Kath Power

Aims and ObjectivesAims

To explore my experience of working as an OT in a none traditional setting

Objectives

Give history of how I am where I am

Examine the perceived problems

Examine the perceived benefits

How to maintain professional identity?

Work Experience

Ancient History or life before OT

Training as an OTRole emerging

PlacementPost OT trainingCurrent experience

Ancient History

Worked In IT industryJob title:- Knowledge Engineering ManagerA what???

Skills

Problem solvingNegotiationInterpersonal communicationsFlexibility and adaptabilityProcess AnalysisDecision MakingFinding alternative solutions

Definition of

OT?

OT Occupational therapy is a client-centred health profession concerned with promoting health and well being through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by working with people and communities to enhance their ability to engage in the occupations they want to, need to, or are expected to do, or by modifying the occupation or the environment to better support their occupational engagement.

http://www.wfot.org/office_files/STATEMENT%20ON%20OCCUPATIONAL%20THERAPY%20300811.pdf

OT Occupational therapists aim to help people who face everyday challenges due to mental, physical or social disabilities. They help these people to engage in purposeful activities or occupations to promote, regain or maintain health and well-being. They work with children and adults of all ages, whose difficulties have been present since birth, or the result of an accident, illness, ageing or lifestyle.Occupational therapists devise treatment programmes to increase their clients’ ability to carry out activities or occupations independently, and with more confidence. Treatment programmes vary greatly according to individual needs and may involve environmental modifications or special equipment. Occupational therapists review treatment periodically, evaluate progress and modify the treatment as appropriate.http://www.prospects.ac.uk/occupational_therapist_job_description.htm

Training as an OTFull time 3 year course at Coventry University

Year two option module Horticulture as therapy

Placement at ThriveFreelanced at Thrive through

summers

Role Emerging Placements

Year 2 Role emerging placement 10 weeks placement February to AprilLong arm supervision1st second year to take role emerging

placement1st OT student at Trunkwell

Role Emerging Practice The terms contemporary or role emerging are used in a wide

sense to mean placements which are non-traditional, and encompass inter-agency (Fisher & Savin-Baden 2002(2)) placements and those in none NHS or social service's settings.

(Eyre2006) Future graduates are going to have to be creative about their employment opportunities.

Martin (2007) relates a success story for one student who generated her own band 5 posting after completing a role emerging placements in a learning disabilities team.

Thrive

National Charity whose aim is to research, educate and promote the use and advantages of gardening for people with a disability

What are we really talking about?

‘Social and therapeutic horticulture… is the process by which individuals may develop well-being using plants and horticulture. This is achieved by active or passive involvement.’

Social Model

Adopted at 1999 UK conference on professional development.

‘Horticultural therapy is the use of plants by a trained professional as a medium through which certain clinically defined goals can be met.’

Medical Model

American Horticultural Therapy Association

Role of the TherapistProvide the right environmentProvide the appropriate resourceSupport as much as necessaryMake assessmentMake tasks achievableMake tasks safeEncourage and enthuse Make it enjoyable

Role of the Therapist

“The most important attribute the therapist need to be effective in working with such diversity is flexibility and good problem-solving skills”. Simpson and Strauss Horticulture as Therapy Principles and practice

ProblemsIsolationClinical SupervisionFuture ProspectsPay ScalesMaintaining professional identityEvidence BaseClinical Reasoning

BENEFITS

Confidence in OT professional identityAutonomyVariety“Therapeutic OT” based on occupationSelf directionClinical Reasoning

Ways of overcoming some of the problems

BAOT membershipLocal GroupsSpecialist sectionsRegional groups and activities

Local UniversitiesStudent PlacementsPaid supervision from another OT professional

Clinical ReasoningClinical reasoning is “the thought process that guides practice” (Rogers, 1982).

“Therapists often don’t realize they’re thinking, unless interviewers ask them to describe their thinking. Not that therapists don’t think, they just don’t think aboutthinking.”Fleming and Mattingly 1993

Evidenced-based practice Gardening is good for you!Yuko Mizuno-Matsumoto , Syoji Kobashi , Yutaka Hata , Osamu Ishikawa , and Fusayo Asano, Horticultural Therapy has Beneficial Effects on Brain Function in Cerebrovascular disease access via web www.wacong.org/icmed/23/1.pdfJon Fieldhouse The Impact of an Allotment Group on Mental Health Clients’ Health,Wellbeing and Social Networking, British Journal of Occupational Therapy July 2003 66(7)Jon Fieldhouse ,Joe Sempik ‘Gardening without Borders’: Reflections on the Results of a Survey of Practitioners of an ‘Unstructured’ Profession, British Journal of Occupational Therapy October 2007 70(10)Emma Diamant, Andrew Waterhouse , Gardening and belonging: reflections on how social and therapeutic horticulture may facilitate health, wellbeing and inclusion, British Journal of Occupational Therapy February 2010 73(2)Karen L. Rebeiro Enabling occupation: The importance of an affirming environment, Canadian Journal Of Occupational Therapy April 2001

ReferencesFisher, A., Savin-Baden M. (2002(a)) “Modernising Fieldwork, Part 1: Realising the Potential.” BritishJournal of Occupational Therapy 65, (5) 229-236

Fisher, A., Savin-Baden M. (2002(b)) “Modernising Fieldwork, Part 2: Realising the New Agenda.” BritishJournal of Occupational Therapy 65, (6) 275-282

Fleming, M.H. & Mattingly, C. (1994). In M.H. Fleming & C. Mattingly, Clinical Reasoning, Forms of Inquiry in a Therapeutic Practice, (pp. 3-21). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.

Martin H (2007) “Role Emerging Placements : A success story in a climate of cutbacks.” Occupational Therapy News 15, (2) 24

Simpson SP. Straus MC (1998) Horticulture as Therapy. Principles and Practice New York The Food Products Press

Eyre, M. (2006) “Opportunities outside the NHS” Occupational Therapy News 14, (9)31

Any questions ?

Thank you for Listening

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