An OT is born
“Occupational therapy (OT) is a holistic and client-centered health profession concerned with promoting health and well-being through occupation. The primary goal of OT is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life.” – Stein and Cutler’s study (as cited in Sarsak, 2018).
This definition regarding occupational therapy emphasizes a unique characteristic or aspect of the health profession, namely holistic or client-centred. This simply means that the client’s views and opinions regarding their therapy, must be considered and utilized to further guide his/her intervention. As students, we sometimes tend to be focused on achieving our own goals with regards to the client, and we lose sight of what the client actually feels he/she requires assistance with. I feel that as a developing OT on my psych block, it is important that I develop this skill of including my clients in their treatment planning. I feel that this could increase the clients’ willingness to participate in therapy by working on aspects he/she believes to be important. It also grants the client a much-appreciated sense of autonomy, which is rarely given to them in a psychiatric residential facility.
Sarsak (2018), further indicated the importance of a multidisciplinary approach with regards to the psychiatric care of individuals. It has been proven that such an approach would yield more effective management of psychotic symptoms as well as improve occupational functioning. It is therefore important for OT students to develop the skill and confidence to professionally interact with fellow members of the MDT. As Helen Keller said: “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” I believe we all hold pieces of the puzzle and when brought together, it forms a bigger picture to work with, ensuring a greater success.
Sarsak (2018), further highlighted the role of OT’s within the psychiatric setting, by exploring various evidence-based OT interventions. Some of these included reminiscence techniques, group therapy, stress management, relaxation, interest checklist and psychoeducation. All of these have been proven to aid OT intervention and should be considered and practiced during our fieldwork as students. This would not only assist with the client’s intervention but also enable us to develop as OT’s and gain valuable experience with using these treatment modalities.
The above-mentioned points from Sarsak (2018), are all skills that I aim to develop as I grow towards becoming a professional OT. One of the aspects I truly appreciate in OT is the fact that we look at a client and see a person, not the diagnosis, but a real-life person, just like you and I, and that is something I find to be truly special. I would like to end my blog with the inspiring image below which contains the words of Canadian OT, Rachel Thibeault. I found that her words below, truly explained my feelings toward OT.
References
Sarsak, H. (2018). Overview: occupational therapy for psychiatric disorders. Journal Of Psychology & Clinical Psychiatry, 9(5), 518-521. doi: 10.15406/jpcpy.2018.09.00582