Connect Occupational Therapy

01/12/2023

Check out this gift guide complied by Auckland Down Syndrome Association! Featuring small businesses run by people with disabilities, it truly does support the disability community in NZ. Some great ideas in here! 🎁🎄

https://adsa.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ADSA-Christmas-Guide-2023-Hi-Quality-PDF.pdf?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_20th_november_2023_fun_fest_christmas_last_chance_to_do_our_survey&utm_term=2023-11-22&mc_cid=c8a7cfbf7a&mc_eid=836d374e7d

19/10/2023

Check out this podcast series about sexual safety for children who are neurodivergent, disabled, or medically fragile. It’s a series of conversations with parents and experts, a safe place to raise awareness, provide hope and collegiality, and find further support.

I listened to the first episode this week and felt a huge “ka pai to mahi” round of applause for the creators. For the bravery in having these conversations, acknowledging the hard, and still being able to create a gentle and empowering series of content.

Nga mihi.

Please share widely!

https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-courage-club/id1712032564?i=1000631404838

28/09/2023

Last week I went to the occupational therapy conference in Dunedin and it was encouraging, but also left me with mixed feelings.

All through conference there were amazing presentations that showcased work being done throughout Aotearoa by incredible OTs: scoping the research for the OT role in supporting people with PTSD after sexual assault, decreasing waitlist times for community TBI support, implementing specialist rugby programmes for disabled children, developing low cost sensory rooms in schools, conducting PhD research into comparing models of coaching practice… the list goes on.

👏🏼 Amazing mahi!

My mixed feeling come from the fact that there is such a demand for our services but not enough of us to fill the gaps:

➡️ I learned that there is curently a 14% vacancy rate for OT jobs and there is a shortfall of about 300 graduates estimated over the next 10 years.

🎉 Exciting news is that the OT schools are launching two new entry pathways for people wanting to train to be an OT:

➡️ a graduate entry programme which would be Levels 8 & 9 over 2 years of full time study. This would be for people who already hold a degree and want to transition to OT.

➡️ an apprenticeship model, which would be working “on the job” under a registered OT for 4 years. This could suit people already working in health care roles (for example).

I have had *many* people message me here on IG and ask how they can train to become OTs, and I’m so excited that these pathways are opening up. Tell your friends and whānau!

🧠👀 I also had mixed feelings because I left feeling like I could have easily done a workshop about using social media to raise the profile of our profession (which is what I do here on IG!). I had thought about it but the occupational demands of having four kids and working part time felt like too much at the time. So - sitting in that and filing that away for another time/place!

💛 Overall, it was so amazing to spend time immersed with my like-minded OT colleagues, hear about the incredible mahi being done across Aotearoa, see some old friends and make some new ones!

22/09/2023

Becoming a parent involves SO much new learning. The process of doing, being, and becoming a parent is a transformation in itself.

Learning is today’s theme for , an evidence based way to promote wellbeing.

Are there any ways you e particularly enjoyed learning as a parent?

21/09/2023

Connection! {Obviously I love this wellbeing theme seeing as I named my business after it right?!}

Here’s a truth for you:

➡️ One thing I learned as a SAHM is that sometimes it can be really lonely. You’re at home with kids day in day out sometimes. Adult connections can be fleeting, and sometimes superficial (I’m meaning those Mum groups where all you talk about are your kids).

💥 Some of the most meaningful times of connections I have had as a parent has been when I’ve let people into the “messy”.

When I leave the washing on the couch, and we end up folding it together. When I don’t tidy up. When I say “hey, it’s chaos here, but bring your chaos too and let’s just do life together” 💛

It’s not messy, it’s life.

How have you found connection with others as a parent?

20/09/2023

20/09/2023

“Movement” is one of my favourite topics! Why?

Because it has so many links to how we process sensory input!

Movement can be a great “regulator” for mental wellbeing.

The key with movement is finding a way that works for *you* in daily life at the moment.

What motivates you? What do you have capacity for?

Do you need the external factor of signing up to a class to have someone telling you what to do?

Or do you prefer to add movement into daily life at home?

What works for one person may not work for another.

There’s no “right” or wrong answer here 😊

Care to share what works for you in the comments?

19/09/2023

Day 2 of Five Ways of Well-being for mental health awareness week is about the concept of “giving”.

TBH when I became a parent I found that this concept grated on my soul a little.

Even though I “know” all of the literature and research behind the fact that giving can contribute positively to wellbeing, I felt that every ounce of my being was taken up in *giving* to my little kids. I felt I had no capacity to “give” further than the four walls of my own home.

When I acknowledged that, I knew that was ok.

As my children have grown I’ve had more capacity to “give”.

Giving can take different formats. Personally, I have found one of the most rewarding ways to live out this concept of “giving” has been to support other Mums, whether in a Mums’ group, randomly at the supermarket, a small business, or here on IG!

How about you? How have you found this particular wellbeing concept play out in your life as a parent?

18/09/2023

When I first started my career as an occupational therapist I worked in mental health. As part of my work I would take clients through the Five Winning Ways to Wellbeing and brainstorm it with them.

As I’ve become a parent, I’ve often reflected on the Five Ways. They are evidence based, but how can we apply them to our busy lives as parents?

Over this week we’ll break down the Five Ways, and take a look at some ideas on how they might apply to life as a parent.

Day One is Take Notice; being mindful and attuned to our environments.

I welcome your ideas in the captions too!

27/07/2023

Cleaning up my apps today I deleted this one. It's the "Sound Sleeper" app. And given my eldest turns 11 in December, that means this app has been part of my life for quite a long time!

Having spent MANY hours rocking/bouncing/feeding/walking/sleeping with my babies with this app going in the background, this absolutely feels like a monumental parenting milestone!

💣 I also vividly remember trying to sleep whilst sharing rooms with kids when "on holiday", or co-sleep with this app going back in my co-sleeping days… and getting intensely overloaded by it eventually 😵‍💫 Which I can without a doubt say led to some pretty extreme emotional reactions in the deep of the night 🥴

Where are you at with your white noise journey?

Love it? Hate it? Never used it? Triggered by it? Let us know below!

26/07/2023

“Sensory health” is a term used to describe the link between sensory processing and well-being*.

When we apply the lens of sensory health to life, we see that it’s intrinsically linked to mental health.

Our senses are what helps us feel “safe” or “unsafe” in the world.

If we have a narrow window of tolerance for sensory input, it’s hard to feel “safe” in our bodies. This can be when overwhelm, sensory overload, dysregulation, anxiety may occur.

Coming back to the senses can help.

What’s grounding? What’s alerting? How cdm we use this knowledge to help expand that window of tolerance?

“Sensory health” 100 percent is mental health.

(Reach out if you’d like help to explore this further).

Rachel
Connect Occupational Therapy

* Sensory Health: The Missing Piece in the Wellness Conversation
Catherine M. Cavaliere, PhD, OTR
November 8, 2021

20/07/2023

Do you want to start working on your nervous system, so you can better cope with parenting? We currently have spaces available to take people through The Safe and Sound Protocol (The SSP).

Developed by Dr Stephen Porges, The SSP is a listening programme that works through the vagus nerve, expanding the nervous system's capacity to deal with everyday stressors.

If you find yourself triggered by the noise and bustle of parenting small children, this programme can help your nervous system cope better with the sensory overwhelm that comes with parenting.

If this sounds like something you need in your life, book a free 15min call with us (link in comments) to chat about how it might look for you to complete this with us.

We look forward to talking soon!

Nervous system reset through the vagus nerve, based on polyvagal theory, Christchurch New Zealand, remote delivery available