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indeed , she says that she ‘ didn ’ t know such companies were opening the door for clinicians to work in a variety of housing and supported accommodation settings ’.
Ashleigh ’ s journey into the profession began in her late twenties , when she decided it was time to ‘ figure out what I wanted to do for a living , without being tied down to the same job role for the rest of my life ’.
She finished her health and social care degree and realised that she still desired a career and a profession . ‘ I was interested in both speech and language therapy and occupational therapy at the time ,’ she reflects . ‘ But I was drawn to occupational therapy after learning about how diverse the role is and how many different settings an occupational therapist can work in ’.
During the pandemic , Ashleigh finished her two-year Master ’ s degree . ‘ This was possibly the most difficult mental and physical experience ,’ she says . ‘ My university course was entirely online and I wished for another placement to begin so that I could fully immerse myself in the role .
‘ I was fortunate to complete all four placements during this time , whereas many others in my cohort were unable to do so , due to staffing shortages , time constraints and limited capacity in the health care sector .’
When Ashleigh graduated , she I had ‘ no idea ’ where she wanted to work , whether it would be in physical or mental health , or with what kind of service users .
‘ I felt as if I had lived and breathed occupational therapy for the last two years of my life ; I loved the variety of settings I was assigned to . It was a difficult decision to make ,’ she says . ‘ I was intrigued by the prospect of working in a non-traditional setting , such as the homeless sector . My university research concentrated on the homeless population , the transition out of homelessness and the need for occupational therapy intervention during this time .
‘ In order to meet the needs of homeless people , occupational therapists take a client-centred and holistic approach . We play an important and promising role in assisting formerly homeless individuals to maintain and thrive in their housing following homelessness . Despite this , occupational therapy research in this area has been limited , especially in the UK .’
Ashleigh has also been with the organisation for a similar length of time as Millie and ‘ hasn ’ t looked back ’.
She says : ‘ I work with young people aged 16 to 25 who are homeless and living in Home Group support accommodation . I ’ ve had the opportunity to work with many customers who have complex mental health needs . We have established occupational therapy-based groups with the intention of providing activity-focused group sessions to customers in order to equip them with the basic skills needed to function to the best of their ability and live fulfilling lives .
‘ Overall , groups promote physical and mental health by developing emotional resilience and coping skills , improving basic daily living skills , beginning to embed meaningful routine and structure , providing opportunities to explore new occupations , and promoting social inclusion while learning and practising interpersonal skills that will allow the development of healthy relationships . ‘ The skills learned in occupational therapy groups will be transferable to a variety of settings outside of the group setting , promoting customers ’ independence and wellbeing .’
She adds : ‘ Along with offering occupational therapy groups , I have a caseload of customers who I support one on one , where we can collaborate to set goals and focus on areas that are important to the customer . This allows me to tailor interventions to each customer ’ s specific needs .
‘ 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 person-centred approach .
‘ Millie and I have had the opportunity to share the experience of being in this unique role and we can say first-hand that it has changed our perspective on how occupational therapy can be delivered .’
46 OTnews April 2023