... I was looking forward to pausing , enjoying some of the activities on offer , meeting new and old occupational therapy friends and last , but not least , relaxing in the beautiful setting .”
sessions , gratitude and self compassion and sensory skills . The networking events included community cooking , campfire chats and gin tasting , which was also important to me , providing an opportunity to mix with others .’
For Jess the retreat allowed the time to reflect on her own practice , to engage with and talk to fellow occupational therapists working within the same division , to discuss their current practices and ‘ formulating new ideas that could be implemented into our workplace ’. Attending the yoga sessions also allowed Jess to practise mindfulness through movement .
Why was it important to you ?
‘ It was important for me to experience enjoyment throughout the retreat and have a sense of recharge before returning to work ,’ says Jess . ‘ I highly anticipated a sense of wellbeing during the retreat and a chance to reconnect with friends .’
Nicky adds : ‘ I was really looking forward to having time out and focusing on myself , being surrounded by nature and close friends and sharing ideas and new experiences . Also having this time and quiet space allowed me to pause and consider my own professional and personal development and how I can integrate some of these evidence-based practices into my work and personal life .’
Gibbs G ( 1988 ) Learning by doing : a guide to teaching and learning methods . London : Further Education Unit .
Royal College of Occupational Therapists ( 2021 ) Professional standards for occupational therapy practice , conduct and ethics . Available at bit . ly / 3NWJkc0 [ accessed 24 February 2023 ).
Above left to right : Nicola Twilley , Jess Honeysett and Denise Barker
What would you do next time ?
Nicky feels that on a future retreat , she would ‘ mingle more with individuals that I am less familiar with ’. She explains : ‘ I surprised myself that I was more quiet than usual , but on reflection I recognised I was healing from a physical injury and was contemplating about changing job role which I feel my energy was directed towards . So next time I hope I will be feeling more engaged to interact with others .’
Jess says : ‘ If I were to attend the retreat again , I would give myself time beforehand to complete some pre-reading to the sessions , to allow myself to get in the mindset of learning again . I really valued meeting new people and networking [ and ] I look forward to seeing people from last year and how much they have grown personally and professionally .‘
... I was looking forward to pausing , enjoying some of the activities on offer , meeting new and old occupational therapy friends and last , but not least , relaxing in the beautiful setting .”
Words JESS HONEYSETT and NICOLA TWILLEY , occupational therapists . For further information on The OT Retreat UK otretreat22 @ gmail . com and https :// theotretreatuk . my . canva . site /
July 2023 OTnews 49