Occupied

Our Roundtable Brad:  Brad Williams is an occupational therapist based in Adelaide, Australia and enjoys thinking deeply about why we do things the way we do and shaking things up or trying new things when there might be better ways of doing things.  Brad created Naturally Gathered with the mission of changing children’s lives through connection, belonging and occupations in nature. They do this by delivering engaging, strength-focussed and nature-based therapy services to support children to reach their goals, discover their potential and know what they can contribute to the communities and the world.  Talking Points Benefits and drawbacks of outdoor learning and therapy Impact of Covid 19 on indoor vs outdoor therapy  The future of learning  Occupation based practice Are OT practitioners more benefited from practicing outdoors? “Therapy supplies” as a crutch  Natural exposure to environmental elements  Implications for therapists Resources  Episode article: https://

Carissa returns to the podcast! During her last episode (OCCUPIED 123) she discussed her personal experience with eating disorders and was about to embark on her doctoral project. She has now completed that project and has come back to talk about how it went. Look after yourself, look after others, and always keep Occupied Brock@brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com If you want even more valuable content join for bonus podcast episodes, resources, mentorship and much much more!

Session Title  Digitally Occupied: Alienation, Autonomy and Resilience  Session Details This session will cover the learnings from a number of years research into digital workers’ occupational experience. Findings from a four-week diary study, using online data collection and a variety of elicitation methods will be presented in detail. The data points to a need to extend Wilcock’s framework in order to account for the knowledge component, implicit to this type of work. Lastly, a number of tools and frameworks developed in the course of the overall research project to help build autonomy and resilience are presented. These tools were developed with the research cohort over a number of collaborative workshops but have never been presented or published so far.  For more and how to register for future seminars, see: https://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/occupation/

Our Roundtable Guest:  Nancy is an occupational therapist in Maryland who has worked in a skilled nursing facility for 3 years, the first year as a new grad traveler. Nancy loves helping people as cliche as it may seem, that’s her passion in life. Helping people in all/any capacity, and OT especially allows her to do that everyday. Nancy has a YouTube channel, where she teaches students and clinicians about OT and healthcare in general. She also has a psychology background so she functions from a place of understanding, offering spiritual help and providing counseling to people as they navigate their lives. She loves entrepreneurship, having so many business ideas; especially when it comes to therapy and outside of therapy. Advocacy of OT and inclusion is also one of her many passions, as she was born in Ghana, and would love to have a rehab center there one day to help people unable to access quality rehab/habilitation. Talking Points Is being a fieldwork educator a skill? What are traits that m

I am a fan of Moo Smith. A YouTube creative who’s style and attitudes towards creativity align quite closely with my own. I’ve observed Moo’s development and growth in her field for a couple years now. I’m wanting to put together some episodes exploring aspects of everyday occupations and the things people get out of it, why they choose to do certain things etc. In this episode Moo and I explore creativity and where the mental and physical benefits of creativity might lay as well as how Moo manages the balance between using creativity for self expression as well as a business.  Look after yourself, look after others, and always keep Occupied Brock@brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com

Our Roundtable Guest:  Tomeico is an occupational therapist in North Carolina and entrepreneur extraordinaire. She is the host of the Therapy Entrepreneurs and Leaders of Color podcast, owner of Fasion Consulting (a business coaching and consulting company for therapy entrepreneurs), an author of 3 books on entrepreneurship, and a business owner with over 17 years experience.    Talking Points What makes OT practitioners good (and bad) as entrepreneurs Navigating the ins and outs of business without a business degree  Importance of understanding finances  Can anybody be an entrepreneur Social entrepreneurship  Resources The E-Myth Revisited: https://amzn.to/2DshlPY Tomeico’s Books  10 Simple Steps to Independent Contracting: https://amzn.to/3a2hUvHSo You Want To Open an Office: https://amzn.to/30zvTpBHow To Start a Non-Profit: https://amzn.to/2PvBN4P

Session Title  “How Did I Get Here? One Occupational Therapist’s Search for Meaning”  Session Details (TW // sexual violence) The purpose of this session is to provide my personal perspective as a practitioner, educator, and researcher on the topics identified as the focus of this seminar series. In these roles, I have attempted to understand people as occupational beings. This quest has led me to explore and promote people’s engagement in activities, and in learning in particular, and appreciate the high degree of trauma many people have experienced or are experiencing whenever they attempt something new or challenging. This recognition has shaped my teaching and intervention practices and has me now focused on the legacy of occupational therapy in mental health, so I would like to share some resources that have resonated with me on this journey, in hopes that they may inspire others, cause discussion, and engage lively debate.  Resources https://research.aota.org/ajot/articl…https://research.aota.o

Natalie has an amazing breadth of experience for such a young clinician. This ep we have a look at that experience and then funnel down into her interest and experience living and working with chronic pain.  Check out her work here: Also if you’re in the market for some gorgeously designed clinic posters for your workspace then check out  Look after yourself, look after others, and always keep Occupied Brock@brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com

Today is a VERY special episode! Firstly I got the opportunity to talk with our WFOT President Samantha Shann. We explored her journey through the profession, How she got involved with WFOT, how she made it to the position of President and then we explore the upcoming WFOT Congress in Paris.  The upcoming congress in Paris is looking towards to being an amazing, unique celebration of diversity within the profession. If you want to go, and save yourself some $$$ get in and register before 23rd of June to get the early-bird registration price.  All of the congress information can be found here:https://wfotcongress2022.org Secondly today is Occupied 4th birthday so what better way to celebrate than with an episode with the President! So celebrate all things OT with me, have a listen and share this ep with an OT friend.  Look after yourself, look after others, and always keep Occupied Brock@brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com

Our Roundtable Guest:Alondra is an occupational therapist in Bay Area California and currently, she provides services via Hippotherapy, which entails incorporating horses And utilizing the movement of the horse Within the treatment sessions. She has a keen interest in imposter syndrome given her own personal experience of it.  Talking Points What is imposter syndrome?  How does it manifest? Physical and mental  Impact of comparison  Can lead to increased stress and anxiety Why are some people more affected by imposter syndrome and others not? How to combat imposter syndrome Acknowledge it  Name what is happening Find supports  Mindfulness Reframe your mindset Resources Secret Thoughts of Successful Women by Valeria Young Find out if you are an imposter- take the test

You may know Tailor best as @BecomingOT on instagram, an account she started to share the transition from “anxious OT student to growing practitioner”. Her passion for improving those around her and assisting people to learn from her experiences is infectious. But how did it get to this stage? How did she get to share her content with thousands of OT’s? How does she cope with modern day stressors of being a content creator? These are just a couple of the things we explored.  I can’t thank Tailor enough for her time. I thoroughly enjoyed ever moment of our conversation and I know you will too! Check her out here: https://www.becomingot.com Look after yourself, look after others, and always keep Occupied Brock@brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com

Daniela Castro de Jong, Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra (Australia) & Georgia Pike-Rowney, Practitioner and researcher in the transdisciplinary space of music, community, education, health and wellbeing, Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National University  Session Title Doing music together as a shared occupation: a socio-altruistic music program as a collective occupation and a learning opportunity for occupational therapy students  Session Details Music and singing are complex occupations, considering their known effects on health, occupational performance, collaboration, and socialisation for people of all ages and with all levels of abilities. This session will introduce the participants to the community-based Music Engagement Program, which aims to create opportunities for social interaction and wellbeing for all of those who are involved through sharing songs. The program is based in Canberra, Australia, and since 2014 has been a part o

I’m the first to admit that I never used the MOHO much in clinical practice for a number of reasons. Conversations with Ruth started to get me to revisit some of the thoughts I’d had for a long while.  We started with the basics exploring the model and then moved into a bit more of a critical analysis. Check our Ruth here: and check out her website and webinars here: https://www.themohoot.com Look after yourself, look after others, and always keep Occupied Brock@brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com

Outcome measurement in Occupational Therapy – What are we scared of?  Dr. Danielle Hitch, Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, Deakin University, Australia & Allied Health Research & Translation Lead, Western Health, Australia  Session Details: Outcome measurement is crucial to proving the effectiveness of occupational therapy, but remains scarce in many areas of practice. So what’s holding us back? And what does / should ‘outcome measurement’ look like in occupational therapy?  For more and how to register for future seminars, see: https://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/occupation/

Collin Hernandez loved working with his hands. Building things was a job that continued as a hobby. That was until he had a traumatic accident that severely compromised his ability to engage in the things he loves most. In this episode we explore the injury and his rehabilitation up to this point from an occupational perspective.  Check Collin out here:https://www.instagram.com/c_hernandez3/ Look after yourself, look after others, and always keep Occupied Brock@brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com

Our Roundtable Guest:Tegan McKay is a provisional psychologist who owns The Mindful Hub and is also one half of the Strong Minds Club podcast. Her psychology background adds an important dynamic to the occupational therapy perspective of the rest of the roundtable.  This episode we are diving into the effects we have been experiencing recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic and “safer-at-home” restrictions. We looked at how it has impacted our habits and routines and also what we can do to adjust to these changes to maintain a sense of positivity and mental wellbeing. Talking Points Telehealth in mental health services Managing routines in our daily lives Influence of pandemic on the limbic system Limiting intake of information  Being mindful when in the community  Physical activity and it’s positive influence on brain and body Mindfulness  Realization that this situation is a trauma  Unhealthy coping mechanisms Decreased capacity and increased fatigue with new roles  Cha

Dr Nick Pollard is a senior lecturer in occupational therapy at Sheffield Hallam University, teaching occupational therapy students at undergraduate and post graduate level, and course leader of the MSc pre-registration programme. He was previously professional lead in occupational therapy, vocational rehabilitation and dietetics on an interim basis for 23 months, and before that team leader and research co-ordinator for occupational therapy also at senior lecturer grade.  His MA explored internal migration and mental health; His MSc explored occupations in creative writing groups, and his PhD the political implied in occupational therapy. Dr Pollard has written and presented extensively on community based rehabilitation and on critical explorations of occupational therapy. You may know Dr Pollard for having coedited several landmark occupational therapy texts, notably the Occupational Therapy without Borders books, with a new edition published in 2016. This episode we explore the need for OT’s to un

Understanding Meaningful Occupation and its Healing Qualities  Moses N Ikiugu, PhD, OTR/L, Professor and Director of Research, Occupational Therapy Department, University of South Dakota  Session Details In this seminar, we will discuss the following: – The nature of meaningful occupations – The difference between meaningful and psychologically rewarding occupations – The postulated healing properties of meaningful and psychologically rewarding occupations – Future research to clarify the nature of meaningful and psychologically rewarding occupations  Suggested readings: Ikiugu, M. N. (2019). Meaningful and psychologically rewarding occupations: Characteristics and implications for occupational therapy practice. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 35(1), 40-58. DOI: 10.1080/0164212X.2018.1486768 Ikiugu, M. N., Lucas-Molitor, W., Feldhacker, D., Gebhart, C., Spier, M., Kapels, L…Gaikowski, R. (2019). Guidelines for occupational therapy interventions based on meaningful and psychologically rewarding

OCCUPIED is proud to announce a partnership with the All About Occupation series of seminars being hosted by Rebecca Twinley from the University of Brighton. We will be bringing these seminars to you on the podcast and am SUPER stoked to have the very first one of the series with the phenomenal Karen Whalley Hammell!  About Karen Karen Whalley Hammell is Honorary Professor, Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. I am a graduate of the Liverpool occupational therapy programme, the Rehabilitation Studies MSc programme at Southampton, and the Interdisciplinary PhD programme at UBC in Vancouver. My work has addressed themes that include spinal cord injury, qualitative research, critical disability studies, client-centred practice, the Capabilities Approach, justice, injustices and occupational rights. My most recent book – Engagement in living: Critical perspectives on occupation, rights and wellbeing (2020; CAOT) – explored oc

A nice, short and sweet episode reflecting on the last 3 years of this podcast. So much work but for me personally its resulted in so much growth. Thankyou to everyone who’s been involved in the podcast in any and every small way. Heres to the next 3 years Look after yourself, look after others and always keep Occupied Brock@brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.comwww.occupiedpodcast.com