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The End of The Beginning - How perspective matters.

Six years into a 4-year degree, I could write a book about the occurrences over the years, from personal to professional experiences. As controversial as it might sound, I am grateful for the extra two years I spent while enrolled as an Occupational Therapy student. I experienced how an introvert can be comfortable in a social setting. I have grown to see people from a different lens, to be grateful for conversations rather than resenting them while maintaining my personal space. Let me take you through my journey of university life.

The first year, I resented university because I was the only male in class. I could not find someone to relate to; I would go into class and leave straight after without talking to anyone. It is no surprise that I stopped attending, which led to me failing 50% of my modules. Found and lost love, I was hit with an identity and existential crisis - a surreal experience. For a year, melancholy was the only echo I could hear. The only coping mechanism was marijuana and writing poems; as Virginia Woolf writes "How many times have people used a pen or paintbrush because they couldn’t pull the trigger?" No one had told me about venting - an alien terminology. All I understood was screentime, melancholy and my desperation for affection. Suicidal ideation became a norm. So, I began to search for meaning, something worthy to live for. Academics were not necessarily a priority, but I felt pressure as my family looked forward to my graduation day. On the other side, all I had wished for was to make money and improve the world, alleviating everyone's suffering. In it, I had not realized how it is my suffering I want to be alleviated. I had always found psychology appealing, hence my strong following of Dr. Jordan Peterson, I have learnt from him, he took me out of my meaningless suffering.

Through his lessons, I began to pick myself up. Focused more on academics, I understood more what Occupational Therapy is about. Came clinical practice, I struggled due to my reserved persona. I felt uncomfortable during sessions, dwelling more on myself than the person requiring the services I could offer. While I began to get comfortable, COVID-19 hit, and I regressed. The beauty was that I began to read books; I had been enlightened. I fell in love with philosophy enhancing my penmanship. Which saw itself carry out of COVID-19. I had to return to university to improve my social skills and my competence as an aspiring therapist. I saw my assessment skills improve in the third year, where I had to focus on treatment. The physical block went poorly, and I had to repeat that module. I was shattered, but with a positive mindset, I promised to make the most of the extra year by focusing on my entrepreneurial skills.

At the beginning of 2022, I started selling eggs, ice cream, earphones, and books. The thrill I could not describe; I became even more social and started going out with friends. Second semester, I started a fast-food shop with my partners. Though this is good, I began to lose a picture of myself. The metamorphosis was more than what I had expected. The store was not a success, but the personal transformation was incredible. My personality was built here and put me on a path towards being a competent therapist. I had not realized how much of being a good therapist relied on how good one's social skills are. How one views a person is significant; a holistic view of a person in Occupational Therapy is critical. From the physical presentation to cognitive and spiritual presentation. Alan Watts writes, "We must see that consciousness is neither an isolated soul nor the mere function of a single nervous system, but of that totality of interrelated stars and galaxies which makes a nervous system possible." Here, equivocally describes that oneself is not merely contained by what is immediately available to the eye. However, looking deeper, you find a whole universe in that person. The universe is their past experiences, family, values and everyday life. I understood this until I got into my community block.

To build is to destroy old structures which no longer serve the new purpose. It is what community block did to me; I got to see how fractured the environment of South Africa is, I got to see how broken the health system in South Africa is, endlessly failing to ease the lives of those in need. Throughout therapy, I had always seen clients regressing after going home. My understanding of this needed to be more superficial. My thoughts? "This person does not care about their health." This statement abruptly changed to "This environment is not allowing this person to live healthily and recover." I have come across broken people, families and communities. With this sympathetic heart and wishful thinking, I want to snap my fingers and change the situation instantly. Sometimes, people's suffering is the only thing they know and are aware of. When you see someone getting drunk all the time, you no longer become judgmental but sympathetic and wonder about their suffering, which is one way to shed old perspectives and build new ones—the constant need to escape life itself. I struggle with this, hence my love for philosophy as I attempt to understand life.

"One must imagine Sisyphus happy", Albert Camus writes. Despite his punishment, Sisyphus had a reason to be alive, regardless of the suffering, despite the suffering lacking meaning. Sisyphus reason for waking up is rolling up the large rock up the hill and watching it fall, repeating the same process for eternity. It is how I see life; this is how I see people's lives. We are all rolling a giant rock up the hill; despite the hardship, we continue living because we hope things will improve. They might never get better, but it is much more reasonable to believe they will because if we do not believe so, we are likely to be suicidal and nihilistic. This hope is persuading me to practice as a community therapist after finishing my degree. Despite the odds, I want to change everyone's health and provide healthy meaning. It seems farfetched, but I hope it keeps the communities alive; they want to see a better tomorrow, and I want to see a better tomorrow for everyone.

During the community block, we hosted a workshop with teachers at Marrianridge about learning difficulties - not disabilities. The workshop was very interactive, and the teachers needed more of these talks. It is this kind of engagement, this kind of advocacy, which will help communities thrive by raising awareness of common issues faced that are accompanied a lot by stigma. The ill-treatment elicited because of perceived low IQ can decrease, which is one way to combat the communal anger at Marriannridge. It is an example of what I wish to do as an OT during my practice; it is not much about individual gain but communal gain, which creates a healthy environment for the individual to thrive.

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Community-led goals for Kenville and Marrianridge communities

As an occupational therapy student completing our community fieldwork placement in Kenville and Marriannridge, I sought to identify key challenges impacting resident wellness and quality of life. Through participatory assessments involving community leaders and stakeholders, I gained insightful perspectives on prevailing issues around literacy, gender inequality, food security, unemployment, and social cohesion. This blog explores these issues and develop sustainable goals to help better the communities. Supported by literature and framed within occupational therapy perspective, each goal addresses a pressing local need while upholding principles of communities as agents of their own change. In hopes this knowledge can contribute value through locally-tailored strategies and help shed light on the powerful role of occupation-based community development

The first goal aims to address the low literacy rates plaguing the communities of Kenville, which has been observed to strongly correlate with poor educational outcomes and health inequities. During my community block, I have come across various children unable to read and write at grade level, which most people confuse with intelligence. A large proportion of primary school children in communities like Kenville are unable to read at grade level due to lack of early learning opportunities. These literacy deficiencies risk limiting later opportunities and perpetuating intergenerational cycles of poverty and vulnerability due to perceived decreased intelligence - but other cognitive learning barriers are at play- which people come to believe as they are told so by people surrounding them (Wilmot, 2023). (WHO, 2006c) suggests training local volunteers to host frequent story time sessions in underserved neighborhoods, knowledge and pre-learning will be actively brought to those most affected by deficits. However, to recruit locals may be farfetched but during my stay at Cato Manor, I came across a social worker passionate about improving literacy among the school she worked at. She holds regular reading sessions among high schooler every afternoon. At Kenville this initiative could be taken among youngsters to improve literacy at an early age. Teachers can be educated on learning disabilities or commonly experienced learning problems through workshops. Afterwards, learners can be identified and can be included in an afterschool program that can be facilitated by one of the educators, in afternoon sessions there should be story telling or learning games to improve reading and writing. Through the lens of OT this can take place in a form of games or other leisure activities where learning is not seen as something confined within school premises or a textbook.

The second goal identified aims to improve the quality of life among women at Mariannridge through community discussion groups addressing issues like reproductive health, gender-based violence, and unemployment. Unfortunately, high rates of teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and domestic abuse have been issues impacting women's well-being in low socioeconomic communities like Marrianridge (Jewkes, 2015). The persistence of such social challenges risks can perpetuate the financial and health-related vulnerabilities disproportionately shouldered by females. Emphasizing on improving the quality of life among women, WHO recognizes social factors influencing health and well-being among females; this goal hopes to find solutions owned by communities themselves (WHO, 2010). (WHO, 2001) also suggests making information freely available on social challenges and establishing support networks can boost participants' self-efficacy, social capital, and health decisions aimed at solving social justice, dignity and gender equality. To address the issue of GBV, forums can be created for women where they can run the groups themselves where they will come together, and address issues faced at home and find ways forward on how to solve them rather than coming and telling them how to solve their own issues. The OT students can help facilitate by providing areas which they can look at during these forums or groups.

The third goal aims to address food insecurity at Kenville by establishing a community garden. According to local surveys, over 40% of households regularly experience limited access to nutritious meals (Stats SA, 2018). Left unaddressed, malnutrition and poverty create vicious cycles that undermine health and prosperity. Collectively managed resources can boost wellbeing, particularly in disadvantaged contexts, this goal aims to employ a participatory project for the community. OT students can partner with residents to transform an unused plot into vegetable beds tended communally. Workshops on organic production, food preservation, and healthy meals on a budget aim to cultivate self-reliance through skill-sharing. This can potentially increase household food production and shared knowledge may augment household incomes long-term in addition to nutrition (FAO, 2013). However, I have found that men in this community are not willing to engage in community activities which will not see them profit. We would also have to run it by the community counsellor who is hard to contact. However, with enough funding and a compelling story land can be found and worked for the benefit of the community. These impediments require intense efforts between the OT students and community members to try and sucure land and farming resources, if there are community members with farming knowledge they would be recruited into the project. If not, in-depth research on farming can be done and a manual for the community can be provided so they can understand the basics of agriculture.

The fourth goal aims to address the crippling unemployment rates that have plagued Kenville for decades, with over 50% of the population lacking stable income sources (Stats SA, 2020), poverty and lack of opportunities disproportionately impact the youth, women, and other marginalized groups in such contexts (ILO, 2015). Without intervention, these socioeconomic disparities risk exacerbating health inequities and draining community resilience over time which is already taking place. To build equitable conditions, this goal adopts a strengths-based approach focusing on skills-building rather than deficiencies. OT students can augment understanding of untapped human resources within Kenville, through establishing of training programs facilitated by knowledgeable community members, the goal is to facilitate self-employment or upskilling as a strategy to reduce unemployment. At Kenville a group of OT students have started a woman upskilling project where they are provided with clothes to sell and make income out of it. However, my supervisor came up with a brilliant idea of upskilling women by creating a manual that can be used to educate women on how to work with children at a creche level. As the OT department we can then draft a certificate indicating the knowledge base acquired and use it to find a job rather than handing in a CV. This can be implemented at Marriannridge as well, where a woman can observe OT sessions and be educated on why certain things are done.

The fifth goal aims to address the weak social cohesion and divided community dynamics influenced by race, religion and gender that have afflicted relations within Marriannridge. Tensions over living conditions and poor infrastructure have often boiled over into unrest we witness frequently in South Africa. Such fractured social environments undermine health directly through stress, and indirectly by stifling collaboration on development initiatives (Wilkinson & Marmot, 2003). As OT students we can collaborate with the community coordinator to try and establish a community parliament where every community member can participate freely. This does not have to be highly structured as it's intended purpose is to bring residents together in working towards shared priorities like substance abuse. By also facilitating workshops where community members jointly plan local improvement projects, the initiative strives to cultivate community improvement. The community coordinators here are passionate people who really desire to see change within their community, the issue of drug use and GBV are among the most concerning but least addressed. As OT we cannot come up with a strategic plan to directly address these issues, rather it is better to have people of the community address the issues themselves as they understand them better. Another issue faced is coming out regarding issues of GBV as one might be shamed in the community. We can help facilitate a community parliament, by establishing a system or project where certain members of the community are given a role to keep the parliament running and ensure this goal is sustainable.

I recognize full realization of any goal relies on long-term commitment, adaptability to emerging needs, and community ownership over solutions. As an outsider in these communities, my role is to help identify priorities and facilitate initial momentum; true progress depends on sustained, grassroots-led efforts. It is our hope this work aimed at illuminating opportunities for occupation-centered partnerships to create equitable, just conditions supporting everyone's well-being. Further collaboration between occupational therapists and community members holds promise for improving health on both individual and community levels.

Reference list

Jewkes, R., Flood, M. and Lang, J., 2015. From work with men and boys to changes of social norms and reduction of inequities in gender relations: a conceptual shift in prevention of violence against women and girls. The Lancet, 385(9977), pp.1580-1589. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61683-4

ILO. (2015). Women in business and management: Gaining momentum in Africa. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/

FAO. (2013). The state of food insecurity in the world.

Ostrom, E. (1990). Governing the commons: The evolution of institutions for collective action. Cambridge University Press.

Stats SA. (2018). General household survey. http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0318/P03182018.pdf

Marks, S., 2014. Understanding community development challenges in South Africa. South African Institute of Race Relations. https://irr.org.za/reports-and-publications/occasional-reports/files/understanding-community-development-challenges-in-south-africa-2.pdf

Wilkinson, R.G. and Marmot, M., 2003. Social determinants of health: the solid facts.

WHO, 2001. Social determinants approaches to public health: From concept to practice. https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/98438/e89212.pdf

WHO, 2010. A conceptual framework for action on the social determinants of health. Social determinants of health discussion paper 2. https://www.who.int/sdhconference/resources/ConceptualframeworkforactiononSDH_eng.pdf

Dael, A., Mortelmans, D. and Proctor, C., 2016. The impact of early literacy inequalities on later educational outcomes. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 27(4), pp.546-565. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2016.1165370

Adrienne Wilmot, Penelope Hasking, Suze Leitão, Elizabeth Hill & Mark Boyes. (2023) Understanding Mental Health in Developmental Dyslexia: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20:2, pages 1653.

Maringe, F., 2012. Learning opportunities and challenges for school education in South Africa. The Journal of Social Sciences, 33(2), pp.123-131. https://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/JSS/JSS-33-0-000-12-Web/JSS-33-2-000-2012-Abst-PDF/JSS-33-2-123-12-1880-Maringe-F/JSS-33-2-123-12-1880-Maringe-F-Tt.pdf

[myotblog]

Occupational Therapy is Movement

Introduction

In his thought-provoking lecture, Frank Kronenberg argues that the core idea of occupational therapy is "too radical and powerful to be contained by a profession" (Kronenberg 2022). He brings forth two terms which we use every day but don't give too much thought to, these terms are political and historical. To define political, he uses Aristotle's (350 BCE) definition which is concerned with the understanding the good and bad for humanity. He proceeds to argue that is it from this understanding we can find the necessity to do good towards the human race as the human race. (Kronenberg 2022) also mentions the term historical is critical view and understanding of history to understand human behavior and find ways to change behaviors that are hindering humanities potential. He challenges us to think beyond traditional models of clinical practice and consider how we might dismantle systemic injustices through our work as OTs. In this blog we will discuss three injustices some highlighted in the lecture and some of which I have personally seen and experienced and propose steps towards building a future occupational therapy is focused on social justice.

Western thinking in the OT profession

The field of Occupational Therapy is founded on treatment model for European mental asylums, these principles are based on western perspectives as this is where the profession has been shaped. These perspectives are founded on the basis of autonomy and independence which is in contrast with South African philosophy of 'Ubuntu' which is emphasizes interdependence and collective progress as a society (Mthembu & Napoles, 2015). In my personal experience I have seen client's I work with negate cultural norms for the sake of receiving treatment despite the emphasis on culture within the profession. One can argue that some clients might feel as though their dignity is stripped away. (Mthembu and Napoles, 2015) suggest cultural consultations and assessments to understand communal and cultural experiences that impact one's health, from this perspective we can then set goals that are more realistic within the client's context to improve prognosis without neglecting the underlying African philosophies. (Ferrigno-Peyrottes et al., 2020) also suggests collaborating with traditional healers to understand indigenous systems in place used to service health among communities.

A female dominated profession

In his lecture (Kronenberg, 2022) mentions more than 90% of Occupational Therapists are female globally. It would be a great dishonor not to appreciate this in our patriarchal society, I personally deem this as great progress. Some male patients may have difficulty discussing certain issues with a female therapist because of cultural reasons which is something I have been exposed to throughout my life. A dilemma arises here, with this regard do we consider this as a cultural issue or the patriarchal system at play? (Fink, 2020) found that gender match was not of importance when a trusting relationship was built between the client and health professional. From this perspective we can see how the patriarchy is at play, this cultural perspective impedes female health professional from providing optimal therapy. In tackling cases of GBV and other female related issues, female dominance is good as it puts the profession in a place where the issue can be addressed from the female perspective, giving women a louder voice. Putting us in a good position to address the patriarchy in our society. The profession will strive more towards advocating for women inclusion viewing them as integral members of our society and not as doormats for males.

Poverty in our Society

A second issue raised was lack of access to meaningful occupation due to poverty (Kronenberg 2022). Poverty is unevenly distributed in South Africa approximately 55% of Blacks live below the poverty line compared to 1% of white South Africans (Bhorat et al., 2019) with high prevalence in rural areas. Unemployment is an estimated 34.9% as of 2021 according to (Stats SA, 2022). Youth unemployment is particularly severe, estimated around 66.5%. Occupational therapists are well-positioned to recognize how this impacts health, well-being and justice by understanding each patient holistically. As OTs we should partner with community organizations addressing socioeconomic determinants of health and promote occupational rights for all. Academically, we could apply critical perspectives on power, marginalization and occupation (Whiteford 2000). Politically, we could advocate for basic income grants and develop programs empowering underserved populations through self-sustaining occupations. Communities should be made aware of how OTs can assist in this regard so they know where they can go to build strong cases and be advised on necessary steps. In my perspectives we are professionally and morally obligated to address the issue of poverty to bring about meaningful occupations in the lives of South Africans.

Conclusion

Kronenberg encourages us to think radically about how occupational therapy can work towards a more just society (Kronenberg 2022). This will require critical self-reflection on our role, drawing from academics focusing on power and human rights, as well as political advocacy. Our profession's greatest strength is in empowering all people to engage fully in meaningful occupations free from discrimination.

References Aristotle. (350 BCE). Politics. Translated by Benjamin Jowett. Retrieved from https://www.gutenberg.org/files/6762/6762-h/6762-h.htm

Mthembu, T. and Napoles, J. (2015). Decolonizing occupational therapy practice: Addressing the sociocultural barriers of a Western epistemology. South African Journal of Occupational Therapy, 45(3), pp.27-32.

Ferrigno-Peyrottes, R., Mosavel, S., Ndzinge, N. and Ouédraogo, S., 2020. Collaboration between biomedical and traditional healthcare practitioners in South Africa: Developing a conceptual framework. African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 12(1), pp.1-7.

Allen, K., & Lewis, C. L. (2016). Patient gender and physician gender concordance in patient satisfaction studies: No effect found in review of 49 studies. Patient Education and Counseling, 99(12), 2015-2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2016.08.004

Fink M, Klein K, Sayers K, et al. Objective Data Reveals Gender Preferences for Patients’ Primary Care Physician. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health. 2020;11. doi:10.1177/2150132720967221

Bhorat, H., Cassim, A., & Ali, S. (2019). Understanding poverty trends in South Africa: Growth, unemployment, inequality and demographic dynamics. Economic Research Southern Africa.

Statistics South Africa. (2022, February 22). Quarterly labour force survey, Quarter 4, 2021.

Corker, M. and French, S., 1999. Reclaiming discourse in disability studies. In Corker, M. and Shakespeare, T., eds. Disability/Postmodernity: Embodying Disability Theory. London: Continuum, pp. 60-73.

Kronenberg, F., 2022. The idea of occupational therapy is too radical and powerful to be contained by a profession [Video]. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VJ5sN-WNAo [Accessed 20 July 2022].

Whiteford, G.E., 2000. Occupational deprivation: Global challenge in the new millennium. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63(5), pp.200-204.

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Maternal and Child Health: An OT Student's Perspective from Cato Manor Clinic Community Block

Introduction Maternal and child health lies at the core of any thriving society, as kids and their surroundings have a crucial influence on future society. Throughout my years as an OT student, I have witnessed firsthand how critical early childhood development is, yet how farfetched receiving optimal care can be for new mothers and their children in our society, which can be attributed to countless factors but to name a few, lack of information regarding childhood development, misinformation about childhood development and direct implications of raising a child in low socioeconomic society. In this blog, I aim to discuss why maternal and child health is so important, what hinders maternal and child health, analyze its implications for occupational therapy practice at the community level and what ways can us aspiring students can take steps towards addressing issues faced by mothers and children. All this will come from my observations of the Cato Manor community during my first week of Community block.

Importance of Maternal and Child Health

One needs not to immense themselves into literature to have an understanding of why maternal and child health is important. However, we do need data to justify our morality stance regarding this issue in order to advocate for mothers and children in our "civilized" society - I inverted the word civilized intentionally. (Masselos, 2021) mentions that strong maternal and child health outcomes are directly correlated with increased economic productivity, educational attainment, and overall societal well-being. However, factors like poverty, lack of resources, and limited access to healthcare pose severe threats in low socioeconomic communities like Cato Manor. According to the South African Child Gauge Report (2018), KwaZulu-Natal has some of the worst under-5 mortality rates in the country, with often preventable conditions like diarrhea, pneumonia, and malnutrition being leading causes of death. This data shows how preventable diseases pose a threat to people lacking resources, depriving them their right to health. In modern day mothers and children should be among our top priorities for us to attain a prosperous society. In my opinion it is a moral crime to allow such things to take course, one should play their own role in trying to address these factors. Though utopia might seem delusional, but it something we should strive for to bring us closer to a functional and healthy society. The field of Occupational Therapy should embrace this guilt as an incentive towards participating in betterment of our society.

Implications for Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is well-positioned to address many needs regarding maternal and child health. At a community level, OTs can play an important role in areas like parental education, home visiting programs, early childhood development screenings, and mother-child interactions (Case-Smith, 2015). These services aim to promote healthy occupations like parenting, play, and self-care - all of which have cascading effects on child outcomes. Through the unique perspective we hold as aspiring OTs the mothers' and children's health should be viewed holistically, we should also advocate for better environment to further improve the overall health, through issues like communal sanitation. Poor sanitation has a negative impact on nutritional status, grown and development (Freeman et al., 2017). In Cato Manor, I believe OT could help by working with other health practitioners in community workshops teaching caregivers developmental milestones, importance of sanitation, and nutritional information. Home visits could also identify needs for assistive devices, environmental modifications, or referrals to additional resources depending on how the clients might need help. Though OTs can help identify many of these impeding factors, an intersectoral approach can help with addressing other underlying factors.

Proposed Indirect Intervention

OT intervention can be direct and indirect. Indirect intervention is of vital importance in creating a sustainable program. Below I am providing a list of potential community organizations that occupational therapy students could partner with in Cator Manor to advocate for maternal and child health:

Save the Children SA is an NGO which aims to improve child survival, health education, protection. This organization has implemented programs in communities around Durban, making a strong case regarding Cato Manor can lead to implementing one of their programs in this community.

At Cato Manor Clinic there is an outreach immunization program for children, this platform is used for developmental milestones education and screenings. The coordinator of the program has also been consulted regarding sanitation of the area. The OT students have made efforts to consult the Economic Freedom Fighters regarding their cleaning campaign. The poor sanitation of Cato Manor has been raised. They have taken the matter into consideration and are currently organizing a meeting as to whether they will be able to do this or not.

OT students have made efforts to help improve maternal health of teenage mothers at Cato Manor Secondary School. Though this initiative is focused on promoting the use of birth control among teenage girls, this program will also be used to promote maternal and child health through the program initiated. The program will be in collaboration with CMC's outreach team, OT students and Mayville Secondary School.

Reflections from Cato Manor During my time here, I have witnessed the tragedies of lack of education and limited resources. The issue of sanitation was raised by the coordinator of Philamntwana Program. It is delighting to know that some members of the community see poor sanitation as a communal issue leading to poor development and maternal health. This means there are people who are willing to help address this issue in the community. What I also found amazing was the accommodation received by foreign residents at Cato Manor Clinic, it is delightful to know that the health system sees the human before anything else, hence why they are able to receive healthcare services. However, sustainable solutions require systemic change. As future OTs, we must continue advocating for equitable access to resources and a just socio-political environment where all children can thrive.

Conclusion In closing, strong maternal and child health should be a central priority for any community aiming for prosperity and justice. As occupational therapy students placed within communities, we have a moral and professional obligation to analyze how our profession might address unmet needs. In Cato Manor, I believe client-centered, community-based initiatives focused health education and child development could go a long way as this is beyond the field of OT but more about developing a society at large through strategic intervention which has big and positive impacts in the community of Cato Manor.

Reference List

Case-Smith, J., & O'Brien, J. C. (Eds.). (2015). Occupational therapy for children and adolescents. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Masselos, J. (2021) Why is maternal health crucial to Global Health and development?, HITLAB. Available at: https://www.hitlab.org/why-is-maternal-health-crucial-to-global-health-and-development/ (Accessed: 29 September 2023).

National Department of Health, Statistics South Africa, South African Medical Research Council, and ICF. 2019. South African Child Gauge 2018. Cape Town: Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town.

South African Child Gauge. (2018). The South African Child Gauge 2018. Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town.

Save the Children. (2020, March 31). Maternal and Child Health in South Africa. https://www.savethechildren.org.za/what-we- ↗ do/health/maternal-and-child-health-in- south-africa

Freeman, M.C. et al. (2017) ‘The impact of sanitation on infectious disease and nutritional status: A systematic review and meta-analysis’, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 220(6), pp. 928–949. doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2017.05.007.

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Aligning my personality with OT - Note to future self

You often hear people talk about how you should find a career you love to lead a meaningful life. From the little experience about the labour market, I can testify to that. It is better if you have a career that'll cheer you up when you wake up instead of demotivating you. Career dissatisfaction is more common that we think. According to (Omarjee, 2019) more South Africans seek job opportunities rather than careers they love. They also found that career satisfaction averaged at 6 out of 10 in 70 000 people who answered a survey by Universum SA. Which lead to today's topic. I will be exploring the causes of career dissatisfaction and if I have chances encountering such in future as I aspire to an Occupational Therapist in the near future.

It is worthwhile to know personality types influence job satisfaction. According to (Gerber, 2019) people who are satisfied with their job in a workplace tend to show similar personality types. They also noted that there's increased collaboration and trustworthiness among employees and employers who share the same personality trust, which eventually leads effective and productive functioning. It is also crucial to note people with different personality types tend not to agree and there is less trust among them and feud is more likely to surface. The personalities talked about are the big five personality types, namely, extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness and neuroticism. Though engaging fully about these personality types would be interesting, I would particularly like talk about my personality type in the field of Occupational Therapy.

The field of Occupational Therapy requires good social skills to be a successful and effective practioner. It requires good communication skills, the ability to build good rapports, collaboration, consultations with other healthcare practitioners, clients, peers and everyone you exposed to who have an influence in practice. This was hard for me considering I am introvert and I more reserved than outgoing. I have struggled with commucation because it made me feel anxious and being quiet seemed safer than speaking. However, years went by I tried to engage more with people and this journey of becoming an Occupational Therapist was less hard. Having a good relationship with my peers has optimised my understanding of the field and how generally OT 'think'. If there's one thing this profession that is advantageous to everyone is that you can have fun while helping someone. It both therapeutic to the service user and the therapist. As much as I am reserved and anxious around people, it is becoming easier for me to open up and speak freely with anyone I have to. It does not feel like I am forcing anything because even though I am introvert I still find socialising with people I am used to fun and insightful. I have learnt a lot from people than literature.

References

Omarjee, L., 2019. SA professionals unhappy with their jobs - survey | Fin24. [online] Fin24. Available at: <https://www.news24.com/amp/fin24/economy/sa-professionals-unhappy-with-their-jobs-survey-20190608> [Accessed 9 November 2021].

Gerber, L., 2019. Personality matters when looking at career satisfaction | CU Denver Business School News. [online] CU Denver Business School News. Available at: <https://business-news.ucdenver.edu/2019/02/06/personality-matters-when-looking-at-career-satisfaction/> [Accessed 9 November 2021].

[myotblog]

Mental Health - Occupational Barriers

“Mental health needs a great deal of attention. It’s the final taboo and it needs to be faced and dealt with.” – Adam Ant

According to WHO, “Mental health is the foundation for the well-being and effective functioning of individuals. It is more than the absence of a mental disorder; it is the ability to think, learn, and understand one's emotions and the reactions of others.”  

Mental health is a topic that is gradually getting attention on social media. Not a day passes by without seeing a post about mental health. People share tips on ‘do’s and don’ts’  about maintaining mental health. This is great for a society it indicates some people are taking mental health as seriously as they take physical health - at least some of them. While this is a great step towards increasing mental health awareness, we still have a long way to go. Mental still has stigmas and myths around it due to misinformation, misinterpretation, misunderstanding and lack of knowledge (Jenn Spahs, 2019). People who still hold these beliefs and myths narrow the room for increasing mental health awareness.

According to (Can we talk, 2020) mental health is highly influenced by self-esteem, feeling loved, confidence, family breakup, physical health, and physical, mental and emotional abuse. Such factors can either influence mental health positively or negatively. You can think of when you last encountered some of the above mentioned. You have either had the best day of your life or the worst day of your life. Think about the last time you felt loved by a close relative or a lover, think bout the mood you carried out on the day and how you treated other people and their attitude towards you. Now, think about when you encountered something tragic and how it affected your day and the way you carried out yourself towards the world around you. Those two different days tell a lot about your mental health. Some people tend to be on the bad end of mental health. They encounter prolonged negative mental health and that has detrimental long-term effects on one’s mental health as it deteriorates. Some people acquire mental disorders which call for therapy.

Various factors hinder people from seeking therapy. According to (Tartakovsky, 2013) stigma about what therapy is and it’s benefits creates embarrassment when talking about seeking therapy. People tend to wait until their mental health gets severely declined before seeking help, it takes time to start therapy. Time and money are critical factors as they are resources that tend to be scarce, however, necessary to seek professional help as many distrust public institutions.

Mental health can interrupt occupational balance. According to Backman (2004) “occupational balance is a way of being, rather than a specific activity or task, and achieved by taking part in daily activities that do not overwhelm, and result in feelings of positivity, satisfaction and achievement.” In Occupational Therapy we define occupation as “everyday activities that people do as individuals, in families and with communities to occupy time and bring meaning and purpose to life.” (WFOT, 2012). Activities of Daily Living (bathing, dressing, self care) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (e.g. financial management, shopping, community mobility, taking care of other and pets, meal preparation etc.) can be impacted by one’s mental health. For example, a person diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder might be apathetic towards the mentioned activities. As Occupational Therapist we assist the person with gaining insight to their condition and how they can manage it and lead a healthy, meaningful life. Factors such as work and education can also be impacted negatively.

Mental health is not to be taken light. We must remember we made of mind, body and spirit. Not the body alone, and these work together to give you a healthy life you will enjoy. So we should be understanding and supportive towards those who encounter deteriorating mental health. We should give tips on promoting mental health. We should not avoid the conversation rather than discarding or avoiding it. 

References

WHO, 2021. Mental health. [online] Who.int. Available at: <https://www.who.int/westernpacific/health-topics/mental-health> [Accessed 22 October 2021].

Juma, N., 2020. 95 Mental Health Quotes for Happiness and Success. [online] Everyday Power. Available at: <https://everydaypower.com/mental-health-quotes/> [Accessed 22 October 2021].

Debating Europe. 2019. Do we take mental health seriously? - Debating Europe. [online] Available at: <https://www.debatingeurope.eu/2019/09/24/does-society-take-mental-health-seriously/#.YXMLzvpBzIV> [Accessed 22 October 2021].

Can We Talk. 2021. Factors affecting mental health - Can We Talk. [online] Available at: <https://canwetalk.ca/about-mental-illness/factors-affecting-mental-health/> [Accessed 22 October 2021].

Tartakovsky, M., 2013. What Prevents People From Seeking Mental Health Treatment?. [online] Psych Central. Available at: <https://psychcentral.com/blog/what-prevents-people-from-seeking-mental-health-treatment#1> [Accessed 22 October 2021].

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For every curse there is a blessing

COVID-19. It needs no introduction. The world went from bad to worse in a matter of months. A lot happened; some say we live in a movie, and there’s no point in fighting it. You have to smile for the camera. Also, don’t forget to narrate the story. After all, your life is your life. Even if you have limited control over it, at least you have some control. Some qualities of a god because you can create whatever you put your mind into. It’s the law of attraction, and it’s real. Focus ahead, and that’s all you have to do, even if it is chaotic. Some days you wish to never come into existence again, and some days you wake up only to realize you don’t want that day to end because it keeps getting better. The universe will do whatever it wants, whenever it wants, with whoever it wants. You have to trust in the process, and there is no better teacher of that than this pandemic we are going through.

In March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a nationwide lockdown would be implemented. I was in Durban, I had my first business running, it was a success, and the lockdown regulations ceased staying at res where my business was of that as I was forced to leave res and go home and business had to stop. Came lockdown, I had bought myself my three books to keep me company as I limited screen time and fought smoking addiction and trying to adjust to online learning. The transition was just painful, from going to campus at 7:30 to 16:00 and suddenly staying 24/7 at home trying to study. However, one had to adapt. It got better with time. Three months into the lockdown came assignments. I don’t remember doing anything in July except typing and submitting all day, every day. I honestly did not learn anything from that semester, and it is evident now as I am doing my psychosocial block, but I managed to pass, which was excellent. My marks were better than ever before, which was ironic.

As the year went on, the regulation was becoming less restrictive. I went back to res for prac; I reopened my business, school got hectic, and business and addiction. I was getting numb because I felt like I overwhelmed my body, but instead of giving up, I was looking for ways to cope with all the stress. I did, and marijuana was a way of coping, but it also caused more strains, financially and mentally. I managed to pass, though, and I have my ancestors to thank. This year started nicely academically, but along the way, everything went south, and I failed one module. I had panic attacks that no one knew about. I still carry nightmares from last semester as I get anxious when there are submissions. However, it is something I can work on, something I am working on. I have learnt that everything will always turn out fine no matter how bad it gets.

I like to think of myself as water now. Formless and taking the shape of the environment with the ability to create or destroy. Whatever life throws, I will not complain because I know nothing lasts forever, both the good and bad things.  It’s life, and I have to get used to having little control over my life and control the things I can. Count personal achievement because it is all that matters. As I close I would like to close this blog with a few poetic lines:

“What were you before you met me?”

“I think I was drowning.”

“And what are you now?”

“water”

-          Ocean Voug

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Standing on the edge of becoming an OT – reflections on your journey thus far.

Coming into university, I had no idea what I was doing. I was just caught in the idea of getting away from home, living independently and having the freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want; typical teenage ideologies. Little did I know with freedom comes a lot of responsibilities. I had no idea what Occupational Therapy was, and it was apparent in my academic performance. However, I made many memories and learned lessons from my mistakes about academics, life in general, and myself. I have completely grown as a person; today, I’m entirely different from the person I was in my first year.

In my first year, I was shy, which led to me withdrawing from academics, dwelling on addiction, and chasing the ‘pleasures’ of life. I could not engage with peers in class; I did not attend classes even though I was on campus every day. I failed five of my modules in my first year. If I had failed one more module, I would have lost my funding. Luckily, I didn’t. Come the second year, I took an oath to take my academics seriously, and I did. It was evident in my results. However, I had not realized the importance of engaging with my peers in class. Occupational Therapy thrives with teamwork, which is not only limited to the profession but also through the educational process.

In my third year in varsity, I communicated with my peers to make studying less painful and more enjoyable. At the time, I felt like I was forced because my success in occupational therapy depended on communicating effectively with others. However, this act was essential in life as I am an aspiring entrepreneur. In entrepreneurship, communication skills are essential. Since I was able to communicate effectively, I built a good rapport with most of my clients, which has a significant impact on intervention. However, this process was negatively influenced by COVID-19. I had to go back home for almost five months. Even though my social life was disrupted, I successfully stopped smoking cigarettes, which was terrible for my physical and financial health, though I was still a cannabis smoker. In addition, I started reading books and expanded my knowledge about life. During level 1, I was back on campus for my physical block. The block was fine. I was still grasping essential skills for a successful career in Occupational Therapy.

This year has its ups and downs. The physical block was challenging for me. I was battling marijuana addiction, anxiety, cultural/family issues, and my onsite supervisor was not easy on me. Before midterms, everything was going well; it wasn’t until my supervisor sabotaged my midterms and I couldn’t understand what I was doing right or wrong. I felt as though I couldn’t learn anything because something is right and another is wrong.  She made me feel dumb and gave me panic attacks during prac. However, I survived, and I went back home to deal with issues in my control. I successfully stopped smoking marijuana, and my anxiety is something I am still working on. Quitting smoking minimized my anxiety as it is mainly related to poor thought processing. Most of the time, I am usually hard on myself, which is related to my upbringing (pecks of studying psychological theories), but I see progress from last semester.

I am confident with this block because I love psychology, and anxiety has a limited impact on me. My supervisor is a good and helpful person. My group members are friendly and interactive, making this block easier as we keep helping each other treat clients. I am also learning how to do formal, which will enhance my ability to research the client’s condition, positively impacting my treatment. Even though I have never had a client with Cerebral Palsy, I am confident I will do my best in helping them live a functional life. In the process become an excellent Occupational Therapist so I can help more people in future.

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Cultural Humility in Practice

Cultural humility is defined as a “humble and respectful attitude toward individuals of other cultures that pushes one to challenge their own cultural biases, realize they cannot possibly know everything about other cultures, and approach learning about other cultures as a lifelong goal and process” (Gonzalez, 2021). Cultural humility is beyond professionalism or being ethical; it is about respect and the willingness to learn. It is necessary to assume -better yet understand- that you do not know it all because this always leaves room for acquiring information. There’s so much beauty in other people’s religion/cultures. It is fascinating to understand several beliefs that vary maintain tribes and populations alive for generations.  Culture influences the beholder, but it also influences those who are exposed to it. To think the teachings of Jewish religious teacher (Jesus) are widely accepted by most of the population from different cultures and different parts of the world is mind-blowing. It is hard to imagine the world without Christianity because many people find a way of life even though it is not indigenous to them.

Culture is defined as “the patterns and characteristics of human behaviour, and all that entails in terms of religion, beliefs, social norms, arts, customs, and habits” (The Artist Editorial, 2021). This definition entails what culture is. Culture is broad because it influences who we are from different points. Our “typical” behaviour generally expresses our culture. How we interact with our surroundings and those around us establishes culture. Social agreements can form culture, like Thanksgiving, which is widely celebrated worldwide by different cultures. It is cases like this it should remind the xenophobic, racist, or prejudice that we are one race and we should strive towards unity through learning, understanding, and acknowledgement of other cultures or religions. This opens the mind to new perspectives which might be helpful/meaningful for someone with a different culture. It is necessary to understand that some beliefs may come across as disrespectful to other cultures; this is where one has to acknowledge that culture and belief are subjective and hold power over someone’s life, and that should be treated with respect. This kind of interaction has to be reciprocal to maintain a healthy relationship among individuals or groups; cultural humility is kept. 

As much as cultural humility is necessary to keep in everyday life, it also dramatically impacts therapy. It has a significant impact on the client’s prognosis. I have noticed with my previous clients that culture acts as an incentive. It offers hope in bringing the client closer to Well-being. Cultural humanity does not put aside differences but addresses them to find common ground with the client. A good rapport is established in the process. For me, a good rapport has proved that it can enhance the client’s cooperativeness in therapy. It is an excellent experience to learn about how someone else views the world. It shows how little I know about the world, and ironically that’s a good thing because there’s a lot to learn. Many premature world views reside within me, waiting to be groomed by knowledge from other cultures.

Respecting someone’s culture may not be as easy as it sounds. Not all world views come across as friendly, some are harsh, and they ironically help the client. This also shapes therapy to maintain dignity. It is necessary to conduct a thorough interview of culture with an approach of cultural humility. Maintaining the client’s dignity and respecting their culture feels like taking a step towards being an excellent Occupational Therapist.

References

Gonzalez, K., 2021. [online] Study.com. Available at: <https://study.com/academy/lesson/cultural-humility-definition-example.html> [Accessed 17 June 2021].

Artist PopLab. 2021. What is Culture? - Definition of Culture, History and Facts | Artist PopLab. [online] Available at: <https://www.theartist.me/culture/what-is-culture-definition/> [Accessed 17 June 2021].

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Evidence Based Practice

According to (Barbara Wilson and Mary-Jean (Gigi) Austria, 2021) Evidence-Based Practice is defined as, “Applying or translating research findings in our daily patient care practices and clinical decision-making.” And based on my past interventions I have learnt that research forms a big part of understanding the client holistically and in order to get in-depth knowledge about diagnosis and comorbidities and how these can link. All of this is unique for each client. Even though two patients are diagnosed with left CVA they will present differently because various factors contribute to how CVA presents. This helps guide my clinical reasoning and how I can go about planning intervention for my client. According to (Physiopedia, 2021) clinical reasoning is “ the process by which a therapist interacts with a patient, collecting information, generating and testing hypotheses, and determining optimal diagnosis and treatment based on the information obtained.” This makes the approach client-centered rather than treating the disease you treat the client.

It is hard to know all symptoms of a diagnosis. Even if you do, every client presents differently. Intervention planning has a long process behind it. Or at least that’s what I have experienced so far. Because a client is a unique being intervention has to be unique, this involves collecting collateral data from other health practitioners, family member or care-giver, collecting data from the patient and collect information from past studies. These guide intervention planning and implementation. They produce the uniqueness of the client and condition and specific symptoms or challenges can be overcome based on the resources at hand. It is important not to forget as Occupational Therapists viewing the client holistically is important to us because we understand many factors contribute to what the client presents with. 

Based on the feedback from my supervisors the data I collect is not enough to produce proper intervention planning and implementation through validated clinical reasoning. Even though I can’t directly quote what was said but this feedback was useful to me. It gave me insight about where I was as an Occupational Therapy student. It has gave me confidence to ask question from other healthcare professionals, family members and the individual. I have learnt that asking makes intervention easier as practitioners work together and minimize the burden of each other while optimizing the client’s health. Through successful collaboration with other practitioners I was able to prescribe a wheelchair to a client for the first time. The experience had great impact on my confidence as an OT student. I realized that I do not need to know everything as I am still learning and I will get things wrong from time to time but through collaboration and using past studies to guide my intervention I can do better at intervention planning and implementation.

Evidence-Based Practice is key in successful intervention not only for Occupational Therapy but for other health professions as well. It allows an open-minded approach assessment and approach. EBP is flexible in helping address the client and plan intervention. It is tool I am adapting to guide in OT career as I thrive to grow in my profession.

References

Accelerate.uofuhealth.utah.edu. 2021. What is Evidence-Based Practice?. [online] Available at: <https://accelerate.uofuhealth.utah.edu/explore/what-is-evidence-based-practice> [Accessed 10 June 2021].

Physiopedia. 2021. Clinical Reasoning. [online] Available at: <https://www.physio-pedia.com/Clinical_Reasoning#:~:text=Introduction%5Bedit%7C%20edit%20source%5D%20Clinical%20Reasoning%20is%20the%20process,and%20treatment%20based%20on%20the%20information%20obtained.%20> [Accessed 10 June 2021].

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Multidisciplinary Approach in the Healthcare world

According to (Multidisciplinary Team Care - HealthOne NSW, 2021)   Mitchell G.K., Tieman, J.J., and Shelby-James T.M. (2008) claims that Multidisciplinary care is “when professionals from a range of disciplines work together to deliver comprehensive care that addresses as many of the patient's needs as possible. This can be delivered by a range of professionals functioning as a team under one organisational umbrella or by professionals from a range of organisations, including private practice, brought together as a unique team. As a patient's condition changes over time, the composition of the team may change to reflect the changing clinical and psychosocial needs of the patient.“  This is true because because even doctors do not know everything about human health and this is where other professions come in. Multidisciplinary care isn’t care that’s merely over referral - although we usually do - but requires active discuss among health practitioners for the benefit of the client. It is easy to take this for granted but it is one of those acts that make a health practitioner’s career better. Not only do you get to view client from a different perspective, you also get to build a good rapport with other practitioners.

I have learnt that to view a client from a holistic point of view is really difficult. As OTs we are required to assess and treat a client considering physical and cognitive factors preventing the client from attaining well-being. This makes us unique because we get to interact with almost all health practitioners for a Multidisciplinary approach towards treating the client. Rehabilitation requires a multidisciplinary approach. According to (Matthews, 2021) “The rehabilitation team generally consists of nurses, physical therapists, physicians, prosthetists as well as occupational therapists, and if required social workers, psychologists and vocational councillors can be consulted.” These practitioners work together to treat different client factors to promote well-being. 

Planning sessions can be hard when considering the appropriateness of the activity and how it can address client factors in relation to treatment. For example, If my client has Aphasia, I can only assess and give minimal education about speech compensation. However, it is wise to refer client to a speech therapist. After making a referral, it is necessary to do a follow-up because sometimes referrals do not make it to where they are supposed to go. Sometimes referrals require approval from a medical doctor or nurse, so consulting the medical doctor or nurse about the client can help with making communication easier among other practitioners. The client’s engagement with all practitioner’s can be considered a Multidisciplinary care. A cooperative client stands a better chance of recovery, so if a client ensures they communicate as much as they can with every practitioner who treats them they are aiding speed of recovery. For my midterms, when planning my session with midterms client I should have included cognitive assessments to check if the information given by the client can be trusted or not. Also, asking from other practitioners about the client would have helped guide my assessments towards cognitive aspects. The supervisors believe my findings and activity selection were poor. I also could have referred client to Social Worker to apply for a disability grants to have source of income that is away from family. Consulting about old-age and no source would have provided the notion of consulting a social worker.

Through reflecting on this blog, I have learnt the importance of multidisciplinary approach. There is no shame in asking because you learn something new that can be useful in assessment or treatment. It is wise I work on my social anxiety and speak to other practitioners because it is not only beneficial to me but to the client also.

Health.nsw.gov.au. 2021. Multidisciplinary Team Care - HealthOne NSW. [online] Available at: <https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/healthone/Pages/multidisciplinary-team-care.aspx#:~:text=The%20ideal%20multidisciplinary%20team%20for%20the%20delivery%20of,podiatrists%20and%20Aboriginal%20Health%20Workers%3B%20More%20items...%20> [Accessed 3 June 2021].

Matthews, V., 2021. Importance of a Multidisciplinary Team and Occupational Therapy in the Rehabilitation Process. [online] AmpuOT. Available at: <https://ampuot.wordpress.com/2017/07/27/occupational-therapies-role-in-rehabilitation/> [Accessed 3 June 2021].

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A client-centered approach in Occupational Therapy

Carl Rogers developed Client-centred therapy. He believed that a "Client-centred therapy is a therapy style centred around the Client. Therapists who use this technique try to create an environment of Unconditional Positive Regard. They create a space that is safe for their clients and one that is unencumbered by the fear of judgement." (Client Centered Therapy (Benefits + Explanation) - Practical Psychology, 2021). I believe therapy should always consider what is important to the Client and try to direct therapy towards that. Dealing with different illness can be mentally challenging and exhausting. Human beings are unique, so is pathology concerning a person. It is vital to remember that a client is not a pathology but carries a pathology. This is why Occupational therapists need to consider all aspect that makes up a person. These aspects include occupations, contexts, performance patterns, performance skills, and client factors (Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process—Fourth Edition, 2020). As OTs, we cannot ignore that these factors co-exist and are integrated to form the Client's uniqueness. This is critical to consider when screening, assessing and treating a client. However, this is easier said than done. A lot of mental and physical effort is necessary to implement a client-centred approach. This block has taught me so much in five days; I can see the importance of this approach when planning and implementing the intervention. Today I will talk about what client centeredness means to me as an OT student.

Planning sessions for a client is challenging and exciting. It includes viewing the context from the Client's perspective to find a meaningful way to treat the Client. We plan sessions through "session's write-up" that involves aims of treatment, handling, structuring, grading and presentation principles. In addition, it requires precaution and activity demands to take during the session. This write up helps students break down the holistic approach of treatment. The write-up opens room to consider all client factors concerning the environment and context. It helps with the accurate implementation of therapy. Information from this write-up is acquired in class and through research. Information from class guides research and professionalism. Research targets the complexity of the Client's uniqueness. Professionalism protects the integrity of OTs and the OT profession.

Treatment looks like a simple implementation. However, it is more sophisticated. My experience with planning a write-up includes active involvement when considering activity demands, client factors and environment and how that can be incorporated into a meaningful activity for the Client. Collaborating with the Client to select action is critical in finding a meaningful task. My supervisor says I am showing progress in my write-up. However, I still find myself struggling with differentiating handling from presentation, though I can work on it. Sometimes I come up short with motivating my principles. Grading an activity is still challenging because I recently understood the concept of grading, and it's a matter of practice.

Implementing is transforming theory into reality. It is part of the profession that gets better with practice and enrichment from health-related knowledge. What's included in the write-up must be done during the activity. Practice what you preach and also make sure what you preach is relevant and appropriate for the Client. My last session is what I consider a significant landmark of building a future in OT. My allocated Client said he likes me in front of my supervisor. I was able to physically assess the Client and holistically assess and plan for the Client. I was also able to implement treatment principles for a CVA client successfully. I educated the Client about his condition and precautions he can take. Even though the implementation was pronounced as that of a professional, it was sound considering my past skills with implementation. I did not get any negative feedback from my supervisor. She was guiding me with implementing my next session and what I should consider. I collaborated with the Client to select an activity that was meaningful to the Client. We played a game of chess that aimed at hand dominance retraining. It was a fun session as I love chess. I covered all my aims during the session, I could not implement grading, but I used a therapeutic opportunity to make the client walk. I must think on my feet during therapy sessions. To assess and treat as fast, accurately, and carefully as possible. This is what I am yet to practice and master in my journey as a student.

In conclusion, a client-centred approach reduces the therapist's job and helps the Client take charge of their life. It helps them make a decision that will help them grow as a person and promotes health. This proves smoothness in implementation. It certainly does help me grow as a student and how I approach therapy sessions with clients.

References

Practical Psychology. 2021. Client Centered Therapy (Benefits + Explanation) - Practical Psychology. [online] Available at: <https://practicalpie.com/client-centered-therapy/#:~:text=Developed%20by%20Carl%20Rogers%2C%20Client%20centered%20therapy%20is,that%20is%20unencumbered%20by%20the%20fear%20of%20judgement.> [Accessed 28 May 2021].

American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2020. Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process—Fourth Edition. [online] 74(Supplement_2), pp.7412410010p1. Available at: <https://otgiveslife.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/otpf4_final_for_web.pdf>.

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From theory into practice: Your first day of fieldwork. How does assessing make you feel.

Today was my first day of fieldwork in the third year of being an Occupational Therapy student at UKZN. The experience was nerve-wracking. I woke up at 3:30 am and began preparing for Prac. Although I had never done that before since I started fieldwork, the consequences proved I should have made this part of my lifestyle. This was not just about Prac; it was also about me overcoming my social anxiety with the intent of doing good for society. It is about me getting out of my comfort zone because I want to grow spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. It is also about me growing into my profession, educating myself enough to move into the unknowns of this profession, and bringing them to illumination.

The past few months have not been easy for my class, and my life -or my body- was not going easy on me either. Due to personal reason beginning of the semester, I could not keep up with the syllabus for a month. So I decided to move back to res for a study-friendly environment. When I got to res we were allocated in temporary rooms for about four weeks. My friends and I got a chance to stay in one unit during that period. These four weeks have been the best and most meaningful four weeks of my life. I got an opportunity to socialise with people outside my circle of friends. The experience was good for my mental considering my past social life. I was able to engage with people productively without anxiety, making the moment unpleasant. Being able to engage with people has helped me improve my interview skills with patients. I used to get nervous all the time and ask unnecessary questions and forget about important ones. The repercussions were evident in my results and case study.

After the four weeks, I had concentration and volition 😉 issues. I was apathetic towards my academics and grew fonder of my social life. Finally, through introspection, I discovered I was accountable for bringing balance between the two. The sad part is that I realised this three days before the beginning of my physical block. However, that was enough for me to snap back into reality and study with passion and the urge of wanting to know. I now find satisfaction when studying because I am educating myself with something new and at the same time moving towards obtaining my qualification. I have an epiphany where my newly found habits and lifestyle align with my profession. It will allow me to live in a meaningful way in and outside of my career.

Today, my supervisors allocated me to a client with Polytrauma. It was my first time dealing with a trauma patient. I was nervous until I got to the client’s ward because I had to apply new assessment and treatment principles. Fortunately, my client had no cognitive impairments, and the client’s problems were mainly physical. Therefore, I was able to apply assessment principles, and with the help of my supervisor, I was able to do a comprehensive physical assessment faster. However, I still need more practice. My supervisor also advised me to look at prominent problematic client factors and prepare standardised tests for them. I am willing to take her advice and use it as guidance for the rest of the block. However, she also told me "she gets upset when we do not prepare for prac." Aadila(2021). This is a challenging experience that will take me out of my comfort zone.

In conclusion, prac is not the monster I thought it was. All I need is to calm down and apply what I have leant. Then, I should not be afraid of asking if I do not know. Today’s experience made me realise that there a lot for me to learn in life and professionally. I do not expect the experience to be easy but challenging, and I look forward to writing about it in future.