First of all, what is occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy is a broad field, but at its core, it’s about caring for the whole person. An occupational therapist works with a client to determine what they need to do, what they want to do, and what they value and help them reach those goals. We might work with a child on developmental skills, with an adult who has experienced some kind of loss and wants to regain a certain level of function in their daily life, or with someone experiencing mental health challenges and has cognitive, regulatory, or social emotional needs. It’s not just rote exercises, repetition, or prescribed activities. If a client wants to improve their ability to reach, grasp, or pick up heavy things, we’ll get into the kitchen and empty the dishwasher or practice bringing the groceries in from the car, we’ll help them develop time management skills, or learn new ways to do things after an injury or loss of function. Everything we do is functional and meaningful.
You have a special interest in working with clients on the autism spectrum. Can you talk about what led you to that work?
My interest in autism started even before I became an OT. But there was a particular client I worked with early in my career who had a huge impact on me. A 3-year-old little boy had been referred to me for some developmental concerns. And as I tried to work with him, I found that I didn’t have the right tools to help him. I had to adjust my approach, let him lead, and do my best to respond in a way where he felt safe with me. I could see how much capacity and potential he had. It was a matter of accepting him as he was, creating a safe place where he could blossom, and then helping him translate those skills to different places and people. That led me to do more research into how the holistic perspective of occupational therapy can benefit people with autism. It’s this holistic aspect of my work that has been hugely fulfilling.
Can you say more about your current research interests?
My current research explores issues around occupational therapy services for autistic children with a specific focus on understanding the perspective of the families who receive our services. There’s an expectation that healthcare professionals use evidence-based practice and have the evidence to support the interventions they're recommending. Part of that evidence is taking into account the client experience with and response to that intervention. What is the cost of participation? Not just financial cost, but time and energy, and having to put other parts of their life on hold. Is there a stigma they experience around having a need for intervention? As professionals, it’s easy to think we're doing the right thing and that families love the experience they’re having, but until we ask, we don't really know. So, we’ve been surveying families to hear their stories. I’ve been able to include a couple of our doctoral students who have been instrumental in that research. It’s been exciting to expose them to research and see them get passionate about the process of discovery. Later this year, I’ll spend some time sifting through the results and getting ready to publish.
How is the School of Occupational Therapy unique and what do you hope students take away from the program?
The Puget Sound OT program is unique in a few distinct ways. We are the second oldest program west of the Mississippi. We are one of very few—if not the only program—with both community-based and onsite clinical experiences in which students engage with real clients. We offer an optional international study abroad opportunity for students to learn about occupational therapy in the Philippines. We have a required experiential course that immerses our students in issues of social culture, privilege and bias, and promotes transformative change in our students. And, our dual degree offerings afford students flexibility in meeting their professional goals, allowing to switch degree tracks through their first year of enrollment. As to what I hope students gain, I want our students to feel empowered to be excellent at what they do, even when they're still learning and developing their skill set. We give them a broad understanding of our field, but also a broad understanding of humanity and what makes people who they are. Our program emphasizes developing students’ skills to truly know their clients as people, which means looking at a person's history and their experiences with the healthcare system so that they can address the whole person in their future practices. Our mission is to equip our students to understand those determinants so they can help their clients live their fullest lives.
How do you spend your time outside of the classroom?
I’m a mom of two girls—one who was recently married and the other who is a college sophomore. With both of them out of the house, I’m in the process of rediscovering myself and creating new patterns for daily life with my husband. I’ve recently gotten into reading historical fiction. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray was a fantastic and eye-opening read. I’m also into clean eating though it’s hard to make that happen on a daily basis. And I love to hang out with my labradoodle, Parker. He keeps me grounded.
