OT 640 debriefing

This is the debriefing from my third level one fieldwork (OT 640) 

Here is the link to the video incase the above video does not work: https://youtu.be/Qft3H6mazf4

Remote therapy

            The article that I chose to write my blog post on is Video Communication in Remote Rehabilitation and Occupational Therapy Groups. I chose this article because I thought that it would be interesting to see if virtual group meetings would be as productive as an in-person group meetings. 

            This article addresses some of the pros and cons of having group meetings online rather than in person.

·   Pros

o Safe/familiar environment may elicit further progress and be encouraging

o Improved communication skills

o Ease of access for those homebound or lacking transportation

·   Cons

o Technical problems/clients being unfamiliar with technology

o Materials need to sent to clients ahead of time (if necessary)

o No hands-on interaction with client

Some of the other things that this article addresses are that this study only consisted of 5-6 sessions so for groups with a longer time frame, the results may be less applicable. This study also mentions that the number of group members needed to smaller than in person. This could be a pro when it comes to getting a more one-on-one experience but a con for not being able to connect with as many people. The study also was a subjective study based on client’s opinion rather than being based on the impact of the therapy. Lastly the study emphasizes that remote rehabilitation does not and should not replace traditional face to face interactions.

I found this article to be very interesting. The idea of using technology as a means for group facilitation was something that I had previously thought about but was unsure how it would work and if it would be productive. From reading this article, I think that the idea of remote rehabilitation group meetings could be beneficial for certain populations. I can also see this being a great way to have group meetings between regularly scheduled face-to-face group meetings and/or therapy sessions. I think that this would be the best way to utilize this technique because it gives clients the therapeutic benefit of having the face-to-face meetings, while also having the ease and convenience of a using a remote way of therapy.  An example of how I think that this would work is an “on-site” meeting once a month and remote meetings every week. I feel like this is something that should be researched more to establish if it does produce a therapeutic benefit to the clients.

Reference:

Simil, H., Harjumaa, M., Isomursu, M., Ervasti, M., & Moilanen, H. (2014). Video communication in remote rehabilitation and occupational therapy groups. Physical & Occupational Therapy In Geriatrics, 32(2), 97-111. doi:10.3109/02703181.2014.919050

Hi! My name is Sarah.

"Hi! My name is ______" is the way each group member introduced themselves, allowing for fellow group members to first see them as a person, instead of just an addiction.

I attended an alcoholics anonymous meeting with Sarah Caitlin Wheat and Camille Vaughn on Friday, October 23. Walking into this group I was slightly nervous not about meeting people for a different background but about making those people comfortable and making them understand that I am not judging them for their situation. 

The role of the facilitator in this session was directive and facilitative. He started the session with readings, which they start every meeting. During this time, I felt very out of place and like the session was not going to be beneficial. I felt this way because people were just reading off of paper and out of a book, rather than connecting with each other. Throughout the reading time, the facilitator would help different group members with the words that they could not pronounce. Initially that bothered me because he was not giving the group members the chance to read the words that they could not automatically pronounce, but as he explained later he did that because he did not want the man who could not read all the words to be embarrassed or ashamed of himself. The facilitator also explained that there were many people who came to group for an extended period of time who had never picked up the book to try to read and that he applauded the man for having the courage to try with the reading. The group leader was also more directive because he gave the group the what to talk about and reminded them to stay on the topic of alcohol; when the leader felt the need to redirect, he would by simply reminding the group to stay on the topic of alcoholism and how it impacted their lives.

After reading ended, the facilitator wanted to go around the room for each person to introduce themselves and tell a little about themselves. There were 8 people total in the session, other than the three of us students. He left the amount that each person shared about themselves up to the individual and didn’t ask any questions in order to elicit further information from the ones who didn’t share many details about themselves or their situation. The first couple of people did not take very much time to talk about themselves but then that changed. The 3rd person decided to tell more of his story. This man, we will call him Sam, had been trying to become sober. Sam actually had admitted himself into the hospital the day before because how intoxicated he was and had been released that day. I really appreciated the things that he had to say because he was not somebody who had been sober for years and had been establishing his sobriety for a long period of time. He was struggling with making the transition but made himself vulnerable by coming to group and sharing his experience. As the group continued to go around and share their stories, many of the other group members used their stories to build up Sam and to show Sam that there are benefits to becoming sober. The group facilitator even took a turn at telling about himself and addressing Sam. I realized as the group went that Sam was the one who opened the group up with a reading out of the “blue book”. I think this was because he was the newest and they were wanting him to embrace the commitment and the reasoning behind the commitment to the group.  The facilitator also took his turn to not only tell his story but to also thank the other group members for telling their story and/or embracing Sam. 

As I said earlier in this post, I initially thought that this group session would not be beneficial because each member was just reading from a book. When the members started sharing their different experiences, I still thought that the group was going to be fairly unproductive and not very therapeutic, but as the group started supporting the Sam I realized that I was terribly wrong. It was not the therapeutic experience that I expected to see or the way that I expected the group to go, but I could see Sam growing more and more confident as the group session progressed and that the different men gave him the confidence, through their stories, to pursue his dream of sobriety. There was a man there who had been sober since 2012. who had spoken with many different groups about his sobriety, as he spoke I could see Sam’s posture change from a posture covered in embarrassment and shame to a posture embracing the hope of his future. 

At the end of the group, the group came together holding hands to say The Lord’s Prayer. During the session, the purpose behind the goal of sobriety being God and His plan was mentioned many times. I think that them all coming together, grasping hands, and joining in prayer with those that were in the same situation that they had/are in was a way for each of the group members to feel like they were a part of a bigger group and a bigger thing than themselves. Each group member has struggled/is struggling with becoming sober and can feel alone out in the world surrounded by people who demean them and makes them feel like less than human, but within the group they are a part of hopeful and supportive community. Embracing each other through holding hands and making a complete circle, I felt like was showing that those in the group made a community, they were to there to help the group members abstain from alcohol, and to make each person aware of their place within the community.

Going to this meeting really made me embrace the fact that a meeting may not go the way you expect or the way that you have planned, but that it can still be therapeutic and beneficial. I left this group feeling empowered and ready to embrace the struggles of the world, even though I am not an alcoholic. I can only imagine how empowering this group would have been for person struggling within the group.

I think this group was a group based more on the behavior cognitive approach. I feel this way because of how the group encouraged each other and supported one another. I feel like the manner they did this was helping the other group members to change the way that they think, which will effect the way that they live their life. A person who feels alone, helpless, and unworthy of love, is more apt to embrace the feeling of failure and fall back into the patterns that they once embraced as their normal. Having others going through the same thing as you, or having successfully overcome your struggles, gives you hope and allows you to see more than just the here and now of your life.