Art Therapy with Navy Seals, Knowledge Check #14

     I listened to the podcast " Leisure Exploration and Creativity with Veterans" from the Glass Half Full website. It was interesting to learn about some of the efforts being implemented to help our service men and women who are struggling with PTSD and/or the adjustment of life after deployment. The concept of using arts therapy with top tier military operators had never crossed my mind. When I think of military members especially Navy Seals, I think of some of the most alpha dog personalities on the planet, not someone who is going to sit down and knit some socks. However I learned from the podcast that art therapy can be woodwork, metal work, construction,  and many more activities along those same lines. They even discussed photography as a popular method of art therapy.

     The also enjoyed learning about the nonprofit War Paints which was being promoted by Seal Team member Rusty Noesner. War Paints creates studios around the country and offers classes for veterans to get connected with art therapy to help them adjust to life back in the States. Rusty also talked about the barriers that sometimes have to be torn down before veterans can fully take advantage of art therapy. He talk about how sometimes masculinity can prevent certain male veterans from trying actives such as photography or art painting. Rusty stated that one of his favorite activities is photography even though it is more common with female veterans. I really enjoyed the podcast because I think it is important we take care of our veterans since they sacrifice so much to protect our lives and freedoms. 

OT misconception meme

What is "blissful ordinariness"?

There are things we do everyday that are so routine and ordinary that we do not even think about it. We often even take them for granted. This can be things like showering, making coffee, driving a car, and getting dressed. The term "blissful ordinariness" describes just that very concept. Things we do in a routine manner that can often feel almost religious because they are so ordinary and ingrained into our every day. However, people often only see how important these activities are to them when they are no longer able to perform them without hinderance. This is where the holistic approach within occupational therapy really excels. Instead of just looking at a referral and starting from there, an occupational therapist will make use of their therapeutic relationship with the client to find out what is important for the client and why the client wants to get back to doing this activity. An occupational therapist wants to know how this affects the client in order to know the best way to help. Everyone has a daily routine that can be interrupted in many ways it is an occupational therapist's job to use their skills to return the client to their " blissful ordinariness" of every day the best way possible.

Area of interest

I think my interests and curiosity will change over the years and that is the great thing about occupational therapy. I do not want to be limited to doing the same exact thing for the next 30 years every single day from 9:00 to 5:00. I enjoy a change of pace and venue. However I think my end goal would be to work in a for profit agency with a outpatient type setting. I believe eventually I would like to start and run my own clinic that is why I am saying this setting cause that would be the most common type. I like the thought of the freedom and adventure that comes with being my own boss and running a small business. I think this would allow me to always be pushing to learn something new and expand my services to best service my clients. I think a clinic with both a pediatric side and an adult outpatient side with a variety of services not just occupational therapy would be the goal. However I know that is not a feasible starting spot. I really have a interest and a heart for pediatrics, and I enjoyed my time during my internship that was done in a pediatric clinic. However I am interested in seeing as many different settings as possible. I feel like a public agency such as an acute care hospital would allow me to see a variety of diagnosis and disorders to sharpen my skills, broaden my experiences, and make valuable networking contacts. As of right now I have not found a special certification that draws my attention so much that I would like to focus on it, but that could change at any time. As you can see it is not necessarily a single nitch that intrigues me the as much as it is the endless possibilities and serving people along the way.

History of Disability

Dr. Keisling spoke to the class about the history of how people with disabilities have been treated in the United States over the past century. The lecture started out quite grim. I was made aware of many things I previously did not know. I was specifically taken back by the story of the Kennedy's. I am a self professed lover of history, and I had not heard this before about the Kennedy's this is why it stuck out to me.  Most people will agree that at one point the Kennedy family was the closest thing to Royalty the United states has ever had. It just showed me that no family, however plentiful the resources, had the knowledge of how to best help their loved ones with disabilities at that time in history. It was nice to see how far society and the country as a whole had come since those times but also how far we still have to go. I took the time like Dr. Keisling suggested to think back on some people with disabilities in my past. Most of them did disappear around my middle school years like he mentioned, however I remember some of them and how there were excluded from certian things. The lecture opened my eyes on how to think and interact with people who have disabilities in a everyday situation.
   

OT 425 Era Presentation

The first point I found Interesting was from the 1940s presentation. It was interesting to learn about how things would change in war time to expedite everything. The two week OT boot camps sounded about like drinking from a fire hose. The second point I found interesting was from the 2010s. I was not aware until their presentation that you could implant a fully artificial heart into a patient. The last interesting point was from the 1980s presentation. I enjoyed learning about how the deinstitutionalization during the 1960s and 1970s impacted the way OTs practiced today and how it allowed for OTs to focus in new areas.