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