Wellbeing Hubs: Working with Clinicians

Hi Emily,

Yes me :-) I have recently started employment with the Kent and Medway staff mental health and wellbeing hub. There is one other OT in the team as well as me. I've only been in employment for 4 weeks, so prior to this the other OT was the only one. We have been talking recently about ensuring that we maintain our identity and skills, although in my opinion we hold key skills in supporting staff wellbeing. More than happy to network and support each other.

Thank you for everything you do for staff :-)

Regards

Lou

Thank you very much, I really need to reflect on what well being means to me. I do like the idea of using the KAWA model and may introduce non OTs to that model.

Hi @Emily . As an OT in the UK interested in this area of practice, I shared your Hub forum query in a Facebook group (MH4OT) and got a fair few responses :) See below:

• Amy Amelia: "I’m not in this area but I am in mental health. My thoughts are occupational balance. Using the kawa model to look at sections of their lives which are negatively impacting on their overall well-being. We use the Moho model I wonder working with a staff member working through the model. I also wonder about self esteem resilience their community styles of need to work through conflict resolution and empathy?"
  

• Teoh JY: "I've done extensive work on this. Will try to remember to connect, but given my workload it's probably easier for Emily to locate me than the other way round!" Jou Yun gave permission for you to contact her directly via LinkedIn: Jou Yin (Jouyin) Teoh on LinkedIn.
  

• Ryan Steven Cowan: "I am able to clinically support Emily if she is UK based… Suggest to her that she may DM me with her contact details. I am currently doing Wellbeing Care Planning clinics in an ED and two Urgent Treatment Centres, as part of my senior liaison psychiatry clinician role. Please share my LinkedIn profile Jamie, as there is a resource already on there in projects... Reassure Emily that I am looking forward to connecting with her."
  

• Carolynne White: “I’m working on an adult wellbeing project and we’ve found it helpful to define 'wellbeing' as it’s a commonly used, but not well understood term. I recommend 'The challenge of defining wellbeing' - an article by Rachel Dodge et al (2012), where wellbeing is defined as 'the balance point between a person’s challenges and resources.' This leads to lots of options that are relevant to OT. What occupational challenges are the clients facing? How can we support them to build/access resources (personal, occupational, environmental)? The Kawa model, occupational balance, flow theory all fit well with this definition, as well as risk/protective factors for mental health. A solid theoretical understanding will give you confidence to explain your practice and how it is different/similar to other team members. All the best - it sounds like a great role."
  

I hope these comments help you! Jamie

Hi there. I’m an OT for a Staff Well-being Service in Lincolnshire. There’s 2 of us and our service lead is an OT. Happy to have a chat!

Hi Emily. I am an OT in Canada and I work primarily in work rehabilitation (mental health) and over the years have managed and mentored OT and non-OT staff and worked w/ so many people who are struggling in their professional/personal roles. I think for me and some of the OTs I have worked with, our own identity and knowing what value we bring is important. Doubting that, we can begin a bit of spiral.

For me lately, this has been how I think of my role in the team I work in: “Neurological recovery, that is, helping our brains learn new habits — new ways of thinking, responding—happens only by doing. Doing means practicing—learning new skills (e.g. mindfulness, ACT, CBT, GTD time management, Goal Management Training, etc.), setting the stage for new skill practice at a “just right challenge”, applying the skills, and evaluating with curiosity what went well and repeating that cycle. Given we work with clients’ chosen occupations as the primary media, and clinical tools are a secondary eclectic mix enabling the occupation, the occupations create meaning and value and generate motivation and self-efficacy and re-start (or boost) the upward trajectory of their lives.”

I think we bring so much value to the team differently than counsellors, psychologists, nurses, etc. because we help clients apply skills to their occupations in “practical as dirt” scenarios where they are stuck. The psychologists on my team refer to me regularly for just that — help this person get unstuck and help them get doing stuff. In terms of finding your fit in the team there is lots to be had there too. If you want to connect on a Google Meet look me up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-lewis-1a782a35 and DM me there.

Thanks for reaching out @Emily . We'll bring your forum to the attention of fellow Members in the coming week, to prompt speedier responses!