Kath Power

Aims and Objectives Aims 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 OT Role emerging Placement Post OT training Current experience

Ancient History Worked In IT industry Job title:- Knowledge Engineering Manager A what??? Skills Problem solving Negotiation Interpersonal communications Flexibility and adaptability Process Analysis Decision Making Finding 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. TIONAL%20THERAPY% 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. m

Training as an OT Full time 3 year course at Coventry University Year two option module Horticulture as therapy Placement at Thrive Freelanced at Thrive through summers

Role Emerging Placements Year 2 Role emerging placement 10 weeks placement February to April Long arm supervision 1 st second year to take role emerging placement 1 st 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 Therapist  Provide the right environment  Provide the appropriate resource  Support as much as necessary  Make assessment  Make tasks achievable  Make tasks safe  Encourage 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

Problems Isolation Clinical Supervision Future Prospects Pay Scales Maintaining professional identity Evidence Base Clinical Reasoning

BENEFITS Confidence in OT professional identity Autonomy Variety “Therapeutic OT” based on occupation Self direction Clinical Reasoning

Ways of overcoming some of the problems BAOT membership Local Groups Specialist sections Regional groups and activities Local Universities Student Placements Paid supervision from another OT professional

Clinical Reasoning Clinical 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 about thinking.” 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 Jon Fieldhouse The Impact of an Allotment Group on Mental Health Clients’ Health,Wellbeing and Social Networking, British Journal of Occupational Therapy July (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 (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 (2) Karen L. Rebeiro Enabling occupation: The importance of an affirming environment, Canadian Journal Of Occupational Therapy April 2001

References Fisher, A., Savin-Baden M. (2002(a)) “Modernising Fieldwork, Part 1: Realising the Potential.” BritishJournal of Occupational Therapy 65, (5) Fisher, A., Savin-Baden M. (2002(b)) “Modernising Fieldwork, Part 2: Realising the New Agenda.” BritishJournal of Occupational Therapy 65, (6) 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

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