Amy OT

FAQs about Occupational Therapy (OT) ...  I just want to step back and explain what OT is in a general sense. I think it can still be muddy, despite my efforts to explain throughout the blog. Here's a snapshot to clear.. and maybe muddy.. some things up. :) Q: Do you help people get jobs? A: Yes and no.  The word "occupation" is a general term meaning more a job. In OT, occupation refers to anything someone needs to get done to maintain their well-being (eating, showering, getting dressed, etc.), anything someone needs to do to take care of their household (make meals, take care of a child or pet, drive, grocery shop, access the community), and anything that is important to their roles and sense of self (resuming hobbies, passions, leisure activities, social activities, work). So yes, I may help someone with a worker's comp injury to get them back to work. I may help someone with a disability get a job with modifications and advocate for them to the employer. ...

Rejoice! Some days I walk away so fulfilled! Like YES! A client who doesn't engage much with staff was willing to meet with me! Someone else opened up about some things and is open to trying some new fitness activities to meet their goal of a healthier lifestyle. Someone who walked out on me yesterday over the littlest thing had a great session today! Someone else who rarely talks was lured in through basketball - did part of an OT evaluation and then he schooled me on the court! Which is a win-win, because we're building rapport (aka he's beginning to tolerate me), he's getting to be in the position of teaching something he's really good at, and I'm finally learning how to do a lay up! Praise God - it's about time :) Taking the Good with the Bad It's so funny reflecting on the past 2 days. Yesterday I was so frustrated with the lack of progress with clients, the flawed system I'm working under, yada yada. So focused on the bad that I cou...

Not all glamorous.  So I've been really focused on keeping what I say here objective. With the  babies   I kind of said whatever came to mind and shared bloopers because I was making mistakes left and right. But babies are cute. Babies with disabilities are looked at with sympathy and compassion. I didn't feel a need to defend them. I didn't feel the need to spotlight their strengths because people just naturally like babies.  Not so with mental health. It's weird and foreign. It's not talked about much. There's a fog of stigma that mental illness is fake or a choice or a sign of weakness. So my mindset has been to advocate and educate until I'm blue in the face...  But it's time to be real.  This work is hard.  This field is difficult. My client's issues keep me up at night. It's hard to detach from work when I go home. It's easy to feel like you didn't do enough. Week 2 I had a breakdown. A sobbing-at-home-most-of-the-ni...

Impact It's not hard to make an impact. A lasting impression. It just dawned on me that wow, these clients will actually remember me. If I bump into them 2 years from now, they may know who I am. So neat! The babies and toddlers I poured my heart out for in my last placement will not remember. :) But I'll remember them - they taught me so much! Anyways, a positive in working with adults. Consistency is Crucial  It's also easy to impact this population because their standards for human relations are so low - so tainted by the trauma they have experienced. Childhood abuse and neglect deeply shapes a person. Deeply ingrains that no one can be trusted. No one will follow through on their word or be there for you. As a result, any sane person would build walls to protect from future attacks. High, thick, deep brick walls.  Little things go a long way. As a staff, telling them the days I work and showing up on those days counts for something...