An Inspiring Profession

On Monday the SHOUT Team helped support a listening event hosted by the Trent Regional Group of the British Association of Occupational Therapists at Sheffield Town Hall, focusing on membership engagement. As the day came to a close and the rainy night drew in, we sat around the vast table in the conference room talking and feasting on the left over cakes and sandwiches.

Naomi Hankinson, Chair of Council at the College of Occupational Therapists, posed the question: what inspired us all to choose occupational therapy? And so, one by one, we shared our personal stories of how we came to OT and the people or events that had moved us...

Both myself and another student felt a shiver run down our spine as we heard the OTs talk about how they had been drawn to a profession that made such a positive difference in people's lives. Some came from healthcare backgrounds, others had been school students who simply knew that they wanted to help people - all valued the practical way that OT could help people live and enjoy their lives. For those of us around the table that were students, we had varied reasons for choosing OT from the inventive ways an OT can help someone with a physical disability to the mentoring role an OT takes with people with mental health problems, piecing lives back together step-by-step.

Why didn't several of the students pick physiotherapy instead of OT, Naomi asked? A response came back: because OT is more beautiful. 

Treating a person as the unique, extraordinary person that they are, respecting the valuable place they have in society, and enabling that person to do what it is they choose to do is so human and so beautiful. Occupational therapy, more than any other profession it would seem, allows people to live, beautifully. What an inspiring path we have chosen.

Today! SHOUT's First Evening Seminar of the Academic Year

We're back! Autumn brings a new term and a new schedule of SHOUT events. We've worked hard over the summer to pull together a varied line-up of talks by academics and health and social care professionals.

Later today SHOUT holds the first evening seminar of the academic season with Bob Collins on "Recovery Themes in Mental Health".

Come and join us in the Mary Badlands Theatre at our Collegiate Campus from 6-7.30pm, meet students and local clinicians and hear Bob's experiences of working as a Recovery Co-ordinator at Bradford and Airedale Early Intervention Team.

The session will explore the holistic and personalised nature of recovery and the important role of occupational therapy in facilitating social reconstruction. Bob's work focuses on optimising social and occupational recovery for young people following a first episode of pyschosis. A locally developed tool, presented at this year's COT Conference in Glasgow, will be introduced as a structure for the OT process; the "LifeChart" is an assessment, goal setting and action planning tool which emphasises a strengths-based and solutions-focussed approach, as well as providing evidence of personalised recovery outcomes.

Not to be missed!
Registration and refreshments open at 5.30pm.
Entry is £2 for students and BAOT members. Email the SHOUT team to book a seat: shout.team@hotmail.co.uk or just turn up tonight!

And that's not all....."Wind Down Wednesday" takes place afterwards at The Botanical pub on Eccelsall Road: drinks and an opportunity to reflect on the session. Thoughts are tweeted to our SHOUT followers and a wider audience.

See you there!

BAOT Listening Event at Sheffield Town Hall

Come down to Sheffield Town Hall on Monday 24th September (tomorrow!) to share your views and ideas on how occupational therapists can engage with the British Association of Occupational Therapists and develop a strong professional community.

This free listening event, hosted by the Trent Regional Group of the BAOT, will help you to explore why you should become a member of the BAOT and how you can get the most from your membership.

Drop in anytime from 12.30 - 7pm tomorrow to pick up information and speak to the Trent Regional Team and the COT Chair of Council, Naomi Hankinson.

The SHOUT Team will be supporting the event, so come and chat to us about our student-led group and find out how we promote OT and the BAOT. Our first evening seminar of the academic year begins this week on 26th September on our Collegiate Campus in the Mary Badlands Theatre from 6 -7.30pm. The talk is led by Bob Collins on Recovery Themes in Mental Health. Seats are booking up fast, so contact the SHOUT team at shout.team@hotmail.com to make sure you don't miss out! As always, refreshments are served from 5.30pm, and certificates of attendance will be presented at the end. We look forward to seeing you at both events!

Hello First Years!

The world of occupational therapy welcomes 44 new students on 17th September 2012 at Sheffield Hallam University.

The new first years had a taste of the OT course today at a pre-enrollment day, trying their hand at crafts such as marzipan fruit making and experiencing equipment used by OTs to help people live more independently.

SHOUT was there to welcome students and run sessions about our student-led group. SHOUT is by students for students and is a great way for new and existing students to have fun promoting OT, network with local practising OTs and boost CPD by attending our evening talks. And of course, we were excited about giving away our stripy green goodie bags!

It was fantastic to meet the aspiring OTs, play some games, (eat lots of sweets!) and talk about SHOUT. We were keen to explain how our group can benefit students, how to get involved and how enjoyable the next three years at Hallam will be.

And then it was time to say goodbye, but not before all the students had picked up their little bags full of information about SHOUT and BAOT, freebies and treats...

We wish them every success with their course and look forward to seeing them on campus as fully fledged first year OTs in two weeks time! Congratulations, from all of the SHOUT team.

Goodie Bag Welcome for New SHU OT Students

Here at SHOUT HQ, we love freebies! And who better to lavish our collection of promotional materials on than the new first year OT students soon to start at Sheffield Hallam University.

We're looking forward to welcoming the new Level 4 students at their pre-enrollment day next Tuesday 4th September 2012: our sessions throughout the morning will explain who we are, what we do and how new students can join us, get involved and attend events. And then its time for the goodie bags! Sweets, information about SHOUT, OT and COT/BAOT, badges, pens, stickers and balloons! What more could a new OT student want? 

So, we'd better get filling our stripy green paper bags. One down, 43 to go.....

Quilting for a Cause

Help raise £2012 for Refuge by the end of the Olympic games! SHOUT would like to share a wonderful opportunity to help support the charity Refuge and win a beautiful quilt created by the one and only Jennifer Creek, author of Occupational Therapy and Mental Health.

Jennifer has spent 40 years working on this stunning handmade quilt, and it could be yours in a raffle draw taking place on 12th August 2012, the day of the Olympic closing ceremony. Visit the Just Giving page to donate today: www.justgiving.com/Katrina-Bannigan.

Each pound donated enters you into the raffle draw once, so the more you donate the more chances of winning you have. Give as much as you can - every little helps to support this good cause.


"Refuge is a national charity for women and children who experience domestic violence, providing emergency accommodation and emotional and practical support. Since opening the world's first women's safe house in London in 1971, Refuge has grown to become the UK's largest organisation of its kind, helping and supporting women and children experiencing domestic violence and acting as a national 'lifeline' for up to 80,000 victims of domestic abuse every year."

SHOUT Interviews Local OTs - Part Two

Here's the second part of our train interview, conducted on our way to Glasgow, with locally based OTs Helen Saunders (founder of SHOUT) and Sue Peters. They talk about their thoughts on COT conference 2012, share memories of past conferences and give advice to students on attending conference in future years. 

What are you looking forward to most at conference?

Helen: Being able to experience a good mix of presentations in one place, as well as the free ice cream and the possibility of a free ‘brollie!

Sue: The whole experience, plus the opportunity to network and get a showcase of what’s going on in other people’s practice and, of course, all the freebies you get!

Have you got any favourite memories from previous conferences?

Helen: This is the fourth year I’ve attended conference and in the past I’ve enjoyed presenting a Trent regional poster; one year there was a great workshop with Greg Stafford about the political environment; the parties we’ve been to have been good fun and past council member’s lunches have always been a good opportunity for meeting higher up people.

Sue: This is my third conference and I’ve always loved meeting lots of people in the profession and then keeping in touch with them throughout the years.

What advice can you give to students attending conference?


Helen: Go to as many seminars and workshops as you can, take time to go to the exhibitors and see the poster presentations.

Sue: Go out and meet lots of other students, compare and contrast your courses and what you do on them so you can find ways to improve your uni experience.

How does conference impact your practice?

Helen: Through past conferences I’ve learnt about, and developed my use of, MOHO for sensory integration and people with learning disabilities – that’s been really important to my practice.

Sue: After conference you go back to work feeling enthusiastic, prepared to make changes and knowing what to do to move things forward. You feel empowered and can give positive feedback to other team members about what is happening in other parts of the profession.

If you presented something at conference, what would it be and why?

Helen:  In the past I’ve presented a Trent region poster with Wendy [Ferguson]. We were really nervous when we discovered we had to give a seminar, but it turned out to be a really good experience and I think I would do something like that again with the regional committee to show what local groups, like SHOUT, are doing in the region.

Sue: I’d like to present something related to my practice with amputees, perhaps new guidelines for MDTs on how to work with new amputees. 

Why do you think it’s important for OTs to attend conference?

Helen: Conference is necessary to keep up to date with OT and practice. It also helps keep your CPD up to scratch for HPC, as well as enthusing you when you return to work.

Sue:  I think you can take so much away from conference as a full learning experience, but last year’s message of being a “meerkat OT” really worked for me! It describes OTs as forward thinking and staying involved, integrating with other services. Through conference you can link-in with others, use the network opportunities to create bench-marks and create the best care experience for your patients as possible. You also feel like part of the OT community, conferences help to prove our worth as a profession and with all the changes going on in the NHS at the moment using conference appropriately means that we have a better chance of keeping our jobs.