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Blog 5- The Future Is Bright!

Choosing Occupational Therapy as a career choice as a young and naïve teenager just out of Matric, was not a choice that came easy. I remember spending hours researching what the degree entails, what type of fields I could see myself in as well as what the need is for an OT in society. I spoke to qualified OTs about their passion for the job, the good and bad and realised that it was where I would find my place.

The future of OT is bright, our role is being given the recognition it deserves. There are many evolving areas of OT, I will discuss 2 that were most interesting to me

OT In Mental Health

There is a growing recognition of the interconnectedness between mental health and physical well-being in occupational therapy. CEU Outlet. (2024).

OTs are becoming a more permanent part of the team that treats mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression and stress related disorders.

For me, OT in mental health is such a vast area since mental health is so different for each patient, no two patients are the same. To prepare for our growing role in mental healthcare, I am trying my best to read more books on mental health, and the role we have to play in it. After my psychosocial block I am more confident in my knowledge on where OT fits in with mental health and how occupational intervention is imperative for the healing journey of a MHCU.

OT and Technological Advancements

 Since the world is becoming more and more digitalised, OT being the evolving and dynamic career that it is, is poised to undergo significant transformations. Jobya Inc. (2023). The integration of technology in healthcare has increased since COVID 19. Occupational Therapists offer remote consultations and interventions using telehealth principles. telehealth allows therapists to reach more patients remotely. This expands access to care for those in rural areas. American Profession Guide. (2023). Providing service to patients in the comfort of their homes enables OT to be as client centred and individualised as possible. Remote OT services reduces travel time and costs as well as reduces the risk of infection.

As an OT student, studying in South Africa, it is important to take into consideration the context of most of our population. Whilst telehealth may be an amazing innovation which does prove immensely useful in 1st world countries, it seems like a distant reality for me as a South African health care worker. Majority of our patients do not have access to technology or reliable internet. Due to the socioeconomic gap in our country telehealth seems like a great option but it is an option that does not yet fit into our society.

In the future of my career, I would love to see South Africa improve and evolve into a country that uses technology and telehealth to our benefit.

To prepare for the changes OT may see to come in the future, I am trying to ensure that the theory and basis of our career is not lost along the way. Trying to enrich myself with knowledge on the science behind what OT is, the proven outcomes and the projected enhancements will hopefully enable me to become an OT who is dynamic, creative and progressive.

References

Jobya Inc. (2023). The future of occupational therapy: Trends and predictions. https://jobya.com/library/roles/zc4nm8rj/occupational_therapist/articles/zc4nm8rj_future_of_occupational_therapy

American Profession Guide. (2023). Occupational therapy trends and predictions. https://americanprofessionguide.com/occupational-therapy-trends-and-predictions/

CEU Outlet. (2024). The future of occupational therapy: Emerging trends. https://www.ceuoutlet.com/blog/the-future-of-occupational-therapy-emerging-trends

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OT3 Psych Blog 4

"If clouds are blocking the sun, there will always be a silver lining that reminds me to keep on trying"

As an OT3 student, in the last stretch of the final block, this quote from the movie Silver Linings Playbook enabled me to try my best to have a better outlook for the remainder of this block.

After 8 months in a mental facility, Pat the main character in this movie is discharged into the care of his parents. He was admitted to the facility after he violently beat a man he found with his now ex-wife, Nikki and was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.

During sessions with a counsellor, Pat says that he has a new outlook in life where he attempts to see the good or the silver linings in all that he experiences.

His primary focus now that he is out of the hospital is to rekindle his relationship with his wife who now has a restraining order against him. The movie follows him as he meets a young widow, Tiffany, who has an unnamed disorder. Pat and Tiffany relate to each other and become closer. She offers to help him get his wife back if he enters a dance competition with her. He agrees to this, and they begin using dance as an outlet for emotions and to manage stress.

I have found that my psych block working at an acute hospital is vastly different to my peers and my previous psych placements. Some challenges I face include not being able to visualize what my clients may struggle with in the real world or after discharge, since they are medicated we don’t often see their manic episodes or what sets them off/ triggers them. This makes it difficult to prioritise what needs to be worked on.

It was beneficial to see the real depiction or representation of symptoms of bipolar disorder. Learning about symptoms and relating them to patients at the hospital can sometimes be confusing for me as they are relatively stable whilst in hospital. Seeing the reality of emotional outbursts,  impulsive decision-making, and reckless behaviour was eye-opening for me. I was able to see how OT treatment for bipolar disorder fits into a mental health journey to recovery. In this movie the reality of poor IPRs in the real world was shown, difficulties with communication and impulse control all impacted Pat’s occupation of social participation. Seeing where OT can intervene and help someone like this gave me a sense of relief as an aspiring OT.

This movie gave me a real life visualisation on what can happen to someone after leaving a mental health facility, the struggles they face whilst trying to reintegrate into their community, as well as the struggles faced by their families trying to cope with helping and supporting them. I found that this movie gave me insight into how these disorders look holistically. It made it easier for me to see a full picture of how the disorder affects every part of a person’s life, all their occupations being impacted.

It was wonderful to see how using dance as therapy, an emotional regulation tool, and a way to manage stress aided Pat’s recovery. Dance in this movie was used as a meaningful occupation to facilitate recovery. It was eye-opening for me as an OT student to really see the impact of meaningful activities and what they can do for recovery.

As an aspiring OT, seeing the depth of psychiatric disorders as well as how great the impact and burden can be on family members was enlightening since we don’t often get to see how our patients interact with their families and the depth of their poor IPRs. As OTs we treat the individual as a whole, I found it helpful to see the character as more than a patient. We saw certain triggers for him, his use of dance to manage stress, how he navigated his emotions as well as how he found a way to reintegrate into his community. This was helpful for me to be able to envision how certain client factors impact my patients in a real life setting since we focus on reintegration.

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Silver Linings Playbook. Wikipedia. Retrieved October 5, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Linings_Playbook

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OT3 Psych Blog 3

"Find a current, relevant, topical mental health issue being discussed in the media at the moment and present your critical analysis and reflections of this topic."

Despite the ongoing efforts to raise awareness, suicide rates are going up each year.

77% percent of suicides occur in lower-and-middle income countries like South Africa, where it is estimated that every day, 23 people lose their lives to suicide – the third-highest suicide rate out of all African countries. South African Federation for Mental Health. (2023, September 4).

World Suicide Prevention Day is commemorated on the 10th September. The theme for 2024-2026 is “changing the narrative on suicide”. This theme aims to raise awareness about the importance of reducing the stigma and encouraging open conversations to prevent suicide. World Health Organization. (2024, September 10)

Suicide prevention week’s main aims include awareness and education, addressing the stigma with mental health issues and making resources more accessible.  

With mental healthcare not being easily accessible to those living in rural areas, they are often left untreated. Getting to clinics that can offer services of a psychologist, psychiatrist or even a social worker can require time and money which makes it difficult for most of the South African community to access. For these reasons, mental health issues are not identified or treated early enough due to lack of resources.

For me, the effects of suicide and suicidal ideation on students was eye-opening for me, reading statistics that explain the prevalence of suicide amongst the student population was devastating. Nearly half of first year university students mentioned having thoughts about suicide South African Federation for Mental Health. (2023, September 4). This statistic shows the need for student mental health support services in universities. Manging students poor mental health from the first year of study will be effective in enabling them with an outlet for their mental health concerns. Creating a community within university where students can discuss their challenges openly with others struggling with the same issues will prove to be effective for them.

Reading about the prevalence of suicide amongst the student population also made me think about our psych wellness clinic which is being put into motion soon. The importance and necessity of this clinic has been made evident through these statistics. Enabling students with methods to combat poor mental health will hopefully reduce these statistics where we can

In conclusion it is imperative for mental healthcare specialists to frequent primary healthcare clinics in rural areas as those areas are often left behind when it comes to mental healthcare. It is necessary that these services be available to all citizens in order to prevent suicide and enable mental health and well-being for those that cannot seek it. For students struggling with their mental health, student support services specialising in mental health concerns must be made available in universities and in schools. Having these systems in place will help in the prevention of suicide, suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

References

World Health Organization. (2024, September 10). World Suicide Prevention Day. https://www.who.int/southeastasia/news/detail/10-09-2024-world-suicide-prevention-day

Paulsen, L.-Y. (2024, September 10). World Suicide Prevention Day: SADAG urges better access to mental health care in South Africa. Voice of the Cape. https://vocfm.co.za/world-suicide-prevention-day-sadag-urges-better-access-to-mental-health-care-in-south-africa/

South African Federation for Mental Health. (2023, September 4). Creating hope through action this World Suicide Prevention Day. https://www.safmh.org/creating-hope-through-action-this-world-suicide-prevention-day/

Health Management Limited. (2022, September 10). Suicide Prevention Day, 10 September 2022. Health Management. https://healthmanagement.co.uk/our-insights/articles/suicide-prevention-day-10-september-2022/

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OT3 Psych Blog 2

The Impact of Social Support Networks on Mental Health: An OT Perspective

“alone we can do so little, together we can do so much” Helen Keller

The quote above summarises my blog. The importance of social connections and how social support can allow us as human beings to achieve so much more together.

Social support networks or systems refers to a network of people such as friends family, colleagues, that individuals can turn to for guidance or advice in times of need. Social support networks can also include the local community as well as social media, forums and online support groups. (Developing Your Support System, n.d.) Social support networks are an imperative part of a person’s well-being. With individuals that suffer from mental health concerns, social support forms a great part of recovery.

Social connections serve as protection against chronic disease and serious illness. High quality relationships can help people live longer, healthier lives. (CDC, 2024). Social support networks provide emotional support, practical assistance, and a sense of belonging, which are important for coping with life's challenges. They also encourage healthy behaviours, such as regular physical activity and adherence to medical treatments, further contributing to overall health (Forsman et al., 2012)

In OT, the importance of building and maintaining a social support network to optimize physical and mental health is recognized. (Gallant, 2022)

OTs aid in building social connections by:

*Assessing social participation- to identify barriers an areas that require further intervention, these areas can include, social skills training, social norms awareness and well as social judgement. Addressing social skills training can be done through role play, group activities to improve IPRs. OTs aid clients in building manful connections with others.

*Group therapy has been shown to have significant benefits to MHCUs and is also efficient with the therapists' time, which makes it a vital tool in mental health care (Radnitz et al., 2019). OTs use group therapy to see how individuals interact with others to intervene where necessary for social skills training. For OTs group therapy can be used as an imperative tool for building social connections by interaction

*Facilitating community engagement- OTs can collaborate with clients to discover relevant and accessible community resourced that may serve as support networks for their clients. These could include support groups online or in person, clubs or volunteer groups. Engaging in community activities not only builds social networks but also provides a sense of purpose and fulfilment (Forsman et al., 2012). OTs can start the process for clients to attend weekly support groups held in their local community, sign clients up for online chat forums that have topics related to their relevant struggles as well as joining leisure clubs.

In conclusion the picture I have added to end off my blog displays visually, the importance of social support and maintaining healthy relationships. Human being are innately social beings where social interaction is a necessity. Maintaining relationships with others fills the gaps for us as human beings. Especially with people with mental illness social interaction, participation and engagement all form part of giving them a sense of belonging they require for well-being.

https://coachfoundation.com/?seraph_accel_gci=wp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F06%2F120x120-17.png&n=aBX0kCCS9fE97paksWLryA

REFERENCES

CDC. (2024, May 16). Social Connection. Social Connection. https://www.cdc.gov/social-connectedness/about/index.html

Developing Your Support System. (n.d.). Retrieved August 21, 2024, from https://socialwork.buffalo.edu/resources/self-care-starter-kit/additional-self-care-resources/developing-your-support-system.html

Gallant, F. (2022, January 31). The OT tips on Increasing your Social Support! NCCO Rehabilitation. https://www.nccorehabilitationservices.com/post/ot-tips-on-increasing-your-social-support

Radnitz, A., Christopher, C., & Gurayah, T. (2019). Occupational therapy groups as a vehicle to address interpersonal relationship problems: Mental health care users’ perceptions. South African Journal of Occupational Therapy, 49(2), 4–10. https://doi.org/10.17159/2310-3833/2019/vol49n2a2

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OT3 PSYCH BLOG 1

Understanding the role of OT in mental health recovery

Understanding OT itself is a complex and quite frankly difficult task, but OT in physical rehab and OT in mental health differs.

From what I understand at the start of my Psychosocial field work block, OT in mental healthcare is complex as it deals with the emotional and psychosocial person. The rehab for mental healthcare is vast. It consists of thorough psychiatric interviews, family history taking and extensive MDT interviews.

OT in the mental healthcare setting can comprise of

Goal setting in collaboration with the client and their family

Skills training such as social skills training to prepare a psychiatric client for returning home, admission into a protected workshop or a psychiatric home.

Improvement of interpersonal relationships through social skills development

Coping and stress management strategies for clients struggling with anxiety and stress management.

OT In the mental healthcare setting differs from the physical setting in the way that mental healthcare is perpetual, the skills we as OTs teach clients will last them a lifetime. Our role has an everlasting effect on their lives thus it is important that we give mental healthcare users the best treatment we can.

The crux of OT is the use of activity engagement and participation to promote well being and independence. This remains for OT in psychiatry, OTs use activities which are relevant to the client aligning with their interests, to promote positive mental well being. By doing this the individual is improved in order to return to whatever sort of context is deemed fit for them (nursing facility, protected workshop, halfway house, special school)

Treating mental healthcare users involves a lot of emotional strain, it’s a vulnerable, at risk population that requires adequate care and holistic intervention. This is necessary to ensure that they can function in society as much as possible.

My hope for my psychosocial block is that I can utilize my knowledge and my skills as well as be mentally strong enough to help the individuals that are in my care as a student therapist.

Jafari, Z., & Grobelna, A. (2023). Occupational Therapy for Mental Health Conditions and Substance Use Disorders: CADTH Health Technology Review. Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK596641/

Overview-of-ot-in-mental-health.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved August 12, 2024, from https://www.aota.org/-/media/corporate/files/advocacy/federal/overview-of-ot-in-mental-health.pdf

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BLOG 5

Being a Health Advocate:

This is my final reflection on my 3rd year physical block. I currently feel as though my role as an OT student in the hospital setting is becoming clearer. Initially I definitely struggled with understanding my role in the MDT. It was difficult for me to feel confident enough in my own treatment goals and plans to be able to communicate with other health professionals. Since I’m currently in my first 2 months of treating physical patients, I felt afraid to communicate with other members whilst unsure about the details of my treatment goals. I have faith in myself that this is a skill I will build within the coming months.

So health advocacy, to me advocacy means speaking up for the needs and rights of my clients and also seeking out ways to empower them and ensure they receive the best possible care.

I do feel as though I missed the opportunity to advocate for one of my patients prior to being discharged. This was one of my downfalls I have realized upon reflection of this block. I think a possible reason for this would be the amount of hours on our half days was difficult for me to fit in tuts, admin, possible group sessions and seeing 2 patients. Time management in this sense is also a skill I will learn soon. The reason my sessions took a bit longer with my CVA patient was because of his decline due to institutionalisation. He required extra time during sessions, to complete activities that he used to be able to do.  

I also discussed with the social worker handling the case of my CVA patient who is currently in the maintenance stage of his illness. I had requested that she look into Hillcrest Chronic Hospital as a placement for him. I also tried to call the hospital myself and when this proved unsuccessful, I asked one of my peers doing her Fieldwork at Hillcrest to request for an admission form for him. I did find it difficult to get in touch with the Dr treating him, as he only did rounds in the afternoon. It’s become difficult for me to advocate for him now as it feels I have been sent “from pillar to post”, with no successful outcome. The ways I did advocate for him though would be by sending a physiotherapy referral and following it up with the Physio servicing the specific ward, as well as recommending to the doctors to prescribe anti spasticity medication for my patient.

I began making a splint for my second patient and started it late in the day so I planned to finish it on the Monday. The patient got discharged on Friday and so he went home without the splint that would have benefited him. I felt quite saddened about this situation as I felt it was in my control, I could have managed my time better which would have resulted in him receiving the orthoses he required. But on the positive side with this patient, I did advocate for him by speaking to his doctor, requesting an X ray to confirm possible shoulder subluxation.

Since we have had an ethics lecture recently, I also understand how advocating for my patients is a duty of mine as an aspiring OT and forms part of being an ethical practitioner. It should form part of my indirect intervention for my clients. Advocacy is part of client centred care which is the crux of OT. Being able to successfully advocate for my clients is also a skill that will come as my clinical reasoning and competence as an OT student improve.

A very tired but much more learned OT3

Signing off Physical block ;) almost

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BLOG 4

25/04/24

Evidence based practice

According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) evidence-based practice is “the integration of critically appraised research results with the clinical expertise, and the client’s preferences, beliefs and values.” (J. Meydan, n.d.)

Upon reflection of this definition, I have deduced that evidence based practice deals with theoretical knowledge as well as holistic provision of intervention. To use evidence based practice in the scope of OT, our patient’s diagnosis, culture, age and context must be considered throughout the provision of intervention.

During the last 2 weeks of FW, I found myself really coming to an understanding and being able to conceptualize theories that are relevant to OT.

We specifically used the Neurodevelopmental Theory a lot during the last few weeks. Techniques used with neuro patients was a very difficult concept for me to grasp. I found that the only way I was able to actually know what it feels like to use these techniques was to do it on an actual patient with a severe case of hypertonicity. This enabled me to be able to see and physically feel the techniques working on this patient. I felt that most of my physical learning happened during this block

Something I have realized about myself this physical block is that I require visual and physical practice and or demonstration to actually feel confident with performing these techniques on patients alone.

It was also beneficial for us to refine these NDT skills at our placements in a group of 4 with a supervisor that was focused on just the 4 of us. In our NDT prac sessions, we weren’t given as much individual attention which meant our skills were not what they should have been prior to prac.

I found that after my supervisor performed a demo on basic neuro techniques, it gave me a lot more confidence. My handling of neuro clients has improved and I feel I have a solid theoretical base of knowledge to understand why we use the techniques we use and how they will assist.

Evidence based practice was also always brought up during our group discussions which I found to be super helpful. Having group discussions about problem areas, areas of concern and areas that we as students are performing poorly in proved to be of great help to me. I actually found that having such discussions with our supervisor, being prompted to think deeper into our theoretical knowledge enabled us with confidence in our practice.

I felt that evidence based practice during our practical block was something my supervisor always stressed. This has made me realize that it is a fundamental part of OT and has to guide every aspect of our assessment and treatment. I found it helpful that we were required to find evidence for opinions given or answers given in discussions. This forced us to take the initiative to research and gain further insight into our practice.

Utilising evidence based practice in a specifically medical placement also helps with imposter syndrome that I as an OT student feel at times. It is difficult for us to explain exactly how what we’re doing with our patients helps them but by utilising techniques that we can back up with theory and evidence, it gives as an OTs a place in the wards as well.

And lastly going forward, I understand that in order to be client centred and provide adequate intervention that is backed up by theory, all aspects of patient handling must be evidence based. In order to improve my clinical reasoning skills, evidence based practice must be at the forefront of my mind during therapy.

References

Meydan, J. (n.d.). Evidence-Based Practice. My OT Spot. https://www.myotspot.com/evidence-based-practice/

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Blog 3- 19/04/2024

Cultural Humility

“The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people”

In the South African context, working as a healthcare professional, cultural humility and sensitivity should always be a cornerstone of our professions.

Specifically for my future profession, Occupational Therapy, I know that we treat the person as a whole entity and not just focus on the illness, injury or diagnosis. One of my previous supervisors always said “treat the person not the illness”.

 I understand that for myself first, culture plays a huge part of who I am as a person. It guides my roles, routines and forms part of occupations I participate in daily that make my life meaningful. My patients would be the same, this means I would need to assess and research and do a deep dive into patient’s cultures, how it influences their daily lives and then formulate how my intervention is going to align with their cultural norms and beliefs.

I often find myself confusing culture and religion, this being for my own personal life and for my profession. From research I found out that religion or faith is aligned with your belief in God, while culture is aligned with the practices of the people within your faith. Brachear, M. A. (2015, December 28)

I found out through practice that providing adequate beneficial practice was made easier if I was familiar with my clients beliefs prior to conducting interviews and planning activities. Culture forms an integral part of our well-being, clients that are in tune with their culture are usually also spiritual. I have found that when clients are spiritual it is easier to work with them as they also believe that their healing is dependent on the work they put in during therapy.

I did find myself struggling to understand the deeper cultural beliefs of my clients, since most of my patients were of the Zulu culture which is different to my own. In order for me to not pry on their cultural beliefs, my own research had to be conducted. I had to ensure that I went into researching their culture and cultural beliefs with an open mind and not with a mindset that would be judgy or offensive.

Since client’s culture has such a great impact client’s meaningful occupations it becomes a priority for me as an aspiring OT. Understanding how to be culturally sensitive and gaining skills to prevent myself from pushing my own cultural or spiritual beliefs on patients is a skill I feel I have learnt during fieldwork.

For the rest of fieldwork block, and my future as a South African OT, i know that cultural sensitivity and humility will form part of any an all intervention provided by myself.

REFERENCES-

Brachear, M. A. (2015, December 28). What you need to know about the difference between religious culture and religious faith. South Bend Tribune. https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/lifestyle/faith/2015/12/28/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-difference-between-religious-culture-and-religious-faith/46220585/#:~:text=Cultural%20traditions%20are%20not%20the%20same%20as%20belief%20systems&text=For%20believers%2C%20another%20way%20to,may%20be%20difficult%20to%20reconcile.

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Blog 2 28/03/2024

REFLECTING ON CLIENT CENTRED PRACTICE

In my second week of Fieldwork, I had to rethink my intervention and activity choices as my previous sessions did not go very well. After researching more on both diagnoses and intervention principles, I was able to formulate activities that were client centred.

After watching my supervisor do a demo on CVA patients, I felt a lot more confident when delivering therapy to my client. I was more knowledgeable on NDT principles that I would be using as well as the structuring and handling thereof. This was also done with researching more on CVA and NDT techniques.

I learnt that client centred practice will always yield the best outcome or results as patients will be very willing to participate in intervention that they can see is directly beneficial to them. Client centred practice also respects patient autonomy which is necessary throughout OT practice.

Client centred practice ties in with adult learning principles which I also read up on and used to ensure success of my therapy. Seeing as both my patients were adults, adult learning principles were necessary for me to utilise to ensure client centred practice.

Another method I will use for the rest of fieldwork to ensure client centred practice would be to complete an activity analysis of the activities chosen for my sessions. This will ensure that I am selecting activities that have my client’s problems in mind at all times and will ensure that my aims for each client will be met with the activity.

From this week I have learnt that in order for me to be successful as a therapist, I am required to put my client’s problems and goals at the forefront of intervention and not pick arbitrary activities that may not be relevant to my client. Client centeredness is an important skill for aspiring therapists to gain whilst studying and I am going to be conscious of this throughout my fieldwork block.

For the rest of my fieldwork block, I will ensure that I have done thorough research on each of my clients, diagnoses and treatment principles. This will ensure that my therapy is centred around my client’s needs and goals, and not done solely for the reason of conducting a session.

REFERENCES

10 Simple Principles of Adult Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2024, from https://www.wgu.edu/blog/adult-learning-theories-principles2004.html

Law, M., Baptiste, S., & Mills, J. (1995). Client-centred practice: What does it mean and does it make a difference? Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. Revue Canadienne D’ergotherapie, 62(5), 250–257. https://doi.org/10.1177/000841749506200504

Restall, G., Ripat, J., & Stern, M. (2003). A framework of strategies for client-centred practice. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. Revue Canadienne D’ergotherapie, 70(2), 103–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/000841740307000206

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BLOG 1 14/03/2024

From Theory into Practice-

In my first week of FW at PMMH, I found myself overwhelmed.

My fist session observed by my supervisor went quite poorly, this was as a result of poor activity choice as well as poor structuring. The activity chosen for my client was a grooming activity where the client was required to lotion her lower limbs. My aims of my session were not met as the activity did not achieve the ROM necessary that my client needed for improvement.

My session evaluation was difficult for me  as I had to realise that my activity choices had not been in line with my client’s problems, which in intervention needs to be at the forefront. After my session evaluation I did feel defeated and had to regain my confidence to proceed with planning a new session for my client on the day, this was tough for me but I had to make do.

This experience allowed me to realise my weaknesses and gaps in my knowledge with regard to providing adequate intervention. My weaknesses include lack of theoretical knowledge on specific intervention activities, this can be resolves with me doing more research in the future before planning out a session. To ensure the success of my sessions to come, I will need to do a thorough activity analysis and ensure that my aims will be met in my session. For future cases I will also need to research protocols of certain conditions to ensure correct IPC.

Giving myself the time to research more on my client’s diagnosis as well as ways to incorporate my clients identified problems into activities in order for intervention to be effective is necessary for my professional growth. Restoring hand functionality is one of the most important goals of burn rehab programs. (Effectiveness of Incorporating Occupational Therapy in Rehabilitation of Hand Burn Patients - PMC, n.d.) I have identified that improving my patient’s L hand function should be my priority, this should be done by doing ROM exercises to prevent contractures. Bilateral hand movement should also be prioritised in my intervention. In conclusion, I have learnt that my choice of intervention must be aligned with my patient’s problems. My aims in treatment must be more specific and principles of treatment should all be linked to the main aim of my session and not arbitrary principles. This has resulted in professional growth for me as a student therapist. Dealing with constructive criticism from my supervisor and being told that my session choices were arbitrary and not aligned with my client’s goals has ensured personal growth. I had to realise that there were gaps in my knowledge that need to be filled in order for me to become a good therapist. I had identified where I have difficulties as a student therapist and now know where I must improve for the rest of this FW block.

References:

Effectiveness of incorporating occupational therapy in rehabilitation of hand burn patients—PMC. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2024, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6733213/