Rate My Professor Lauren Redshaw

Lauren Redshaw is a Wellbeing Counsellor in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Team at University of Otago Student Health, where she provides support to students since joining in 2018. A registered Occupational Therapist, she holds a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) from Otago Polytechnic. Her career history includes roles under the Southern District Health Board in various community and inpatient adult mental health settings, serving as the primary Occupational Therapist in the Inpatient Mental Health Unit in Invercargill, working at Dunedin Hospital, and as a Community Physical Occupational Therapist in Balclutha. Lauren's professional interests center on mental health and talking therapies, and she employs a brief intervention counselling approach blending Solution-Focused therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and occupational therapy skills and practices.

In 2017, Lauren Redshaw received the Postgraduate Certificate in CBT prize for High Achievement in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy from the University of Otago, Wellington, and she holds an endorsement in Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy recognized in 2018. During her studies, she was granted a $5,000 research scholarship by Arthritis New Zealand in 2013 for a qualitative study on the needs of young adults living with arthritis, and she collaborated with the Hearing Association on a 2012 community project to educate the public about noise-induced hearing loss. Lauren contributes to student mentorship, acknowledged by graduates such as Evangeline Meti Nicholas, and participates in the Queer Friendly Staff Network after completing the Queer 101 workshop. She is pursuing postgraduate studies for new entry allied health clinicians and aspires to complete a PhD. Originally from the Ōtākou Peninsula, Lauren enjoys walking with her dog, nature photography, drawing, reading, and time near water or sunshine.