Life of an OT Student

Reflection Using worksheet 1-3 as a guide I critically assessed and broke down each part of my group facilitation to examine what I believe I did well on and what I could improve on in the future. For the introduction I had each member introduce themselves and identify one fear they had about getting older to show that their fears may be becoming their parent's reality. I pointed out the similarities in members answers to build connections between group members. I then discussed the importance of having patience, showing empathy, and keeping humor alive during this trying time.  During our sharing portion of our session one member began crying when sharing her experiences of caring for family members. I felt that it altered the dynamic of our group a bit as one member approached me after the session and apologized for not sharing. They stated they were afraid they might start crying and didn't want to let the rest of the group see them cry. It is important to make sure t

On Tuesday, March 6, I met with my fellow classmates to discuss our group facilitation procedures we will be implementing during our life skills group sessions. We each introduced our topics and each went through our protocol and discussed each of Cole's 7 steps and how we are addressing each step throughout our group session. We all had different topics we selected such as communication, providing care for aging parents, seeking volunteer opportunities, and home management. Open discussion occurred and feedback was provided when discussing concerns about goals or if we had any suggestions on modifying their current protocol. The leadership summit session helped me feel more confident in my work and gave me insight on what the group member's experience might be like when implementing my group intervention on Wednesday, March 7.

Testing an  Occupation-Based Cultural Group Intervention for Residents in Long-Term Care Settings In today's society adults are living longer and one challenge these adults face is a relocation that often happens late in life when they are no longer able to live independently, whether that is for financial, physical or cognitive reasons. Some of these adults are leaving their life long homes where they raised their families to move closer to their children (or move in with their children). Some are moving to retirement communities, long term care facilities, or into assisted living. Whatever the reason they are leaving these people are just looking to be able to call some place "home" again. The purpose of this study was to look at the effect occupation-based cultural heritage intervention (OBCHI). The intent of the intervention was to improve the occupational adaptation process for older adults who experience recent relocation.The group was led by a well trained ac

I attended an Al-anon 12 step meeting in the Memphis community on February 25 at 7 pm, the meeting lasted about one hour. Al-anon is a support group for family members of alcoholics, and I grew up with an alcoholic father so the dynamic of this group was interest to me.  The role the facilitator played in this meeting was authoritarian as this was not an open discussion session and there was a guest speaker there to share her experience in how al-anon has been beneficial for her. The facilitator did however give a brief opportunity for other members of the group to share how the group has affected their lives. When no one shared the facilitator briefly talked about her past and what lead her to this support group.  I attended the meeting with a classmate and she and I were by far the youngest one there, the meeting was held in a church and a potluck of food was provided. They were kind and offered food but we both admitted we expected there to be more people closer to our age s

Reflection Using worksheet 1-3 as a guide it allowed me to mentally break down the group session in my head and reflect on how the session went and what I could improve on next time. At the beginning of our session we had the group introduce themselves and provided them with a warm up activity to have them talk about those they love/admire to allow each member an opportunity to speak in front of the group. When beginning to discuss our second activity instead of asking for someone to volunteer to begin speaking I singled out a member and asked them if they would like to begin. I'm not really sure what the protocol would be on this as we always say people can choose if they would like to share. I suppose he has the opportunity to turn down the offer. When providing feedback to the group it's difficult not to try to relate to them and share your own similar experiences. As a therapist you need to find that fine line between being relatable and sharing too much. I felt all me

Why would you use a mixed method design vs. only using quantitative or qualitative methods when conducting research? A: It is more valid than quantitative or qualitative methods used alone. B: To achieve triangulation C: Using mixed methods always leads to a stronger outcome D: Mixed methods is more scientific Answer: To achieve triangulation. Triangulation is a technique that involves the use of two or more separate research methods or date collection techniques to confirm study results. When mixed method is used it may compensate for the weaknesses of one design for the strengths of another. Therefore researchers can have increased confidence their findings are valid.