OT Week
October 26th -November 1st is OT week.
A week where we celebrate being Occupational Therapists;
A week where we bring awareness to what Occupational Therapy is;
A week where we reflect upon the what and why of Explore and Soar.
OT Australia, which is our national professional group, set a theme for OT week each year. This year it is Resilience: Supporting our communities to rebuild, recover, and re engage. This could not be more relevant to the present moment, a time when all of us have had to adapt to a new normal. Never before have we needed to be as resilient, as a collective whole.
In Australia, we have endured devastating fires and floods. Some which have impacted directly upon the communities that we work within. Combined with all that COVID 19 has brought with it, we have all had to reshape the way we live our lives in one way or another.
Every facet of our communities have been affected; our neighbourhoods, our sporting groups, our schools, our friend networks and even the therapy teams that surround your children. At Explore and Soar we are constantly thinking about how we can provide extra support in a time of great adjustment - a time where great resilience is needed.
Our core values are a reminder of how to best support our communities as we navigate the new normal.
The EAS core values:
Connection – connecting within our team, connecting with our families, connecting with other health and education professionals.
Community – establishing a sense of belonging within our team, for our families and within the communities that we work in. Building stronger communities to support one another.
Collaboration – working together with you, your child and the team you have around you to assist your child in achieving their full pOTential (yes…an OT pun haha!)
Communication – open communication with you, other health professionals and teachers. Without communication, we can not foster connection or collaboration in building your community around you to support you in whatever journey has led you to us.
Each of these values demonstrate how we do what we do on a day to day basis. Ultimately we seek to provide tailored support to you and your family, no matter what challenges are presented along the way.
These core values also remind me of why I became an Occupational Therapist in the first place.
Each member of Explore and Soar have different reasons for why they became OT’s (or chose to work within an OT business). For me, the decision to study Occupational Therapy was heavily influenced by my passion to help; to give back to people and make a difference in their lives.
Working within paediatrics is not the only area that I have been fortunate enough to be able to do that. I have worked in acute adult hospital wards, community health, spinal and brain injury rehabilitation units and within palliative care settings. All of these experiences and settings have allowed me to refine my skills as a therapist.
Becoming a mother has also fuelled my passion for giving back to families, especially in our smaller communities where there may be limited support. Never do I want a mother, father or carer to feel like they are alone on this sometimes hard and exhausting, yet rewarding journey of raising children. Being an OT allows me to provide that assistance to those in need in a practical way.
There are many misconceptions about OT’s. The most common thing people think OT’s do is simply provide equipment or work in injury management. And yes, this is an integral part of our role but it is only a part of it. You will find OT’s in hospitals and aged care, community health and private practice.
Occupational Therapists are sometimes referred to as the “jack of all trades”. That’s partly because at university we learn how to view people through the “OT lens”. It is the ability to see how a person is impacted by different aspects of their physical, mental and emotional health, as well as the skills they require to complete their chosen activities within the environment that surrounds them. It is this skill that is transferable across all areas of OT – hence why OT is such a broad profession!
Yet it is the way we apply the theory; our models of practice, our frames of reference and our intervention approaches that allow us to focus on each specific area that we work in. At Explore and Soar, we work from a ‘bottom up’ approach. We look at the building blocks of development and how that impacts a child’s ability to complete tasks or participate in their daily life. We use our knowledge of sensory processing, emotional regulation, social skills and biomechanics and apply these to each individual child so that we can tailor our interventions to target their specific goals, in ways that allow us to build relationships and foster skill development across all domains of life. So even though it may seem that in the world of paediatrics, all we do is play and come up with games that make OT fun – remember that we are always looking at your child with our OT lens on!
Working in paediatrics also means working with families. Our family centred approach means we love our parents being actively involved in goal setting and therapy for their child so that we become a tool to teach you the skills to teach your child. Being a parent myself, I can relate to the dreaded ‘mum guilt’. You know those times where you question if you have done enough? Personally, I at times need to be reassured that I am doing all I can for my kids. Part of my job working with families is to ensure parents and caregivers that are indeed doing all that they can do - and to give extra support or guidance when requested. So please reach out to us when you need an extra ear or a reminder that you are doing the best that you can! The entire team at Explore and Soar are here to support you. We see you! We see your struggles and we are here to celebrate your wins!
So this OT week, be on the lookout as we celebrate what and why we are proud to call ourselves Occupational Therapists. And a special thanks to our EAS families for entrusting us to be on your journey. We look forward to growing with you!
