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Def ining occupational therapy….and redef ining client outcomes Through its commitment to rehabilitation, with clients achieving things they thought no longer possible, Think Therapy 1st rehabilitation services are shining a new light on Occupational Therapy and its crucial role in ‘enabling’ clients, rather than ‘compensating’ for lost abilities. NR Times learns more about its mission to secure appreciation for the profession, while also redefining its capability, and how its focus on functional restoration is enabling it to deliver expectation-busting outcomes. The term ‘Occupational Therapy’ is something that many people, even those working within neuro-rehab, frequently misunderstand. While ‘occupation’ is a word most commonly associated with a job or profession, in rehabilitation, ‘occupation’ essentially refers to every activity in a person’s day. In that context, an Occupational Therapist then guides people through those ‘occupations’, using the activities themselves as treatment, with focus always on meaningful goals and measurable outcomes. Yet despite such a wide-ranging and vital role at the heart of a person’s recovery, Occupational Therapy is still not properly understood or appreciated, believes Helen Merfield, chief executive of Think Therapy 1st. “People don’t really understand what
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Occupational Therapists (OTs) do, they don’t understand the breadth of what an OT does, and the word occupation doesn't help because everyone just thinks of work,” says Helen, who recently became TT1st chief executive from her previous role of managing director. “Everyone just thinks it's about getting you back to work, but they don't realise that it's actually about getting your life back together, and helping you live your best life.” A recent session TT1st held with a group of legal and insurance professionals helped to showcase that exact point - asked at the beginning of the session to write down words
they’d associate with occupational therapy (OT), their use of vocabulary had changed entirely by the end, having learned the value of the support and empowerment delivered by an OT. “Essentially, we cover everything from tying your shoelaces and brushing your teeth, to doing your job, raising your child and even running a marathon,” says Penny Wosahlo, newly-appointed managing director of TT1st and a qualified Occupational Therapist, previously director of finance and operations. “But people are not one dimensional. You cannot fix a leg without using your brain to plan the physical movements, and you cannot ask your brain to do that without having the motivation and confidence to make change. “Your psychological and emotional needs, your cognitive and physical needs must all be aligned and co-ordinated. “But then you need to understand that people live in their own unique worlds, in societies and cultures which are all complexly interlinked to their needs.
