Career development
Feature experience in the health and social care field , seemed too good to be true .’
Millie applied , and ‘ before she knew it ’, was working as a bank support worker for an organisation that manages several bespoke services , supporting not only the housing aspect , but the safety and wellbeing of a varied range of individuals , referred to as customers .
‘ The level and type of support varied significantly between each customer and service ,’ she explains , ‘ and as a bank worker , I had the opportunity to work between a range of different services .’
The types of customers Millie worked with typically included ex-offenders , homeless individuals and people who experience issues relating to their physical and / or mental health , substance misuse issues and / or have learning disabilities .
‘[ The company ] modelled a lot of the clinical approaches I was learning about in university . For example , it follows a person-centred approach , looking at each customer as an individual . It ’ s passionate about celebrating each person for their differences and it was this that gave me such a great insight into following a holistic approach when working with my customers .
‘ In fact , Home Group follows a companyspecific model called LIFE ( living independently , feeling enabled ), which is made up of three principles – person-centred , psychologically informed and strengths based .’
What Millie ultimately found was that the experience she was building from this part-time job related directly to her occupational therapy degree , in terms of working with individuals who are occupationally imbalanced and lack routine and structure .
‘ I absolutely loved my job as a bank support worker and learnt so much from working with such a wide range of service users . It was rewarding and it was a great feeling that my work was helping those in need to live their life to the fullest … however , ultimately I knew my time there would end when I qualified .’
It was at that point that Millie discovered that the organisation was in the early stages of launching its clinical model , which involved employing clinical staff , including occupational therapists .
‘ From the practical experiences I ’ d had of occupational therapy so far – the mandatory placements I had experienced through university – it hadn ’ t crossed my mind that it would be possible for me to continue working for a company that I loved and whose values I resonated with so much as a qualified practitioner ,’ she reflects .
Engaging with those experiencing homelessness in a setting they consider safe and secure has allowed us to shape our support around this population ’ s often chaotic lifestyles , ensuring a more holistic and personcentred approach ."
Millie has now worked as a qualified occupational therapist across three homeless supported services at Home Group for around 10 months . ‘ Here , I support customers , not patients ,’ she says . ‘ I work with my team to deliver a psychologically informed , person-centred and strengths-based approach to my practice , working to stabilise individuals who have found themselves homeless , often for a varying range of reasons .
‘ My customers often have experienced traumas in their lives , which have led them to be in this position and it my job to enable these individuals to meet their goals and find ways in which they are able to carry out the occupations that are healthy , meaningful and valued to them as individuals .
‘ I do this on a one-to-one basis , as well as holding weekly occupational therapy groups at each of my three services , aiming to promote both physical and mental wellbeing through occupation .’
Thanks to the company ’ s preceptorship programme , Millie has been ‘ well supported ’ throughout her transition from student to qualified occupational therapist . ‘[ This ] looks at guiding newly qualified practitioners in their practice , aiming to build up their confidence and autonomy through completing several clinical objectives ,’ she explains .
Millie also receives regular supervision from the Band 6 occupational therapist , as well as direction from her manager .
‘ Occupational therapy is an amazing profession that is constantly developing and widening its horizons ,’ she concludes . ‘ There are more and more non-traditional routes that are becoming available for newly qualified OTs . I suppose my closing message is this : as an occupational therapist the world is your oyster , take every opportunity and you don ’ t know where it might take you .’
Unlike Millie , Ashleigh Clayton had no prior experience working for Home Group ;
April 2023 OTnews 45