Frequently Asked Questions

Neurological conditions are broad and diverse. They comprise of a group of conditions that impact the ability of the brain and central nervous system to work effectively.

A neurological diagnosis can result in many symptoms that can be hard to understand. These symptoms may impact your movement, your thinking skills and your mood.

They can also cause problems with how you feel, your energy, your ability to communicate with others and your sleep.

Neurological rehabilitation is a specialist approach delivered by occupational therapists who understand how the brain and central nervous system work.

This knowledge can be used to treat and help you to manage your symptoms.

Occupational therapists are not occupational health; we are a completely different profession.

Occupational therapists (OTs) are rehabilitation professionals who help people recover following illness or injury.

We are health professionals registered with the Health and Care Professional Council (HCPC).

As OTs, we are interested in the things you do every day and how your diagnosis impacts your independence and function.

A gentleman we supported who had a stroke describes the difference here:

‘my occupational health physician approached things differently from my occupational therapist. The occupational health doctor was focused on the condition and diagnosis; my occupational therapist was focused on function, looking in detail at how my condition impacted my abilities. This was more helpful to everyone to build a picture of what I could and could not do within the role.’

We provide guidance regarding reasonable adjustments or job modifications after a period of specialist assessment and intervention.

We offer specialist neurological rehabilitation and practical solutions, including individual coping strategies for cognitive, executive, sensory and physical limitations.

In addition to managing short-term conditions like concussions, we create opportunities for people to return to work who may have been out of the workplace for some time, those whose needs are more complex and those who have changing conditions over time.

The work we do with you starts with an assessment where we consider all of your needs. It may be necessary for us to complete the assessment over two sessions. If this is the case, we will discuss this with you.

During the assessment, we complete a standardised tool that helps us to explore with you your symptoms and the impact of these symptoms on your everyday living.

We will gather this information together and produce a report summarising our findings. The report will include a summary of the information you have shared with us, our clinical analysis and recommendations. These recommendations will outline how we feel we can help you.

Our reports typically do not include a formal return to work plan if this applies to you. This type of guidance comes later once we know you better.

The report is designed to provide an overview of your current situation to help you, and the insurer (if applicable) make decisions regarding your next steps.

Fostering positive and collaborative relationships with your workplace from the outset is integral to our work with you.

As part of the assessment process, we will speak to your employers. This may be your line manager or someone else in your organisation, such as an HR professional.

The initial contact with your employer forms part of a ‘fact-finding’ exercise for the assessment.

This conversation is not about you but about exploring your role, workplace, and employer expectations. Please see the note below about confidentiality.

This call is important but not essential, and if it makes you uncomfortable, please let us know.

Once completed, the report will be shared with you so you can review the accuracy and content.

If you have been referred to our service by an insurer, you will have two days to review the report before we release the document to the insurer.

We do not routinely share information with employers, your GP, or any other party. What you share with other people is left up to you to decide.

Many factors can influence how we feel about work. Past experiences and challenging relationships can make moving forward and making change difficult. But to succeed at work, a degree of collaboration is required.

Neurological conditions are complex and challenging for many people to understand. We have seen people progress when trust is built and communication is fostered between all parties. Often this starts by growing a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities.

The rate at which this trust is developed will differ from person to person. You can confidentially explore your feelings and unique experience with us, which may help you decide the best way forward.

You do not need to share confidential or sensitive information with your employer. However, it does help to give your employer an insight into your challenges. With this information and our help, we can build a plan.

Some people choose a trusted person at work to work closely with them; this does not need to be your line manager, but it helps. It could be someone from HR or occupational health.

Whatever is right for you, we will encourage you to find your voice so you can express your needs for yourself, but if you need us to help, we are here.

The service we provide is bespoke to you and your specific needs.

Neurological conditions are complex and unpicking this takes time. Often further detailed exploration of your symptoms is required, so we have a comprehensive understanding before beginning to build a plan.

Our primary focus is to ensure that your return to work is successful and sustainable. To make sure we achieve this aim, a bespoke plan is required.

We use our expertise and experience to decide the amount of rehabilitation we feel you will need to achieve your work goals.

These recommendations are based on our experience of working with people who have similar challenges to yourself.

The pathways we recommend differ in length; some comprise of a few sessions; others can last between three months and a year. These pathways indicate the length of time that we will be supporting you, not the length of time it will take you to get back to work (if applicable).

Thinking about work can be daunting, especially if you have been out of work for some time or if the symptoms you experience feel overwhelming.

Many people with a neurological diagnosis find it difficult to ‘feel ready’ because so much is still unknown, or they may feel out of control or overwhelmed.

This is made more complicated by the fact that the support offered to people with neurological conditions to return to work is generally very limited.

We understand that people need specialist help and expertise if returning to work is something they want to do or want to explore if work is still a possibility. Returning to work following an accident or illness is a process that takes time. The first steps are about helping you and those around you to understand your condition.

We help you to learn about yourself and recognise your strengths and limitations

A neurological diagnosis impacts everyone very differently.

Work is only one part of your life. Your home and family life, including your other roles and responsibilities, is our starting point for understanding how your diagnosis impacts you.

Your journey of returning to work with us begins, if needed, within the safety of your home.

We help you understand your symptoms and what you can do to manage them in detail, if required, through everyday activities before we begin to look at specific work tasks.

For some roles, work tasks can begin at home before a move is considered into the work environment.

With our specialist expertise and through neurological rehabilitation interventions, we can resolve symptoms fully or provide recommendations to compensate where challenges may be more long-term.

We can recommend other professionals and services to work alongside us if needed.

When we talk about ‘return to work’ we mean our role in supporting the return-to-work process. Many people present to us at different stages of this journey. Some are out of work, others are transitioning back into work, and some are gradually building up hours to their full capacity. This process is unique to each individual.

Your return-to-work programme will be unique to you and your needs. Typically, a return-to-work programme is graded over several weeks to ensure your return or increase in job demands is successful and sustainable.

Working closely with your employer is important so we clearly understand your roles and responsibilities.

The return-to-work plan will need to be negotiated and agreed upon with your employer at the beginning and set periods throughout the process. By doing this, we make sure everyone is happy and is on board with the plan.

As we progress, we will be guided by your needs and symptoms, adjusting the programme and our recommendations as we go along.

Communication is critical; we will act as your advocate to ensure your needs are understood and help you understand your employer’s perspective if required.

If you are at work, we will use our assessment skills to understand your challenges and barriers.

Sometimes these barriers relate to the work environment, and we will make recommendations to improve things for you.

With your consent, we can carry out training or share more detailed information about your abilities and what steps we can take to improve the situation or make adjustments.

Our return-to-work service can support you regardless of your work situation. We assist people out of work, transitioning back to work or in work.

What we do will be influenced by your situation but the essence of what we do will be the same.

Our service is confidential, and you will be asked to give your consent before any personal information is shared.

During meetings and conversations, you will be asked to guide us relating to the information you are happy to disclose and the areas you would like us to avoid.

The only time this may not happen is if you share information that we consider puts you or others at risk.

Krysalis understands that complex situations need specialist expertise. Our neurological and workplace rehabilitation skills bring clarity to complex situations and specialist support to manage and overcome symptoms.

Our approach has been designed to make a positive difference by looking at the whole of you. Considering your role at work alongside your needs and other responsibilities. Providing information and guidance tailored to your condition to support your physical, cognitive and emotional wellbeing.

We provide much-needed support at a time when it is needed most. Helping to navigate challenges as they arise and supporting you to adjust to your needs in the workplace and beyond.