Occupied

DURING THIS PODCAST TOPICS SUCH AS SUICIDE, SELF HARM AND MENTAL ILLNESS ARE DISCUSSED. IF THIS IS A TRIGGER OR MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, LOOK AFTER YOURSELF AND DON’T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO LISTEN.  In episode 098 I put out an episode about my personal experience with depression. Not long after that Erik (you will remember him from episode 039) messaged me expressing how much he related to the episode. Erik explained that he was currently going through something similar and wanted to come on and have a conversation with me about it. Erik is by far one of my favourite OT’s on the planet and his honestly and vulnerability in this conversation simply confirmed that for me.  This conversation was one of those ones that I can genuinely say wasn’t an interview, it was just two mates catching up and having a deep and meaningful conversation. Thankyou Erik. If you don’t already follow him then definitely check him out here: Look after yourself, look after others and always keep Occupied Brock@brockcookO

This episode I wanted to reflect on an idea that I’ve been playing around with for a few weeks and that’s the difference between Mental Health and Mental Illness. Having an understanding of the links between wellbeing and mental health is a skill that every clinician can take into just about every clinical practice area. This is an area and a concept that fits core with Occupational Therapy and isn’t constrained by the boundaries of Mental Health practice. Exploring Mental Wellbeing with clients is something for ALL OT’s to engage in….but how? “There is no health without Mental Health”  During the episode I explore one model for wellbeing that you can find here: https://www.wheelofwellbeing.org Keep Occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Samantha Bowen is an Occupational Therapist from Perth Australia who found her passion in the aged care sector.  Samantha started Acorn Network, an entrepreneurial venture aimed at promoting young leaders in the aged care sector by providing mentoring, support and growth services to individuals and companies. http://www.acorn-network.com.au/ Samantha has also just dropped her own podcast...

A rather spontaneous recording whilst getting some vitamin D, sitting outside, and relaxing. You know what they say, strike while the iron is hot, so whilst thinking about how I utilised values and values assessments within and occupation-based practice context it seemed like the perfect time to put my thoughts on record….and then send them out to...

Dr Jessie Wilson is a former colleague of mine who now works at Western University in Canada. Her paediatric and mental health clinical background led her into her Ph.D. around an occupation based therapy project for young adults with autism. We discussed everything from previous episodes of Occupied, some of the marketing issues of the...

Goals…..we’ve all heard of them and all been advised that we should be using them both personally and clinically….but why and how are we using them? Do we have a good understanding of how they work? Hear me out and I’ll see if I can make you think

Melissa LaPointe is a friend I’ve known for a number of years and I’ve watched her entrepreneurial journey building from her original passion area, Occupational Therapy and Women’s Health. Now she is an online entrepreneur, a women’s health advocate, a coach, a leadership consultant and a community builder! We went into some detail around therapist...

So in this episode, I explore some random reflections I’ve had after coming across the concept of “minimalism”. It started when I found a documentary on Netflix called Minimalism: A documentary about the important things which was the beginning of me diving down the minimalism rabbit hole. “Minimalism is a lifestyle that helps people question...

This episode I delved into the world of the New Graduate Occupational Therapist!! I had the pleasure of sitting down with the one and only Dominic Lloyd-Randolfi to hear about his journey into Occupational Therapy including his involvement with www.NewgradOccupationalTherapy.com NewGradOT is an amazing blog resource for new graduates containing an amazing array of information...

Every now and then a small thing happens during my day triggers some much more extensive thoughts/reflections (ironic right?). Discussing with my Occupational Therapy students about the importance of reflection got me thinking about my personal journey towards developing this SUPER IMPORTANT skill. I discuss a bit about my experience of finally realising how amazing this...

Simone contacted me on Reddit following the release of Occupied episode 001 saying she wrote a blog called the Rocket OT and had created a visual that “demonstrates how regulation develops and is affected depending on environment/occupation”. After having a chat it was clear that Simone and myself were on similar wavelengths so how could...

Operation Occupation was a project that I undertook a few years ago and was a turning point in my career for my personal growth into the profession of OT. Below is a presentation that I gave to the OT’s in my district about the “Operation Occupation” p...

For the longest time I’ve wanted to start a podcast. The blend of technology, creative expression and Occupational Therapy has always appealed to me greatly. My vision for this is to be an online space where I can discuss concepts, new ideas, old ideas, talk to interesting OT’s, explore the dark depths of Occupation and...