So it’s the start of a new academic year for us all here at
SHOUT. What better way to start it then to be attending a two-day workshop
hosted by Sue Parkinson based on her recent book release - Recovery through
Activity. After a busy (& long!) summer entertaining my toddler
(& not doing much reading..oops) this was exactly the opportunity I needed
to jump back in to year 2 of the course. I was thrilled to be given this
opportunity but also felt a bit nervous due to my lack of experience in Mental
Health and also my knowledge on MOHO. So I thought the best thing to do to
prepare would be to buy the book and see what it's all about.
Sue Parkinson, lead author of MOHOST is recognized as an
influential and passionate occupational therapist who has made a huge impact
within the evidence-based realm of mental health. The book which the workshop
was based on, titled 'Recovery Through Activity' (2014) is a flexible, easy to
digest, tool aimed towards facilitating
groups and exploring the value of activities.
The first thing that jumped out at me about the book was the
clear layout and straightforward text. As a second year student who, at times,
has struggled with the extensive amount of reading and the effort that comes
with reading and re-reading whole pages just to make sense…this text was a
breath of fresh air. The book is sectioned into 12 areas of activity (eg;
leisure, self-care), each with background information including evidence base.
There is then suggestions to facilitate discussions about these activity areas,
group exercises, ice breakers, hand-outs to photocopy and ideas to follow-up
the session. The book is heavily underpinned by MOHO theory, which is great in
allowing you to link in with MOHO assessments and recognizing that familiar
language (which as a student really helps me apply the language into something
tangible).
I wont say any more about the book itself as I have
absolutely no experience in book reviewing (as you can probably tell) so I'm
afraid that I wouldn’t do it justice. Just trust me when I say it is definitely
worth owning a copy.
Back to the workshop! It was based in Sleaford, so very
early start commuting from Sheffield but worth it. In total there was 4
students and the rest that were OT's from a variety of
mental health areas. It was interesting to spend time with these professionals
and exciting to hear them speak so passionately about their careers (&
picking their brains during the tea breaks!).
The theme of the workshop started with a discussion about
facilitating groups, and why we do this. I was surprised to find out that not
many of the OT’s in attendance were currently facilitating groups, though the
majority had experience in doing so. Group facilitation is not something I have
experience in, but an area I am certain I will explore. Sue spoke about the basics
of running groups and areas to think about when doing so such as; is the group
open or closed, how often sessions are held, the target group, session topics etc.
Sue also went on to explain why facilitating groups is worthwhile, as it brings
it back to the OT basics – during group activity the emphasis is on the doing.
Sue also used Yalom’s ‘11 curative factors of group therapy’ to explain the dynamics
of engaging this way. It was certainly an eye-opening discussion for me as I hadn’t
really thought about how powerful groups can be.
I particularly liked the way Sue
explained so effectively where ‘Recovery through activity’ groups could fit in to
the OT process and the role that they can play in exploring an individual’s
interests resulting in goal collaboration.
As a future Occupational Therapist I have a clear view to where I could use the
recovery through activity groups in my future practice. Clients which need
support in addressing areas of their volition could benefit from the
exploratory opportunities of the group. This includes promoting confidence,
social skills and validation of shared interests. Then, through 1:1 work this
can be built upon by negotiating goals and focusing on skill development
alongside roles and routines.
Day 1 of the workshop ended with a discussion and activity
on negotiating treatment goals. This involved coming up with examples of goals
which were measurable, achievable and person-centred. As a student I have
sometimes struggled with writing the ‘SMART’ goals that we are taught at
university, many times have I written a goal only to get the feedback ‘Make it
smarter!’. The way MOHO uses levels of change and support strategies within the
goal setting, I believe makes it a lot more focused and effortlessly smart. I
feel confident now with my goal negotiating and I am looking forward to using
it in practice. (At the end of the blog post you will find some additional
reading references on goal negotiating that I hope you find useful).
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| Hannah, Sue Parkinson & Sadie |
Day 2 and getting up at 5am was even easier as I was raring
to go with what I would learn at the workshop. The day was a lot more practical
with emphasis on building a potential recovery through activity program. Before
we did this though, Sue spoke about the Do-Live-Well Framework which is a
Canadian framework for promoting occupation, health and well-being. See the
youtube clip here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
I think that the easy to understand video is a great tool
for explaining the areas of occupation to service users and members of the MDT.
Looking at the 8 areas, described within the framework as ‘dimensions of
experience’, Sue explained where the activities within the Recovery through
activity programme could fit. For example; under ‘Personal Care’ could be both
self-care and faith activities. This allowed for a clear view to which activity
areas would be useful to include in your programme depending on which of the 8 dimensions
of experience you choose to focus on.
In the afternoon of day 2 we separated into groups, based on
service areas, to have a go at outlining a recovery through activity programme
which could be used within practice. The students were asked to separate and
join in with the clinicians to bring ‘fresh ideas’. My group was made up with clinicians
who were working in secure forensic settings. We brain stormed some ideas and decided
on using the ‘Community’ area of activity, using resources from the recovery through activity book to support us.
We decided using discussion exercises could prompt shared ideas on what
community means to the individual and to reflect on their roles within their
community setting. The session would end with brainstorming an activity to follow
up, we suggested creating a wall mosaic that represents the community within
the secure setting. This would link nicely to the next group topic which could
be ‘Creative Activities’. This was just one idea of many shared that day by the
group, all which centred on our main ethos of ‘doing’. This is what I loved
about the workshops and the book itself, the focus is on what we trained (or
are training) to do – the use of activities to recover, sustain and thrive.
Overall I had a brilliant two days and feel like I have
really benefited from the experience. My knowledge of facilitating groups has
grown, along with the concepts of MOHO. It was such a privilege to attend and
meet Sue Parkinson, who is not only a MOHO legend but a really lovely and
inspiring lady.
Perhaps Sue may come to Sheffield Hallam and speak at a
SHOUT event in the future?..Watch this space!
Sadie (2nd Year undergrad OT)
Negotiating goals reading:
KIELHOFNER, Gary. (2008).
Therapeutic Reasoning: Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating the
Outcomes of Therapy. In: Model of Human Occupation. 4th ed. Baltimore,
Lippincott Wiliams & Wilkins.
PARKINSON, Sue. (2014). Recovery Through Activity. London, Speechmark Publishing.
PARKINSON, Sue et al. (2011). Enhancing professional reasoning through the use of evidence-based assessments, robust case formulations and measurable goals. [online] British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74, 148-152.
