interesting opportunities . This led me to a six-month part-time secondment teaching role with Sheffield Hallam University . I stepped on to a different rollercoaster as I entered yet another new world – the one of academia .
Another opportunity was a specialist practice educator role working as a lead in psycho-social interventions .
I endeavoured to inspire others to work differently and embed new ways of working that challenged the dominant medical model in mental health services .
Occupational philosophy informed my understanding of this post , but I was also able to bring what I had learned from a post-registration diploma known as the ‘ Thorn Initiative ’ ( O ’ Carroll 2004 ), but also from teaching and starting the Certificate of Education on the route to a Masters study programme .
Redundancy and recovery
NHS budget cuts led to my post being made redundant – a shock indeed .
However , after a short break , an opportunity to be involved in the evaluation of a degree programme for support workers to become occupational therapists arose . Continuing my teaching roles with occupational therapy students enabled me to find my feet again .
The last nine years of my career have been a combination of working within the voluntary peerled community mental health services and teaching with occupational therapy students .
Closing the circle
Through exploring the learning journey of others , I can now more clearly see my own . Students I meet , who started as occupational therapy support workers and were encouraged by others have frequently , like me , experienced informal encouragement to access opportunities in higher education .
Through reflexive practice ( Finlay 2008 ), intermingled with my teaching roles and exploration for my masters research , I became more conscious of just how lucky I have been . Accidental meetings and coincidental connections along the way made my journey possible in a way I could never have predicted . Without many of these I may not have travelled to where I am today .
Promoting apprenticeships and beyond
I ’ d like to finish with some reflections on how the profession might strengthen and formalise opportunities for support workers to become occupational therapists .
Support workers frequently have a story that is different from the usual learning journey ; they have untapped potential . We can endeavour to uncover this potential by creating further opportunities within the profession , widening participation , broadening professional membership and striving to more closely reflect the communities that occupational therapy serves .
Apprenticeship degree programmes are a highly valuable development , but we could think more routinely that occupational therapy support workers have the potential to become occupational therapists .
Support workers represent a pool of existing skills that can enable their learning and promote work readiness as they transition from student into practitioner . Support workers themselves can be encouraged to consider becoming members of the professional body , to learn more about the profession and involve themselves in learning opportunities .
Finlay L ( 2008 ) Reflecting on reflective practice , Practice-Based Professional Learning Centre Open University , 1 ( 1 ): 1 – 29
Ilott I ( 1991 ) Curriculum planning : a blank piece of paper . British Journal of Occupational Therapy , 54 ( 10 ): 372 – 376
McNulty C ( 2008 ) The Sleaford MACA Group . in Pollard N , Salellariou D , Kronenberg F ( 2008 ) A political practice of occupational therapy . Elsevier Churchill Livingstone , Edinburgh : p . 171 – 174 .
O ’ Carroll M , Rayner L , Young N ( 2004 ) Education and training in psychosocial interventions : a survey of Thorn Initiative course leaders . Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing , 11 ( 5 ): 602 – 607 DOI : https :// doi . org / 10.1111 / j . 1365- 2850.2004.768 . x
Words CATHERINE MCNULTY , cathymc978 @ gmail . com
48 OTnews April 2022