The beautiful thing about occupational therapy as a profession is its adaptability. It thrives in an environment that is multi-dimensional where the profession morphs according to the client. "Client-centered" and "top-down approach" are all key terms when describing OT. Instead of being a rigid process with little adaptation, the profession molds into the best fit for each specific client. Occupational therapists are more than just practitioners. In a way, OTs are detectives, teachers, and companions. One theory that capitalizes on the adaptability of OT is Frame of Reference (FoR). FoR implements the strengths of OT by allowing the practitioner's roles to adapt to each individual client. Using the client's FoR aids the therapist to develop an intervention that best suites his specific needs. This is where solving mysteries and applying reasoning to the situation is useful. Deducing the client's motivations and context are key in the development of the client's intervention. Now that detective strategies have been used to create an approach that best addresses the client's needs and wishes, the therapist must effectively train the client in the techniques involved. Teaching not only involves an ability to talk but also an ability to listen. The practitioner must be able to adapt the "lesson plan" (intervention) based on the progress of the student. Here is where supportive and motivational abilities are instrumental. Having the abilities to deduce the issue and formulate a plan is only a fraction of the therapy. Tied into this is an ability to provide the comfort to the client that his needs and wishes are truly of value to the practitioner. If the client cannot express himself, then the intervention will not allow optimal performance due to discomfort or an inability of the client to fully apply himself to the therapy. Ultimately, occupational therapists must allow for the client to have the final say and feel that his wishes are what is truly valued overall. This is effective occupational therapy. When I hear stories of OTs falling into a routine of the same treatment for the same symptoms, I think how this is a disservice to the basis of occupational therapy. We as practitioners have the capability to adapt and change the profession to each special case. This is something that should be exciting and encourage practitioners to always sharpen and adapt their practice.
Something I have been accustomed to growing up are the phrases "shake it off" or "suck it up" after falling down or sustaining an injury. Having grown up in a family where there were many children to support on a tight budget, I understood the fact that a hospital visit was the last resort. Undoubtedly this has facilitated my understanding that you shrug it off and move on. To a certain extent, I agree with this ideal. However, after learning the extreme results of certain injuries and their lifelong effects, I may have my future child's doctor on speed dial! Something that continued to bother me during the story of nurse, Dawn Pereda, was the fact that her own facility where she worked sent her home after she sustained a severe head injury. It wasn't until hours after alarming symptoms began to appear that she was screened for an injury. By this point, it was too late. Now life relies on a schedule that must be maintained or she will not be able to
Wonderful post, Lauren! "Occupational therapists are more than just practitioners. In a way, OTs are detectives, teachers, and companions." Spot on!!
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