Saying Less, More Often and Ask, Don't Tell

Although my placement population is considered "pediatrics" on paper, the reality is that I work with families and not just the individual child. You can teach, coach, and make all the recommendations you want with preschoolers, but chances are, the three year old has minimal understanding of what you tell them. The reality is: your recommendations aren't high on their priority list (which probably consists of: Play, play, eat, play, play, sleep). Who can blame them? So for all those who want to work with kids, keep in mind that you'll really be working with the parents and their family as much as you get to interact with the kiddies. =)

This reality hasn't deterred me from pursuing OT work with kids. It's only made me realize the skills that I need to work on in order to work more effectively with these families to really provide family-centered care.

Do I call myself a "Runner"?

Until recently, I've been hesitant to call myself a "runner". Just like I wouldn't call myself an "athlete", because I feel as though these labels require qualifications such as speed and strength. But since my first 10K, it's become apparent to me that maybe I am one of them, a "runner".

An Intervention that doesn't "work out" is an Assessment

I thought I'd start noting some tidbits of wisdom and thoughts from my placement experience. I had the intention of doing this during my last placement, but I never found the time to follow through with it. So I'm buckling down to write some of this tidbits down from this placement.

"An intervention that doesn't work out is an assessment": something wise that my current placement preceptor told me during the first two weeks of placement. I think it applies to any clinical setting and population that OTs work with, but especially applicable to children and their families. If we can see "failed" interventions as an assessment, then we will putting ourselves in a mindset that is ready to learn from our clients! Better yet, we should carry this experimental mindset with each intervention plan. If we put aside our own agendas and idealized results, there will be more possibilities available for our clients.

My First 10 K!

This morning, I ran my first 10K today with Queen's Engineers Without Borders (EWB) as part of their Run to End Poverty (R2EP) campaign.

I heard about this EWB's R2EP in September at the Orientation week sidewalk sale this year. This run came at a good time because I was looking for my next run. I had started to run as a hobby in the spring, and ran my first 5 and 8Ks this past spring and summer. Running helps me start the day off right, gives me the time and energy to think about how to tackle life's ups and downs, and destress after a long day. When I learned about EWB doing this R2EP, I thought: Why not run for a cause? Why not run to Help Others?

Same Thoughts, Four Years Later

I recently had a deja vu moment. Not just a simple flashback... perhaps more of a revelation that brought to light a particular pattern of thinking that I thought deserved some self-reflection. Here's my story:

Sibshop Saturday

Working with kids has been something I've wanted to do for the longest time. I don't know when it started. I'm the oldest child in my family but it's Definitely Not my siblings who made me want to be around kids. (No offence guys!) Anywho, I looked up some volunteer opportunities in my area that involved working with children and I was lucky enough to find one thing!

Just last weekend, I volunteered for a "Sibshop" hosted by the Children's Therapy Service in Barrie this past weekend. This was the first ever "Sibshop", a workshop for children who have siblings with developmental disabilities, that they were holding. Our crew was quite small: just me, two high school student volunteers and the woman leading the session from the Children's Therapy Service. 10 children from ages 6-10 joined us for some games and group discussion that afternoon and it was lots of fun! I was literally playing games with children for an afternoon. =)

Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others

The title of this blog post is a quote by Gautama Buddha that I really like. I've started to read Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's‎ Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, and I really hope I can follow through and finish this book before classes start. I've been meaning to read this book For The Longest Time ♫! (Yes, in my mind, I sang that last bit.) Not only because the concept is so relevant to OT work, but also because Flow has always been of interest to me ever since I first heard of it in my undergrad Positive Psychology class. Recent meet ups with friends and hearing about everyone at different stages of their lives (masters student vs. recent graduate and soon to be professional with a secured position vs. traveller on contract employment vs. newly accepted Med student whose relationship will soon be long distance etc.) has gotten me to rethink, no, more like Revisit my own concept of Happiness.