Sunday 10 March 2013

Wednesday: Jennifer Creek on Occupational Therapy Philosophy in the 21st Century



Don't miss this Wednesday's SHOUT event with the incredible Jennifer Creek! Join us to hear the author of Occupational Therapy and Mental Health speak on the topic of "Occupational Therapy Philosophy in the 21st Century" on Wednesday 13th March 2013 at 6pm

About the evening:
Giving a brief account of the history and development of occupational therapy philosophy and theory, Jennifer will then consider what occupational therapists today say about their beliefs and values. The talk will explore some of the problems that have arisen due to occupational therapists’ lack of willingness to examine these beliefs and values, and conclude with some suggestions about how occupational therapy philosophy might support a more fair and inclusive professional practice. Come along and test your own knowledge and understanding of occupational therapy philosophy - there will be time for questions and discussion at the end.

About our speaker: 
Known to most occupational therapists and students as an inspirational writer, particularly for her work on the essential text Occupational Therapy and Mental Health, Jennifer has had a varied and extensive career in the world of OT. She gained the Diploma of the College of Occupational Therapists from the London School of Occupational Therapy in 1970, and also has a Post-graduate Diploma in Art Therapy, a Further Education Teaching Certificate and an MSc by research.  In 2005, she was awarded the honour of Fellowship of the College of Occupational Therapists.

Between 1970 and 1999, Jennifer alternated between practising occupational therapy and teaching, working in the fields of adult mental health, adult learning disabilities and mental health promotion, and helping to set up new occupational therapy programmes in Aberdeen, Hong Kong and Middlesbrough.  In 1999, she became a freelance practitioner, which included carrying out mental health promotion projects, teaching on pre-registration occupational therapy programmes in several European countries, teaching on the European Masters degree programme in occupational therapy, facilitating advanced skills workshops for practitioners around the UK and Europe, and writing occasional papers for the College of Occupational Therapists.  From 2000 to 2009, Jennifer took on a role of working part-time as a research and development officer for the College of Occupational Therapists, and from 2004 to 2011 she was a Mental Health Act Commissioner.

Jennifer's writing career began in 1984, when she was invited by the Edinburgh-based publisher, Churchill Livingstone, to edit a new textbook on occupational therapy and mental health.  The fifth edition of this book is currently in preparation and is well known to occupational therapy students around the globe.  She has also edited two collections of essays and written a book on the European conceptual framework for occupational therapy.  This last book is the English version of the work of the terminology group of the European Network of Occupational Therapy in Higher Education, of which she was a member for six years.  She has also contributed chapters to other textbooks and published papers in occupational therapy journals around the world.

She was a visiting scholar at Otago Polytechnic in 1998 and at the University of Southern California in 2008.  In 2001, the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust commissioned Sarah Cook and Jennifer to write a definition of occupational therapy as a complex intervention for the purposes of research.  This document was published by the College of Occupational Therapists in 2003.

Jennifer retired in 2009 but still works occasionally as a partner assessor of the Health Professions Council and as a consultant to a private healthcare company. We are thrilled to have her speak at SHOUT and want to thank her for her support of students and our learning.


Book now: To book your seat at this very popular event please email shout.team@hotmail.co.uk and, unless you hear from us, assume your place is booked.

Location: The event will take place in the Robert Winston Building at our Collegiate Campus. Registration and light refreshments are from 5.30pm. The talk begins at 6.00pm and SHOUT events usually finish before 7.30pm. 

Costs:  £2.00 for students and BAOT members, £3.00 for non-members.

Following the event we will hold an informal reflection session 'Wednesday Wind Down' at a pub on Ecclesall Road. Join us there to discuss and tweet your thoughts on the talk content and how it may impact your practice.

>>> Next SHOUT Event: 
WEDNESDAY 17TH APRIL 2013  "Mindfulness in Mental Health" with Keith Norman and Cambrian Healthcare OT team

Saturday 9 March 2013

Positive Reception for Polish Occupational Therapists at SHOUT


Thanks to everyone who came to our extra special SHOUT on Wednesday, it was a privilege to learn from our Polish speakers about the similarities and differences of occupational therapy practice and training in Poland. As always, you gave us great feedback about the event! Here are a few of your comments:


"Really informative to see how OT is evolving in Poland"

"It was interesting to learn of the vocational role OT’s take in Poland and the policies hindering the development"

"I enjoyed being able to compare Polish practice to UK practice. Similar therapies used"

"I learnt how OT is taught, differences in EU education, the difference from the UK, and I gained understanding of the transferability and generalisability of research in Poland due to the focus on vocational rehab"

"I am reminded of the importance of keeping learning practical and not getting distracted by theory"

"It is encouraging to see there are emerging roles for us to help deliver standards of practice in other countries"

"The discussion at the end was very interesting and insightful – and it was useful to have Sheffield Hallam tutors there to join in”

"Well done on a good CPD session”

"Thank you for organising this at such short notice”

"It is good to see people dedicated to promoting OT"


And there's more! Don't forget to join us next Wednesday at 6pm for an evening with the incredible Jennifer Creek, speaking about Occupational Therapy Philosophy in the 21st Century - more details to follow, so watch this space... 
In the meantime, you can book your place by emailing shout.event@gmail.com. 
Look forward to seeing you there!

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Extra Wednesday Night SHOUT: An International Perspective - OT in Poland




Its March, the sun is shining, and we have a great line up for you - two SHOUT events in the same month! The first is an extra event squeezed in this week on 6th March, with the second following in our usual slot next week on 13th March.

So, what do we have in store for you this week? We are delighted to be welcoming special guest speakers all the way from Poland! 
Come and hear how innovative OTs in Poland are developing practice and training:
'The Use and Development of Occupational Therapy in Poland' on Wednesday 6th March

Sheffield Hallam University's occupational therapy lecturers are currently hosting three practitioners from Poland - two OTs and one psychologist. Our Polish guests are here to enhance their development of an occupational therapy programme by observing how Sheffield Hallam train their OT students. 

Keen to share an international perspective on OT, the practitioners will be speaking on how occupational therapy is viewed in Poland, along with its history. This is a great opportunity to broaden your understanding of the challenges and opportunities that occupational therapy faces in countries other than the UK.

The talk will take place in the Robert Winston Building at Collegiate Campus. Registration and light refreshments are from 5.30pm in the reception/cafe, with the talk starting at 6pm and finishing before 7.30pm. 
Costs: £2 for students and BAOT members, and £3 for non-members. 

To book your place at this popular event send a message to shout.event@gmail.com and we will confirm your place. 
Please note that we are no longer using the previous Hotmail account due to technical difficulties and any messages sent to there during February will not have been read - you may also have to re-book for upcoming events.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Next SHOUT event >>>   13th March, Jennifer Creek: "OT Philosophy"       Not to be missed!