Such a good point
I thought this was a great point. I know someone close to me in life spent a very rough weekeend in a mental institution and showed me something he had made there. It was a “squirrel, because we were nuts”. It made me laugh because he had a sense of humor about what he decided to make, but I agree that having a TANGIBLE item to take home when in a mental institution is likely not that um…necessary. It's the process. More cool perhaps to donate the items? I guess it depends on the person. Anyway, I liked this person's assessment of being in a mental hospital from an OT perspective in terms of occupational deprivation, etc. Just randomly stumbled upon this blog on Facebook a few minutes ago.
“In fact, thinking about the bead art I made reminds me of many of the products of my OT interventions. I made many items, some were things that had I produced them today I would be quite proud of, however due to the associations the items have with a time in my life of distress, despair, restraint and lack of control, they are all items I would find very difficult to keep/display. Part of my academic programme has involved mock facilitation of groups and some of the facilitations I observed seemed keen to have a tangible product that the client can take home with them on discharge. While I don’t question the importance of there being a concrete outcome to interventions, I think it is important that OTs remember that for some (not all), items produced in OT sessions are actually very painful reminders of a difficult time of life. The value of OT sessions is often the skills learned (both surrounding the task but also concepts of occupational balance/using structure), the self-understanding gained and an appreciation and awareness of meaningful occupation for the person, not the random nik-nak produced in the session.”
Nov 10, 2012 | Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none