Belonging is more than being present
Belonging has always mattered to me.
Over time, I have learned that being present in a school, workplace, team or community is not always the same as feeling understood, valued and included.
The same person may thrive in one environment and feel out of place in another. Qualities such as enthusiasm, direct communication or a different way of thinking may be valued in one setting and misunderstood in another. This connects closely with occupational therapy. Sometimes difficulty arises because the activity, expectations or environment are not the right fit.
A child might achieve well while using enormous energy to manage the school day. An adult might appear capable while privately struggling to sustain work, home life or daily routines. The right support should protect more than performance. Confidence, wellbeing, identity and connection matter too.
Belong OT was created to help people understand what supports them, reduce unnecessary barriers and participate in everyday life without losing who they are.
My reflection on the GAA All Stars programme explores what happens when belonging comes before performance and the environment is shaped to help every child take part.
Professional recognition and projects
Work that connects evidence with practice
AOTI Eva Duggan Award 2025
Child-directed self-regulation project
I developed a child-directed video resource to help children notice, explore and communicate about their own regulation. The project places the child’s experience and voice at the centre and supports children to identify strategies that feel useful to them.
Explore the Child-Directed Self-Regulation ProjectAdvanced Clinical Practice, 2026
Evidence-informed framework for school participation
I completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Clinical Practice at the University of Limerick, achieving First Class Honours.
Academic project:
Developing an Evidence-Informed Framework to Support Participation Through Interoception and Strategy Use in Primary School Children
The project explored how children might notice body signals, understand what they mean, choose a useful strategy and return to learning, play or another meaningful activity.
HSE Innovation in Healthcare Award 2024
Child’s Play telehealth programme
I received an HSE Innovation in Healthcare Award for developing Child’s Play, a telehealth paediatric occupational therapy programme for children and families.
Qualifications and professional standing
Professional background
- BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy, Trinity College Dublin, 2005
- Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Clinical Practice, First Class Honours, University of Limerick, 2026
- Leading and Managing Practice micro-credential, First Class Honours, University of Limerick
- CORU-registered Occupational Therapist, Registration No. OT023194
- Member of the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland
- Recipient of the AOTI Eva Duggan Award 2025
Ongoing professional learning
Building on experience
Ongoing professional development has been part of my practice throughout more than 20 years as an occupational therapist. My learning has included neurodevelopment, sensory processing and self-regulation, sleep, trauma-informed practice, communication, assistive technology, complex seating and postural management, education, supervision, leadership and service development.
My next confirmed programmes are:
- KOS Level 2 Advanced and Refresher DSE Assessor
- KOS Remote DSE Assessment
- CMIT QQI Level 6 Training Delivery and Evaluation, 6N3326
- UCC Certificate in CPD in Neurodiversity in the Workplace
This learning builds on my experience in seating, environmental adaptation, professional training and inclusive practice. It will support the future development of Belong OT workplace assessment, consultation and training services.
Ready to take the next step?
You do not need to know exactly which service you need before getting in touch. An Initial Consultation provides a clear starting point to discuss what is happening, identify your priorities and consider the most useful next step.