Occupational Therapy News OTnews July 2019 | Page 21

ANNUAL CONFERENCE REPORT
Striking the balance
N
iamh Kinsella received the Pearson Award for
Learning, Development and Research from RCOT
and used the funding to attend annual conference,
and to disseminate research findings from her PhD,
in partnership with Queen Margaret University and Alzheimer
Scotland.
Reflecting on her experience she says: ‘Across the two days of
the conference, having attended a number of paper presentations,
seminars and observed poster presentations, I noticed a theme of
“balance” emerging.
‘That is, balance in the kind of research that was being
presented, balance in the perspectives on a topic, and balance
between approaches to practice.’
Focusing on this further she adds: ‘The most thought-
provoking presentation that I attended was Alice Hortop’s counter
argument to social prescribing. She acknowledged the value of
social engagement for persons that are experiencing loneliness,
but emphasised the importance of distinguishing between
loneliness and solitude.
‘She advocated for the need to develop awareness that social
engagement is not always the best option for the person(s).
She emphasised the importance of the occupational therapist
facilitating a person’s time to “be”, to reflect on their situations and
to understand them alone.
‘This presentation was the point at which I began to reflect
on the theme of balance and its importance in making decisions
about occupation with the people we are working with.
‘The key message I heard was that being able to facilitate
balanced engagement in both social or co-occupations and
solitary occupations may be more appropriate than focusing solely
on social engagement.’
The theme was reflected in a session about the challenges
of balancing the role of being a practitioner, researcher and
academic. ‘Dawn Drury and Sophie Smith presented challenges
in balancing these roles and situations in which decision making
within one role can be influenced by professional identity of
another role’, she says.
‘They also highlighted the challenges of not being able to
identify as either a researcher, academic or practitioner. These
challenges can raise ethical issues that the practitioner-researcher
must learn to navigate.
‘The questions raised in this presentation and discussion
prompted me to consider the ways in which practitioner-
researchers can be supported to use their shared skills of
practitioner and researcher effectively to support a balanced
practice.
‘From a personal perspective, this question resonated with
conversations I have had about becoming a practice enquirer and
raised a number of important considerations about the nature of
Niamh Kinsella talks to OTnews
about the theme of ‘balance’ she
saw emerge at this year’s annual
conference
such practice that I expect many practitioner-researchers also
contend with.’
She explains: ‘The term practice enquirer is used to describe
an occupational therapist who routinely reflects on and questions
their practice in order to understand, refine and share it with other
practitioners. In contrast, I use the term practitioner-researcher to
describe a practitioner that does research that is not necessarily
related to their own practice and is theoretical in nature.’
Finally, Niamh reflects on the Elizabeth Casson Memorial
Lecture speaker, Sarah Kantartzis, who challenged delegates
to look beyond current practice and to understand the need for,
and possibilities involved with, ‘shifting the focus’ of practice to a
systems perspective (see page 18).
‘Essentially, this would involve a movement from individualised
practices, which were suggested to be dominant in the UK, to
collective practices in which occupational therapists work with
communities and populations to change situations in which
occupational deprivation, injustice and alienation occur,’ she says.
‘This key message seemed to be a reminder of the influential
power of the systems that practice is embedded in on the
opportunities that persons, communities and populations have to
engage in healthful occupations.
‘On reflection, it also seemed to be a call to balance focus
on understanding the individual with collective perspectives
and practices. It appeared to be a powerful acknowledgement
of occupational therapists’ latent potential to facilitate systemic
change that could influence the lives of persons who experience
occupational therapy practice and those who do not have such
opportunities.
‘As a person who hopes to experience, facilitate and be part
of systemic change, and values a professional focus on collective
occupations, being offered examples and shown a way forward
was energising and inspiring.’
She concludes: ‘The three key messages I heard were:
balancing social occupations with solitary occupations can be
beneficial and social prescription should be made with a person’s
occupational needs in mind; balancing practitioner-researcher-
academic roles is challenging and understanding the nature of each
part of the role is essential; and balancing attention to occupational
issues on a collective level with individual level occupations has
potential to influence change related to occupational issues at a
systemic level.’
Niamh Kinsella, lecturer in occupational therapy, Division of
Occupational Therapy and Arts Therapies, School of Health
Sciences, Queen Margaret University
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