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What I have learned during my time at Inanda

The quote above accurately depicts my overall experience at Inanda. It was naïve of me to think that my good intentions when entering the block would be enough. Since then I have how my lived experiences and my positionality affects my perspective and that the people within the community therefore share a different perspective too. I soon realised that affecting change within the community required me to firstly change myself. Then change and change again. This has allowed me to grow and learn personally and professionally from all the rich experiences I have gained in this short period of time being at Inanda.

The first lesson I would like to highlight from my time within the community is regarding the maintenance of good relationships. A patient we see at Inanda Seminary Clinic related his story of being married to his wife for 40 years. He emphasized the importance of being considerate of one another and respectful of each other’s space and time. Application of this in my personal life has allowed me to strengthen my relationships.

In the community, as a team we have begun using this approach too. At the clinic, spacing is always an issue for us. We have therefore negotiated a ‘timetable’ of when the room available can be used as a shared space and when we can use it for individual sessions. This was arranged with everyone who is utilising the room and we have ensured that this is mutually beneficial for all of us working at the clinic. With other members in the community, like the TDT, at schools and at old age homes, we have learnt to use this too where we have realised the importance of sticking to your appointments. This affects the rapport you have built with the community members which affects their acceptance and carryover of OT services.

I have now come to realise the wide scope of OT practice in the community not only to individual clients, but in terms of community development too (Lauckner et al., 2011). Sibbald et al (2007) reports that shifting between acute care and community will may decrease the quality of care being provided to the people in the community. In my experience, this was proven to be untrue as being in the community has forced me to shift my focus between being clinically based in my approach to treating patients to becoming more community based and therefore providing treatment that is so much more wholistic than I was used to. Before home visits being cancelled, I was able to see how disability actually affects people in their everyday lives as opposed to the ‘theoretical’ understanding I used to have at hospitals.

With regards to being in Inanda with its high crime rates, I have come to realise that there is not clear view of what is right and wrong. I do not have the authority to be able to judges someone based on their actions because I simply do not know the full story. The image below illustrates this concept:

At Inanda Wilderness Park, there was a metal information board at the entrance near the sensory garden. During Covid 19 lockdown the park was completely vandalised.  The board was stolen, vegetables were stolen from the garden, benches and tables were stolen too. From my outsider perspective before entering my community block, I would have judged these people for their actions. After being in the community and noticing how desperate people are for food and resources, like when collecting the names of people affected by floods, it became clear that these people were doing what they needed to do to help themselves and their families survive in during these difficult times. A joke was cracked regarding how the metal board was now the roof of someone’s house which is most likely the truth. This experience was a major eye-opener into how the basic needs of the people within the community are not being met.

We have started revamping the sensory garden, building a new information board and putting in a bin at the park to make it more accessible, user friendly and increase the awareness of the park to the people in the community. Projects like this, although they may be vandalised again, are important for community engagement by providing safe spaces where people of the community can come in and engage with each other and their environment, as well as access OT services, youth development programs, geriatric groups, and many more.

The end of this community block is near, but the beginning of my community service year is quickly looming. In this blog, I have only mentioned a few lessons I have learnt, but in actual fact my learnings have been infinite, and I still have so much more to learn. I aim to take all these lessons learnt during community of being respectful and resourceful, but most of all being adaptable to any situation due to the dynamic nature of community-based practice. I would like to conclude with the famous words of Hickson to remind and motivate my future community service self about my experiences here at Inanda:

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.” (Hickson, n.d.)

References

38 Leo Tolstoy quotes to get you inspired (page 1 of 3). QuotesCover. (2022). Retrieved 11 June 2022, from https://quotescover.com/topics/Leo%20Tolstoy.

Lauckner, H., Krupa, T., & Paterson, M. (2011). Conceptualizing community development: Occupational therapy practice at the intersection of health services and community - ProQuest. Proquest.com. Retrieved 11 June 2022, from https://www.proquest.com/openview/9ab21c4ba152b88c65c888184997c6ec/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=37339.

Sibbald, B., McDonald, R., & Roland, M. (2007). Shifting care from hospitals to the community: a review of the evidence on quality and efficiency. Retrieved 11 June 2022, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1258/135581907780279611.

Right and Wrong Depends on Perspective. Timer.mes.fm. (2022). Retrieved 11 June 2022, from https://timer.mes.fm/inspirational-quotes/right-and-wrong-depends-on-perspective.

Hickson, W. William Edward Hickson Quote. A-Z Quotes. Retrieved 11 June 2022, from https://www.azquotes.com/quote/543492?ref=try-again.

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Mindset shifted by community block, and the unthinkable becoming the feasible.-Self Reflection

Lerato Hlatswayo

I used to think to myself, "Does my supervisor mean this?" whenever I was instructed to accomplish something that seemed impractical and unachievable. I mean, does she truly believe that or is she just saying it? That was  also one of my questions after getting things to manufacture during my first week of fieldwork. I never imagined I would be able to turn the impossible into a reality. I used to believe that only men use hammers and shovels;

I did not know where to begin if I wanted to write a letter asking for donations. Is that something that has ever been done before? I even asked the preceding group if  these companies even bother to respond when you ask for donations. That was the entire negative mindset of not thinking beyond the box and being a critical thinker who believes that everything has its own initiative. But guess what; I was doing quite well even the team will always call me if they want to take nail out of the wood(sighs).

(Quote…),a Kenville-based feminist student, says, "Community fieldwork taught me to speak up for women and advocate for them since I've witnessed women treated unfairly" (Nilsen, 2019). I never imagined I would be involved in feminist occupational therapy activities, and I never imagined we would be given this opportunity to advocate for our fellow mothers, sisters, and grandmothers, and especially for future generations. This block made it possible to combat gender disparity based on physical appearances, gender, and sexuality. I would fight for women's freedom, the right to have and do whatever they desire, if given the chance to do so. I would fight for women's freedom, a right to have and do whatever they want, to live their life to the fullest without being controlled by someone who is patriarchal and  masculine.

This community block has allowed me to see and assess the social determinants of health in real communities while also looking at the development of society with respect to political, social, and professional issues, which I will treat for years (Shaw, 2008).What I found fascinating about this fieldwork was how hospitable the people were, how they allowed us to makeover their community, and how they treated us as members of the community. What I appreciated most about this fieldwork was that the people in the community we were helping were grateful for even the minor things we did for them, which is something their political structures fail to do.

Treating patients from different backgrounds and beliefs was one of my big experiences .I noticed a pattern when ever ask  names  of  our brothers and sisters that are from outside our country during session; they normally do not say them ;they will take out their passport cards, and ID cards. I  would make sure that I ask each one of them  that why they didn’t say it to me; They all got the same reason of I know you won’t get it; I am not from here and every time we tell people our names they would keep on asking again and again and that make us not feel at home and welcomed because some would even say ;never mind if they end up not getting it all. This made me believe that inequality in terms of class and place of origin do exist and  to avoid that as a student activist ;asking for any document with their names on it would help to give effective treatment and client centred therapy. That seemed to be working quite well for the rest of the fieldwork block.

“People working together in a strong community with a shared goal and a common purpose can make the impossible possible.”

— Tom Vilsack

 By looking on the above quote this  has inspired me  to work together with team  to meet goals because sometimes you may have an idea ,however not knowing how you going to implement it or any first and that is where the whole team was coming in, and we would join our minds together and come up with solid solution. I have also learnt to work with team with different personalities ,attitudes and behaviours. This was the biggest challenge to me because I am an introvert, reserved and I was working with all the extroverts, they would just speak anyhow ,any when and I would try out to fit myself in. I would tell myself that if at least I would two things in  group than nothing and then arrive at res and type for them a whole essay’’ ha-ha’’ that’s Lerato for you. That is why losing my phone made a huge difference  both personally and teamwise.

This block showed me that life is not as simple as we imagine it to be it is real. Working as an occupational therapist is emotionally demanding. During treatment, we must maintain our composure and persuade our clients that things will work out, even while we are going through the same difficulties. And coming from this block, I am confident I have progressed. I am confident that this attained knowledge from this block by this ever laughing and a practical  occupational therapist who has the community's best interests at heart will benefit communities that she shall work in.

Redefining communities is a significant thing because we live in the community and the community  believe on us as initiatives and activists. Always raising my hand up when the supervisor is asking for the volunteer was the way of assessing myself as an initiative and activist student. Yes, Sometimes I would be initiative and lack action but that was because I was still getting used to it.

 The quote above motivates me in the sense that serving in the community makes you a more open-minded person who becomes more and more of a professional who works with and for the people. I am eager to go out there and continue to make the impossible feasible with this positively transformed mindset of mine, because when working together we can! I can boldly label myself an initiative, activist, and mostly feminist who is ready to go out into the world and battle against the world. This is how I was shaped by this block.

References:

https://quotefancy.com/quote/1455558/Tom-Vilsack-People-working-together-in-a-strong-community-with-a-shared-goal-and-a-common https://www.theottoolbox.com/occupational-therapy-quotes/ Occupational Therapy Awesome Therapist Profession Quotes is a piece of digital artwork by Thomas Larch which was uploaded on December 17th, 2018. https://pixels.com/featured/occupational-therapy-awesome-therapist-profession-quotes-thomas-larch.html https://www.fantastichandyman.co.uk/blog/what-to-use-if-you-dont-have-a-hammer/ Shaw, M. (2008). Community development and the politics of community. Community Development Journal, 43(1), 24-36. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsl035 Nilsen, A. G. (2019). The Gender Effect: Capitalism, Feminism, and the Corporate Politics of Development,753-755. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsy059

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Community practice: the top 5 sustainable development goals I am working toward

As shown in the picture above, as occupational therapists, we have learnt to create opportunities for people to live a healthy life, in accordance with a person’s own wishes and needs, with relation to requirements from his or her surroundings ("Sustainable Development Occupational Therapy Can Contribute And Make A Difference", 2018). I am therefore uniquely educated to integrate these into practice at an individual and community level to implement the sustainable development goals into my practice.  

To understand how to effectively use this therapeutic opportunity provided to us by working within the community, we need to first understand, “What is sustainable development?”  As defined by Brundtland (1987), sustainable development is "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." To meet this aim of sustainable development, the United Nations has developed seventeen sustainable development goals to protect the planet and guarantee social well-being (Collins, 2021). For further information regarding these SDGs and the progress of how they are being met, refer to the link below:

In South Africa, specifically in local communities during covid-19, meeting these goals have been increasingly challenging. According to the UN Secretary General,

“Although the novel coronavirus affects every person and community, it does not do so equally. Instead, it has exposed and exacerbated existing inequalities and injustices.” ("Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020 | Multimedia Library - United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs", 2020).

This highlights the intersectionality of how covid 19 has further delayed meeting of the SDGs at a community level. People in the community have been experiencing poverty, unemployment, food insecurity and crime pre-covid but currently, during the pandemic, this has been exacerbated. Furthermore, the annual stocktaking report on progress across the seventeen goals shows that it is the poorest and most vulnerable – including women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, migrants and refugees- who are being hit the hardest ("Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020 | Multimedia Library - United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs", 2020).  During my fieldwork block I therefore aim to work toward some of the SDGs to help bridge the gap in the sustainable development goals within the community.

Firstly, the simplest goal aim to work toward is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages (goal three). As a result of healthcare workers in the community being in short supply or stretched to their limits due to covid-19, the progress in reproductive, maternal and child heath has been stalled. In the Inanda community, achieving this goal will be implemented through health promotion talks regarding these especially important aspects of reproductive, maternal and child health as well as general subjects on the role of occupational therapy in the public health sector, covid-19 and vaccines. This however mainly uses a health preventative and educative approach. A more hands-on approach that I plan to implement is running groups at Inanda wilderness park to allow mothers to share and acknowledge each other’s experiences. This will promote good health and well-being through acknowledgement of shared experiences and reducing the stigmas surrounding maternal health and maternal mental health within the community.

By reinforcing the above goal regarding good health and well-being for all people I will also work toward goal five, i.e. achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. Liya Kabede is not only an Ethiopian model, but she has also served as the WHO's Ambassador for Maternal, New-born and Child Health since 2005 ("Liya Kebede | One Young World", n.d.). in the quote below, she refers to the importance of investing in women:

I am inspired to invest in women and girls during this block by providing them with the information and opportunities to advocate for and manage their own health and well-being and education as well as opportunities to learn or build up their skills for independence in their lives. This will also include the education of men within the community, not only women, regarding the male perspective on mental health and maternal health.

Goal sixteen of making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable is of utmost importance especially in terms of the rising levels of crime, especially gender-based violence in local communities. Education and advocacy to reduce stigmas to men and women, young and old, serves as a good start to meeting this goal. However, we can take this further by providing safe spaces in the community where all people, especially women affected by this can access services to provide help regarding their experienced trauma. Like my peers at other venues, I plan to work with people in the community like youth mentors and HIV representatives at the clinic to increase awareness of how occupational therapy can help these people.

In the community we are able to influence inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (goal 4). We work with people in the community at all levels, babies at the clinic, the creches, primary schools, high schools and young and older adults at the clinic and park. In this way, we are able to provide learning opportunities for men and women equally and advocate for them to have equal access to education. This includes collaborating with leaders at schools and within the community to identify students who are having learning or behavioural difficulties like using the ‘red flags’ program to be able to provide immediate intervention and improve their occupational performance and ensure these children have the same opportunity to learn as their peers.

Addressing zero hunger, goal two, goes hand in hand with goal eight of decent work and economic growth. To attempt to help in eradicating hunger in the community, we have begun rebuilding the garden at the park to not only provide food but also allow people in the community to learn and build up their skills and create their own gardens to sell their crop or provide food for their families. Another way we aid is providing other vocational skill building programs at the park to allow people to build skills, find jobs and be able to buy food for themselves and their families. These vocational workshops can include skills like gardening and simple construction activities like mixing cement and assembling the sensory board at the park. More elaborate vocational programs can include inviting community members who have skills to teach others like manufacturing bricks, or similar projects to KITE at Kenville where people are taught how to make furniture from recycled tyres.

According to Tracy (n.d),

 “You begin to fly when you let go of self-limiting beliefs and allow your mind and aspirations to rise to greater heights.”

During my community block, I have become increasingly aware of the large scope of practice of occupational therapy in the community. I aim to stop restricting my own role in community practice and encourage future students to do the same by continuing to address the above SDGs and many more during my block to influence positive change within my community.

References

Sustainable Development OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY CAN CONTRIBUTE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Networks.sustainablehealthcare.org.uk. (2018). Retrieved 3 June 2022, from https://networks.sustainablehealthcare.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/Sustainable%20development-webb.pdf.

Collins, P. (2021). Sustainable development: Definition, objectives and examples. Selectra. Retrieved 3 June 2022, from https://climate.selectra.com/en/environment/sustainable-development.

Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainabledevelopment.un.org. (2022). Retrieved 3 June 2022, from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/29858SG_SDG_Progress_Report_2022.pdf.

Liya Kebede | One Young World. Oneyoungworld.com. Retrieved 3 June 2022, from https://www.oneyoungworld.com/counsellors/liya-kebede.

Investing in women’s lives is an investment in sustainable development, in human. IdleHearts. Retrieved 3 June 2022, from https://www.idlehearts.com/582915/investing-in-womens-lives-is-an-investment-in-sustainable-development-in-human.

Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020 | Multimedia Library - United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Un.org. (2020). Retrieved 3 June 2022, from https://www.un.org/development/desa/publications/publication/sustainable-development-goals-report-2020. Tracy, B. Brian Tracy Quote: “You begin to fly when you let go of self-limiting beliefs and allow your mind and aspirations to rise to greater heights...”. Quotefancy.com. Retrieved 3 June 2022, from https://quotefancy.com/quote/777984/Brian-Tracy-You-begin-to-fly-when-you-let-go-of-self-limiting-beliefs-and-allow-your-mind

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A step-by-step guide: identifying the complexities of your own positionality.

To identify positionality, we must first understand what positionality is. Positionality is your understanding and outlook on the world is influenced by your identity in terms of race, class, gender, sexuality and ability status ("What's Positionality & What Does It Have To Do With You?", 2018).

My positionality, in my context of being a young, South African, occupational student therapist will be identified according to three cultural and sociological factors. These include my family, my heritage and apartheid.

In my family, I am the second out of five daughters and a brother. Since a young age, my roles and behaviours were moulded and adapted to that of my culture.  I was taught to be quiet and respectful, to voice my opinion only when asked, and to be thankful to be allowed the freedom to pursue my educational interests. Like my mother before me, I am constantly reminded that although I have been given this ‘gift’ of education, my life will not be successful unless I am also able to assume my roles of a mother and spouse in the future as I have been taught to do so with my younger siblings. This is very different in contrast to that of my brother, who in his young age, was taught to be outspoken and freely explore all his interests. For him, education is his right and only once this has been completed should he focus on building a family. My learned role is that of a carer and child bearer, while his is that of a breadwinner.

Similarly, in the community, this culture of caring for children or maintaining the household has been prioritised over the education of young women. These occur as a result of the systemic oppression through apartheid resulting in black people in the community being stuck in a cycle of poverty and crime (Adetunde & Akensina, 2008). This results in the children being unable to attend schools because girls are unsafe when having to walk to and from school because of gender based violence. Due to the poverty, the education of the male child is prioritised over that of the female child.

Being a Muslim, of Indian decent living in South Africa contributes to my heritage. The stories and essence of my heritage have been passed through generations but has since been lost in translation between Urdu and English. This has hindered my ability to understand and learn from these experiences. For my family, the importance of passing on our culture and heritage to the younger generation has been lost due to the influence of western culture on our lives. We do not speak our languages or teach them to our children. We have begun to adapt and follow the norms of the people we have been living with due to the segregation during apartheid.

By being in the community, I have now learned to appreciate the uniqueness of my heritage through stories that have been passed down through the elders in my family and community. I was inspired by the stories of elderly patients at the clinic expressing their love and fondness of teaching and caring for their grandchildren. This was further reinforced by the installing and use of the story telling tree at Inanda Wilderness Park where the people in the community are encouraged to sit and share their experiences with the people in their community to educate and learn from each other.

These aspect have all contributed to my positionality and have affected the way I perceive, communicate and treat people in the community. An example of the effect of positionality on our outlook in life is explained below:

“A co-worker explains that they feel unsafe walking to the bus stop in the evening. Another co-worker responds "Don't worry, I walk that path all of the time - it's completely safe." The positionality of the two co-workers can shape the reality of their experiences.  A young, able man might be safer because societally he is viewed as stronger than an elderly, disabled, or otherwise vulnerable co-worker. Positionality suggests that the young man is more likely to feel that walking to a bus stop is efficient and the elderly co-worker is more likely to see this behaviour as dangerous, because of the social constructs attributed to their identities and their own lived experiences. ("Intersectionality, Positionality, and Privilege | Infographic | U-M LSA Center for Social Solutions", 2021)”

Likewise, in the community, due to my personal positionality, I find myself afraid to approach male patients because of the high rates of GBV associated with Inanda. Furthermore, I am afraid of the high crime rates making me avoid seeing patients outside of the ‘safety’ at the clinic like going to home visits or sessions at the park. Due to my inability to communicate effectively through the language of the people in the community, I become weary regarding how the people may see me based on their positionality. They may see me as an outsider, knowing nothing about their culture or context coming in and ‘dictating’ on how to live their lives based on my ‘privileged’ outlook on life.

This is attributed to my positionality as a student where “aligning of our theoretical priorities with the concerns of communities whose struggles we want to advance is connected to the opportunities, constraints and values embedded in our academic institutions (Nagar & Ali, 2003).” This emphasizes the importance of looking at how our positionality hinders or benefits our practice. Like when developing projects, although it is required of us for academics, it needs to uplift and benefit the community in some way.

I have learnt that our priorities as students based on our positionality is not always necessarily aligned with that of the needs and positionality of the people within the community. During my fieldwork block, I aim to change this as explained in the vlog below:

References

What's Positionality & What Does It Have To Do With You?. Dictionary.com. (2018). Retrieved 26 May 2022, from https://www.dictionary.com/e/gender-sexuality/positionality/.

Adetunde, I., & Akensina, A. (2008). Factors Affecting the Standard of Female Education: A Case Study of Senior Secondary Schools in the Kassena-Nankana District. Thescipub.com. Retrieved 27 May 2022, from https://www.thescipub.com/pdf/jssp.2008.338.342.pdf.

Intersectionality, Positionality, and Privilege | Infographic | U-M LSA Center for Social Solutions. Lsa.umich.edu. (2021). Retrieved 27 May 2022, from https://lsa.umich.edu/social-solutions/news-events/news/insights-and-solutions/infographics/intersectionality--positionality--and-privelege.html.

Nagar, R., & Ali, F. (2003). Collaboration Across Borders: Moving Beyond Positionality. Retrieved 27 May 2022, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9493.00164.

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Looking through the community lens: maternal and child health

Maternal and child health (MCH) refers to “the health of mothers, infants, children, and adolescents. It also refers to a profession within public health committed to promoting the health status and future challenges of this vulnerable population (Lu & Brangonier, 2022).”

Being a woman in South Africa comes with the challenges of having restricted access to health care services due to cultural and environmental challenges. In my culture, a barrier to accessing healthcare is the stigma surrounding speaking about my uterine health (periods, birth control, menopause) and mental health. The common response to mental health issues in my community goes something like, “You are clothed and fed, yet you still continue to complain. Everyone has problems in life, but they don’t make excuses by calling it a mental health issue.” This poor response to voicing my concerns about my own health is patronising and had silenced me. I no longer wanted to share my feelings and get the help I desperately needed due to the reaction and stigma in my family and community.

Like me, women are faced with similar challenges daily. My experience is just the tip of the iceberg. We, as women, do not feel safe or in control of our own health and well-being. This silencing of women has led to them being ignorant in terms of their own health. For mothers, or soon to be mothers, this negatively influences their ability to care for themselves. If they are unable to care for themselves, the level of care they are able to provide for their children is therefore also poor. Repetition of this cycle over time has contributed to the systemic cycle of poor maternal health, resulting on poor child health, maternal and infant mortality.

“We have the opportunity to end preventable deaths among all women, children and adolescents and to greatly improve their health and well-being ("Maternal and Child Health", 2022).”

The simple solution to this, at a community level, is health promotion. “Knowledge is Power, Power provides Information; Information leads to Education, Education breeds Wisdom; Wisdom is Liberation (Ayivor, nd.).” By equipping mothers with the knowledge they need, about themselves and their children, these mothers will begin to feel empowered to take back the control of their own health and well-being.

Through engagement in health promotion talks at the community clinic, I was able to regain my sense of power over my own health. By explaining to others how important it is to speak about their issues and voice their own concerns to a health professional, I realised how hypocritical my thinking was. I neglected voicing my own struggles, and therefore fed into the stigma surrounding health in my community. Since adapting my way of thinking after this experience has helped me in becoming a better therapist as I was able to identify an approach to health promotion that would be personal and therefore more effective in conveying the information to mothers at the clinic.

The OT role is, “do what you need and want to have meaning in your daily life ("OT in Maternal Health", 2022).” In terms of MCH, this includes transitioning into the role of being a mother, caring for your child, prioritizing your own health and wellness, getting social support and knowing the developmental milestones your child should and will be achieving ("OT in Maternal Health", 2022).

In the community, our focus in terms of MCH, has been mainly through health promotion. In the future, this will be combines with mother’s groups practising participatory learning and action. This has previously proven to be effective as stated by Elmushraf et al (2015), through the use of ‘community-based care packages.’ These ‘care packages’ refer to a programme where moms are taught practical skills to cope with their new role. This will also include stress management, relaxation therapy and how caring for themselves means caring for their child, amongst others.

Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) is a political movement to advance the health and well-being of women, children, and adolescents everywhere. This website serves as a useful resource in finding new approaches to MCH that can be attempted in the community:

By working in the community during this block, I have now realised that as a student have the unique opportunity to affect change. I now have the chance to contribute to ending the preventable deaths among all women, children and adolescents and improve their health and well-being and am determined to do so.

References

Who we are | Bhambayi Project - Building the Nation one Special Star at a Time. Who we are | Bhambayi Project - Building the Nation one Special Star at a Time. (2022). Retrieved 20 May 2022, from https://bhambayiproject.co.za/who-we-are.

Maternal and Child Health. Apha.org. (2022). Retrieved 20 May 2022, from https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/maternal-and-child-health#:~:text=Maternal%20and%20child%20health%20is,their%20health%20and%20well%2Dbeing.

Lu, M., & Brangonier, J. (2022). Maternal and Child Health | Encyclopedia.com. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 20 May 2022, from https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/maternal-and-child-health.

Ayivor, I. Knowledge Is Power Quotes (24 quotes). Goodreads.com. Retrieved 20 May 2022, from https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/knowledge-is-power.

OT in Maternal Health. Motherhood OT & Family Wellness. (2022). Retrieved 20 May 2022, from https://www.motherhoodot.net/pages/the-need-2. Elmusharaf, K., Byrne, E. & O’Donovan, D. Strategies to increase demand for maternal health services in resource-limited settings: challenges to be addressed. BMC Public Health 15, 870 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-2222-3

[puttingtheotinunstoppable]

Advice to my future self as a person and as an OT

Dear future me,

I know this year was hard

It was like a wild card

But to work harder we vowed

And did mama proud!

Whenever you feel sad

Whenever you feel bad

Remember the good times we had…

We’ve had tough days

And tougher ones are yet to come

But we will persevere

And a great OT is what we will become!

This poem is but a small sentiment

To remind you that you are indeed very intelligent.

Before we look to the future, let us rewind the clock

Remember how inspired you were when you went with your sister to her OT sessions

Remember how you fell in love with the idea of being an OT

Remember all the research you did

Remember the goals you set for yourself and worked towards to get into studying this degree at university

Remember when you first chose your degree, filled with passion, hope and excitement

Remember how fiercely you defended yourself to those who questioned why you chose to waste your intelligence and hard work on OT, where you wouldn’t be able to make a difference or wouldn’t be able to make a good enough living to support yourself

Remember how you laughed at their ignorance and stayed firm in your beliefs

Remember how you struggled through first year when all your expectations were destroyed

Remember how you overcame your failures

Remember how you felt when you finally passed that anatomy module

Remember how strong you are, and most of all

Remember that I’ve got your back, no matter what.

Now let’s look to the future, to what I predict for you,

I predict you will grow, through beautiful and wholesome experiences

I predict you are a hustler, having a positive impact on your clients

I predict you will finally get that occupational therapy degree

I predict you gain recognition for effort and hard work

I predict you persevering through the tough days

I predict you have travelled far and wide

I predict you are still passionate

I predict strength and

I predict JOY.

Love,

Your past self

Please note no intext referencing was used to not take away from the rhythm of the piece. See the complete reference list below.

References

How to Write a Letter to Your Future Self That Will Improve Your Life. (2021). Retrieved 5 November 2021, from https://www.theunconventionalroute.com/write-a-letter-to-your-future-self/

Wanderlust A Letter to My Future Self. Retrieved 5 November 2021, from https://wanderlust.com/journal/open-letter-future-self/

DeWilde, N. (2018). 10 Pieces of Advice for My Future Self. Retrieved 5 November 2021, from https://medium.com/@ndewilde/10-pieces-of-advice-for-my-future-self-87c462602c60

Dray, K. Why do I talk to myself and should I be worried? [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.stylist.co.uk/images/app/uploads/2020/11/26122312/gettyimages-1199026106-1680x1120.jpg?w=1200&h=1&fit=max&auto=format%2Ccompress

Turn back time. [Image]. Retrieved 5 November 2021, from https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/turn-back-time

The Fortune Teller. (2012). [Image]. Retrieved 5 November 2021, from https://www.deviantart.com/mightymaki/art/The-Fortune-Teller-305434946

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Occupational barriers experienced in mental health

Have you ever felt mentally strained? How has this impacted your ability to function in your daily routine? Did you find it more difficult to engage in tasks? Why do you think this is?

Occupations refer to “the everyday activities that people do as individuals, in families and with communities to occupy time and bring meaning and purpose to life.” ("About Occupational Therapy | WFOT", 2021).

A barrier is an obstacle (a law, rule, problem, etc) that makes something difficult or impossible. ("Barrier: definition", n.d.)An occupational barrier therefore is an obstacle or problem makes completing everyday activities more difficult for an individual.

Mental health, is defined as “emotional, psychological, and social well-being.” ("What is mental health?", n.d.).In mental health specifically, there are many occupational barriers that can hinder our performance in our tasks. These include:

Finding the internal motivation (volition), to even initiate a task

Our attention span

Our perceptions

The content and sequence of our thoughts

Our orientation to reality

Our mood, energy, and quality of sleep

Occupational therapists aid in this area by teaching you how to cope with or remove these ‘barriers.’ The picture below shows a brief overview of the OT role in this:

As an OT student, I experience various strains on my mental health dues to stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation, burnout, and much more. Over time, I have adjusted my coping strategies multiple times according to what works for me and what doesn’t. form my experience, here are a few simple changes that I have made in my life and recommend you do too:

Saying a positive affirmation to myself every morning whilst standing in front of a mirror: "Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor." - Thich Nhat Hanh (Jones, n.d.)

I have also found that breaking tasks down into steps and ticking them off on a to-do list has made me feel more satisfied and motivated to continue participating.

Allowing myself to take a break, reset and reward myself. The bigger the task completed, the bigger the reward. For example, if I complete a chapter of studying, I reward myself by taking a walk outside, sitting in the sun, and listening to music for a couple minutes.

References

About Occupational Therapy | WFOT. (2021). Retrieved 20 October 2021, from https://wfot.org/about/about-occupational-therapy

What is mental health?. Retrieved 19 October 2021, from https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health

ADLs and IADLs: Occupational Therapy Terms Explained - The Sensory Toolbox. Retrieved 20 October 2021, from https://thesensorytoolbox.com/adls-and-iadls/

Barrier: definition. Retrieved 20 October 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barrier

Promoting OT | SAOT. Retrieved 20 October 2021, from https://www.saot.ca/promoting-ot/

Jones, M. 28 Incredibly Motivating Quotes to Start Your Week. Retrieved 20 October 2021, from https://www.inc.com/matthew-jones/28-motivating-mindfulness-quotes.html

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COVID- Trick or treat – unpacking the good, bad and the ugly of a pandemic

("Virus Yin Yang Illustrations & Vectors", 2021)

“Yin and yang…The dualities that make us human. As though our lives play out on an immense balance scale - move one way, the scale tips to the left, but move the other, and it swings around to the right.” - Abramelin Keldor. ("50+ Yin Yang Quotes To Help You Find Balance", 2021)

The yin and yang symbol simply represents the balance in life. There is bad times found during the good times and good to be found during the bad. This has become increasingly relevant now, during the Covid-19 pandemic, where we all have had good, bad and ugly experiences.

The ugly is obvious, the numerous losses of our beloved family and friends. To exasperate it, we have been unable to attend their funerals and share our grievances in person. We have also been experiencing constant challenges to our mental health where on the one hand we have the fear of falling ill and dying, but also of losing our livelihoods, and losing our loved ones, and being socially excluded, isolated, and separated from our family and caregivers.” ("The good, the bad and the ugly: Lessons from around the world on Mental Health and COVID-19 | United for Global Mental Health", 2021).

Speaking from personal experience, it was extremely difficult to find the light in these situations where a close relative had contracted the virus. The memory of having to go to their house, check his oxygen levels, watch him hallucinate due to his lack of oxygen and watch him be carried into the ambulance all while being afraid that I could contract the virus myself, will stay with me forever. The constant worry thereafter for his health, my health, my family and that of his 4 young children all while being in self-isolation was nerve-racking.

The bad. Although I haven’t been personally affected by these, they are still relevant to people all around South Africa. This includes the loss of jobs and shutting down of businesses due to the lack of income. Lockdown restrictions like the curfews have also been extremely difficult to adjust to.

Despite all the negative experiences, it is also important we appreciate the good like:

- Having a valid excuse to stay at home

- Finding more reasons to exercise (especially during the restrictions on public areas except for exercise)

- Trying out all the Tiktok trends you never had time to do like the famous ‘Dalgona coffee’

- Bonding with friends over facetime and Netflix party’s

- Watching our communities’ band together and provide support for those in need

So, as shown in this blog, we should continue to persevere, adapt and see the good in our experiences and the people we meet. Now that vaccinations are available for all, we should all vaccinate in preparation for returning to ‘normalcy’ again.

For more information on the Covid-19 vaccine go to:

https://sacoronavirus.co.za/evds/tscs/

To register go to:

https://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za/#/

References

Virus Yin Yang Illustrations & Vectors. (2021). Retrieved 17 September 2021, from https://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/virus-yin-yang.html

50+ Yin Yang Quotes To Help You Find Balance. (2021). Retrieved 17 September 2021, from https://kidadl.com/articles/yin-yang-quotes-to-help-you-find-balance

The good, the bad and the ugly: Lessons from around the world on Mental Health and COVID-19 | United for Global Mental Health. (2021). Retrieved 17 September 2021, from https://unitedgmh.org/good-bad-and-ugly-lessons-around-world-mental-health-and-covid-19

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Standing on the edge of becoming an OT- reflections on the journey thus far

(EOM, 2021)

As I come to beginning of the end of my 3rd year studying occupational therapy, I am overwhelmed with anxiety of finishing four years of hard work, trying to secure good grades and planning out my future career in OT. These past 2 years have been so different from my previous preconceptions of what studying at university would be like.

Online learning seemed like a cop out at first, but as our lecturers adapted, our lessons became more challenging and innovative. These included stimulated activities like Simucase and various breakout rooms. As opposed to some of my peers’ point of view, I found online learning to work much better for me and I worked much better during this time. This has reflected in my marks which have risen drastically and overall clinical performance over these past 2 years.

I was able to achieve the above due to multiple environmental and internal changes. During the first lockdown, I struggled. I struggled to get out of bed to attend any sort of zoom, I struggled to pay attention and not tune the lecture out with zoom, I even struggled to find the motivation to have a shower some days as I didn’t even see the point of it all. With the hep of OT4’s telehealth and some serious introspection, I was able to begin a routine that actually worked for me. I looked at the positives like not having to spend 2 hours travelling to and from campus, no exams so I could do well on tests and assignments and have a good mark at the end, being able to record a demo video over and over again to ensure you get a good mark, and being able to attend from the comfort of my own home without the pressure of having to answer question when called upon like during a face-face lecture. So, I cleared and marked out a specific workspace, established a routine and found time in it for myself to relax or enjoy some recreational activities.

Pre-pandemic (in 2nd year) I was afraid that OT might not be for me because I figured I might not be able to cope, or it might be too difficult for me having to repeat anatomy. As a high achiever since primary school, it was a real punch to the gut to receive poor marks. I contemplated and rethought about staying in the degree multiple times. However, after comfortably passing anatomy, receiving those good marks after first semester in 2020, actually attending, understanding and participating in the lectures, I began to understand what was going on and I had a real confidence boost.

Although I am still weary of my new psych block, having only one day of psych experience in 2nd year before lockdown restrictions began, my passion for OT has since been reignited. This change can only be credited to serious introspection, change of perspective and actively wanting to do and be better in all aspects of life.

References

EOM. (2021). long-road-to Billboard success [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.effortlessoutdoormedia.com%2Ftechnology-and-out-of-home-advertising-in-atlanta%2Flong-road-to-billboard-success%2F&psig=AOvVaw2ea58cBf-Q4KCKVLASY81a&ust=1630506457134000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAgQjRxqFwoTCIiYyZ682_ICFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

Reflections From a Final Year Undergraduate. (2021). Retrieved 31 August 2021, from https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/studentsatlse/2021/04/01/reflections-from-a-final-year-undergraduate/

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Week 5:

Clinical reasoning: it’s significance

What is clinical reasoning? It is “the process used by OT practitioners to understand the client’s occupational needs, make decisions about intervention services, and think about what we do” ("Clinical Reasoning - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics", 2021).

To me, clinical reasoning is about providing a realistic or logical rationale for taking the steps you take during your intervention process. Simply put, it is why we do thing the way we do them or like in my communication blog- what is the outcome we want to gain by taking these steps.

So why then is clinical reasoning so important to our treatment? By using clinical reasoning we are providing a sort of evidence basis or proof to show that what we are doing or planning to do is going to be effective for the patient.

For example, I recently did an education session with a patient (let’s call him patient A) and in my structuring principles, chose to leave the curtains/screens open. During my feedback, this was questioned as it seemed to allow for unnecessary distractions from the external environment i.e. the noises of the machines in the wards, other staff walking around and talking to or working with patients, etc. This amount of overstimulation could hinder the effectiveness of my session by decreasing attention and concentration of the patient on the activity. My response to this inquiry was that during a previous session, when the curtains were drawn, the patient tensed up and felt intimidated- as if he was being tested on something. So, by deciding which aspect was more important for my session, I was able to provide clinical reasoning into the structuring I chose.

As seen in the example above, I was able to provide a logical explanation for what I did so it did not seem like I was just guessing or didn’t know what I was doing. I was then advised to try and draw the curtains halfway to still reduce the stimuli and prevent the session from becoming too intimidating. After deciding to implement this into my next education session with the same patient, I was able to achieve better outcomes for my activity where the patient was able to recall previous information better and respond faster to the demands of the activity.

Clinical reasoning is therefore dynamic in nature. What works and how you are implementing it, as seen above, can be adapted continuously depending on each patient’s ability and your aim for each session. It also means that what works for one patient will not necessarily work for every patient.

For instance, if a similar education activity as patient A above had to be done with a much younger patient, patient B, would the aims of the session still be met? The most probable answer is no. A younger patient would be in a peads ward where the kids always interact with each other. The attention span of a younger child is much lower too. For these reasons, although the session might become intimidating, it is more important for the patient to be focused than for him/her to feel relaxed as their attention span is lower, so the aims of the session has to be met in a shorter time period. That provides your clinical reasoning for why the screens need to be fully closed.

I therefore try to have apt clinical reasoning in all my sessions for these reasons: (Hoffman, Demsey, Jones, Jeong & Bergeois, 2021)

· To ensure my decision-making process is correct in guiding my intervention

· To keep my treatment client-centred/specific

Clinical reasoning, as shown in this blog, is a vital part of OT and we continuously use and reassess our clinical reasoning to ensure effective and efficient treatment.

References:

Clinical Reasoning - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (2021). Retrieved 14 May 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/clinical-reasoning#:~:text=Clinical%20reasoning%20process-,Clinical%20reasoning%20is%20defined%20as%20the%20process%20used%20by%20OT,think%20about%20what%20we%20do.&text=The%20therapist%20uses%20this%20form,understand%2C%20and%20motivate%20the%20client.

Hoffman, K., Demsey, J., Jones, T., Jeong, S., & Bergeois, S. (2021). The 5 Rights of Clinical Reasoning: An Innovative Teaching and Learning Approach. Retrieved 15 May 2021, from https://www.newcastle.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/86534/5-Rights-of-Clinical-Reasoning-Poster.pdf

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Week 4:

How to: use evidence-based practice to guide your intervention

In order to understand how to use evidence-based practice, you first have to understand what evidence-based practice is:

A problem-solving approach to the delivery of health care that integrates the best evidence from studies and patient care data with clinician expertise and patient preferences and values ("Evidence-Based Practice: Step by Step: The Seven Steps of Evidence-Based Practice", 2021).

The way I understand evidence-based practice therefore is using specific activities that have been scientifically proven to be effective in improving a patient’s specific skill. This interrelatedness is depicted below:

("LibGuides: Evidence-Based Social Work: An Evidence-Based Approach", 2021)

An extremely simplified example of using evidence-based practise can be seen when doing pressure care (which I recently did with a SCI patient). We know that in order to prevent pressure sores from developing, the patients position has to be changed at least every 2 hours (Davis, 2021). This has been researched and proven through studies and personal accounts from clinicians over time. Therefore, it is evidence based. We as students, then use it in our practice through various ways depending on the level of functioning of our patients. This is where the “patient care data” aspect comes in. We can educate our patients about the dangers of developing the pressure sores, practice moving for prevention, train caregivers to move the patients around in their beds, recommend pressure care mattresses and many more.

As seen above we can see how using evidence-based practice is extremely efficient in planning of treatments. Since the research has proven to be true, the probability of it working for your patient is high, you just have to follow the protocols according to your patient’s specific context and which aspect you as the therapist are looking to intervene in.

There can be a downside to evidence-based approaches to activities too. There can be many contradicting researched literatures, having a lack of guidance to apply the approach correctly, etc ("Evidence-based Social Work Practice", 2021).

In my experience, the major disadvantage to using this kind of approach is that it sometimes feels like we are over generalising. As an OT, our activities should be functional but also appropriate for the patient i.e. getting the patient to do what is meaningful for them not only what we as therapists feel is important for them.

For example, I recently did a bed mobility session with a patient. It relied extensively on EBP and had no real meaningfulness to the patient’s goals. It had no real end goal or success that was clear for the patient as during my interview sessions the patient clearly expressed his want to get out of bed, move around and do things for himself. My goal as the therapist however was to teach the bed mobility for pressure care and in building his skills to prepare for wheelchair transfers. This therefore created a disconnect in the activity. In future sessions, I can adapt but still use the EBP by adding other components too. For this case, the patient wants to do things like dressing for himself so during the dressing session, I can review some aspects of the bed mobility by getting him to move from supine to sitting propped up to long sitting. The shifting/ moving side to side can be done when manoeuvring the clothing to slide over body parts. By adapting this way, the activity will be evidence based as well as client centered.

So my conclusion therefore to using EBP is to use it as a guide for intervention planning- the key word being ‘guide’. Do not rely solely on the evidence-base, also take into consideration the persons context and what is meaningful for them and adjust the plan accordingly.

References:

Evidence-Based Practice: Step by Step: The Seven Steps of Evidence-Based Practice. (2021). Retrieved 6 May 2021, from https://journals.lww.com/ajnonline/fulltext/2010/01000/evidence_based_practice__step_by_step__the_seven.30.aspx#:~:text=Evidence%2Dbased%20practice%20(EBP),and%20patient%20preferences%20and%20values.

Davis, C. (2021). Definition of Pressure sore. Retrieved 5 May 2021, from https://www.medicinenet.com/pressure_sore/definition.htm

LibGuides: Evidence-Based Social Work: An Evidence-Based Approach. (2021). Retrieved 6 May 2021, from https://simmons.libguides.com/ebsw

Evidence-based Social Work Practice. (2021). Retrieved 6 May 2021, from https://www.slideshare.net/friendly_rock/evidencebased-social-work-practice-13460141

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Week 3:

Verbal vs non-verbal vs visual communication: which is best?

Communication is defined simply as “the act of transferring information from one place, person or group to another” ("What is Communication? Verbal, Non-Verbal & Written | SkillsYouNeed", 2021). There are three main categories of communication verbal, non-verbal and visual:

- Verbal communication involves sharing your message through spoken words ("What is Verbal Communication? definition and meaning - Business Jargons", 2021).

- Non- verbal communication includes body language, facial expression, gestures, how we dress or act- our observed behaviours and mannerisms.

- Visual communication uses visual elements to convey the information ("Visual communication - Wikipedia", 2021). This can refer to written instruction, drawing, charts, etc.

As an OT the question therefore arises, which is the best way to communicate during sessions and why. In my experience, it all comes down to clinical reasoning i.e. what is the outcome we want to gain by using this type of communication.

For example, my peads patient only spoke isizulu. I was forced to adapt, and prepared vocabulary related to each of my sessions in order to communicate with him verbally. I relied on using gestures to indicate what exactly I wanted him to do. So why not just use demonstration? My aims for my sessions included cognitive stimulation so in order to challenge this, I could not allow him to just copy what I was doing. This allowed him to exercise a multitude of cognitive functions like problem-solving skills, comprehension, and decision-making skills.

For my patient with cognitive deficits, there still was a language barrier as her English vocab was little. For most effective communication, I resolved to using verbal instructions in English or Zulu where needed. This verbal communication technique was used for routine, familiar activities like ADLs and IADLs e.g. bathing and dressing. When doing more atypical tasks to the patient, like playing porridge, I used verbal instructions initially. On realising this was not effective, I switched to using demonstration. By the end of the activity, the patient was initiating and setting up the entire game independently.

In the workplace too, effective communication is essential. At IALCH specifically, there is much emphasis on written communication. SOAP notes and updates to pt files are all done electronically. More often than not, this is the only way the MDT is able to communicate with each other about patients because of the high turnover of patients being seen all the time. The notes done therefore have to be clear and concise. The hospital has found a way to facilitate this where every consultant who sees the patient types up their finding on a standardised format. This ultimately ensures each patient receives safe, effective treatment.

The channel of communication between us as students and our supervisors too are paramount. If we were unable to communicate effectively, it would negatively impact on our ability to obtain the knowledge and insight we require to improve our skills. For example, if we are unable to ask for help, we wind up not knowing what to do. This can result in low marks and thereafter we become demotivated. These all influence our clinical performance.

If we communicate well with our supervisors, it will allow them to understand why we do what we are doing, and it does not look like we’re guessing what to do. Specifically, with my clinical supervisor, we were encouraged to ask questions and help was provided on any areas that were lacking. We were not judged for not knowing and this allowed us to expand our knowledge and learn from our mistakes.

I realise that this too is an important principle in communicating with my patients. My patients will reciprocate the energy I emanate (or more colloquially, your vibe attracts your tribe). For instance, if I behave unfriendly and demotivating toward my patient, he/she will also be unmotivated to want to cooperate with me and participate in my sessions.

This is why OTs value being patient-centered. What works for one patient will not always work for another. Ultimately, using just one type of communication is never viable and we must be able to adapt our ways of communicating with each patient we see.

References:

Scott, R. (2021). 13 Types of Blog Headlines That'll Get You More Traffic [+ Examples]. Retrieved 23 April 2021, from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/types-of-blog-headlines

What is Communication? Verbal, Non-Verbal & Written | SkillsYouNeed. (2021). Retrieved 23 April 2021, from https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/what-is-communication.html

Visual communication - Wikipedia. (2021). Retrieved 23 April 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_communication

(2021). Retrieved 23 April 2021, from https://www.toptenz.net/10-types-communication-closest-universal-language.php

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Week 2: What does client-centered mean to me?

The client centered approach was developed by Carl Rogers (Mcleod, 2021). It is defined as “Honoring the desires, interests, priorities, and motivations of a client and/or client's family/significant others in conducting evaluations and designing interventions (also called patient-centered approach).” ("client-centered approach", 2021).

As a student therapist, I aim to continuously use this approach in practice. I believe that this approach is successful because you are reminded to the see the patient as a person not a diagnosis. By asking about patient’s life you are able to build a good rapport with him/her. They begin to realize that you actually care about helping them not just see them as a job you have to get through. Patients become more and more comfortable with you as a therapist and open to you.

This approach has proven to be extremely useful in assessment and intervention planning too. When you learn about a patient’s life, you learn about their interests. This allows you to plan sessions that will be interesting for the patient. This prevents your sessions from become monotonous for both you and your patient and means your patient will have volition to want to participate. For example, this week, I did an adapted tabletop soccer game using a shoe box as a net and a painted ping-pong ball as a soccer ball. Although my patient has poor endurance, he persevered and his engagement in the activity was increased because he was actually enjoying himself.

In terms of planning for intervention and implementing of intervention for my patients for midterm demos, I am duly anxious. I have a general idea for the direction I want the session to go in. I have conducted enough of interviews and obtained collateral information, so I have some idea of my patient’s interests. My assessments have been conclusive. However, by no means do I feel prepared.

This fear stems from Murphy’s law. This is the expectation that anything that can go wrong during my sessions will ("Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong", 2021). Or better yet, my patient will be unavailable or discharged, and my session have to be postponed or changed. I plan to use this to my advantage by maintaining a positive attitude and structuring sessions that are versatile so they can be adapted to any situation.

The feedback from my supervisor, specifically about my write ups did caused a bit of setback. The copious amount of comments sometimes became demotivating. This is because of the volume of effort, research, time spent and most importantly sleep lost in compiling them. However, the comments were not untrue and extremely constructive. I therefore resolved to use them to improve my write ups in the future.

In conclusion, what I learnt from practicing the client-centered approach is: you may be able to research every theoretical or standardized way of assessing and treating a patient, but these will not necessarily work because the patient will not be intrinsically motivated to participate in the activity.

References:

Mcleod, S. (2021). Person Centred Therapy - Core Conditions | Simply Psychology. Retrieved 16 April 2021, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/client-centred-therapy.html

Client-centered approach. (2021). Retrieved 16 April 2021, from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/client-centered+approach

Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. (2021). Retrieved 16 April 2021, from https://bivekrenuji.medium.com/anything-that-can-go-wrong-will-go-wrong-bfe1cfa44eba