Since my (second) last post, I've recieved a few comments regarding what exactly it is that I am working towards. As most know, I've applied for a MSc in Occupational Therapy. I, sometimes, say this without second thought - now that I've had a fair bit of experience with the field. However, truth be told, most don't know or understand the purpose of the field - I didn't, prior to August 2006, either.
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It was actually a freak stuble into a volunteer position at WRH that exposed me to occupational therapy and the breadth of the work of an occupational therapist. On my merry way through a BSc in Biological Sciences, I had thought that research is the way to go. Well... this all changed when I recieved my NSERC grant to work in a biological invasions lab for the summer (of 2006 - no coincidence.). Suffice to say that research did not "fit into", for lack of a better phrase, the life that I had pictured for myself. I'm very much a people person and feed off of the energy that I get when working with people, helping them acheive the best work that they are capable of. After a thought-provoking and frightening summer, during which I had realised that any plans that I had made, career-wise, have just jumped out the window... I needed a new plan. Upon suggestion from my mama, I called the volunteer services at WRH, without any direction really. It was very much, and I do nor exaggerate here, "Put me wherever you have room. I'm desperate."
et voila - a completely, and utterly perfect career choice had just fallen right into my lap. Cinderella-type story, eh?
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Now, enough about how I stumbled upon occupational therapy and my understanding of the field. This post is meant for all of you who have come to me in the past, wondering what exactly it is that I'm so passionate about, spending hours upon hours volunteering in, and wanting to persue as a major part of my life in the future. I've attached a video link from the American Occupational Therapy Association that gives a neat breif introduction into the field. For more information, a the Canadian equivalent of the AOTA has an awesome wesbite, that I've found very useful in both learning about the field and applying for the Masters program. Enjoy!
On top of this, I'd just like to share one of the stories that has really solified by beleif in the field. This story comes from the CAOT website that I mentioned above:
Rachel Thibeault
International Community Rehabilitation Consultant
Professor of Occupational Therapy at the University of Ottawa
When Rachel Thibeault graduated as an occupational therapist in 1979 she had no idea that her skills would take her to some of the most devastated, war ravaged countries in the world. She has witnessed the best and worst of human nature.
Despite the suffering she has been so close to, Rachel remains determinedly optimistic about the unique potential of occupational therapy to heal not just individuals, but to contribute to the rebuilding of civil society in communities traumatized by terror and war.
Between 1999 and 2002, she worked in Sierra Leone, a country catastrophically affected by a rebel war. It is believed that the conflict was initiated in order to finance the acquisition of arms by groups, such as Al Qaeda who wanted to access to the spoils of Sierra Leone’s diamond mines. Rebel soldiers dominated the population through terror—thousands of men women and children lost limbs , mutilated by machete wielding rebels. Many thousands of children were kidnapped from their families and forced into combat or to be “bush wives”—sex slaves for the rebel soldiers.
When the war ended, Rachel was asked by a UN-implementing agency to establish community rehabilitation programs for land mine victims. Her work in rural and urban communities in Canada and in Burkino Faso, Laos and Lebanon, had established her reputation as a skilled and versatile occupational therapist, and as someone who knows how to work most effectively at a grassroots level.
Once she arrived in Sierra Leone she realized that restricting programs to land mine victims was excluding many other people whose lives had been affected by the conflict such as—widows, child soldiers and the bush wives. The UN agency agreed to widen the remit of her work. The result was the establishment of several successful programs that have achieved on a small scale what on the surface may have seen unachievable—the reconciliation of the perpetrators and victims of war crimes and the reintegration of many child soldiers and bush wives into their communities.
Rachel had learned from her work in other countries that western models of psychosocial rehabilitation are rarely successfully applied in African countries. Her work in Sierra Leone was informed every step of the way by the people who understood the spiritual and cultural traditions of their communities. She worked closely with women’s networks and her admiration for such groups is enormous. “These networks did not use western-based strategies. The people in the programs were treated according to tribal beliefs—they used cleansing rituals and forgiveness rituals. Some of the worst child soldiers were asked to take care of the blind elderly—-a task imbued with great respect-—these strategies had astounding therapeutic results,” says Rachel.
Many of the girl bush wives had children themselves. Driven from their families at such an early age, few had parenting skills—-many of their babies had dislocated shoulders because the young mums were yanking them around by their arms. The programs Rachel helped establish taught the girls parenting skills so successfully that some have formed cooperative day care and nursery programs. Others started a tailoring service that makes and sells baseball caps for tourists. Another group started a highly successful business salting and drying fish for export. They now have their own fishing fleet and distribution system. The once reviled bush wives now employ local villagers.
Rachel insists that she has learned as much about the value of occupation in rehabilitation from the people of Africa than she taught them. “This work showed me purposes of occupation that I hadn’t seen before. It was ironic that I was the occupational therapist, and the people I worked with taught me so much about my own profession.” She gives an example. “When the war ended many people came back to their communities. Victims and perpetrators of war crimes lived in the same villages. The hatred was tangible. They were asked to build a school or a clinic together. At first they worked in total silence. Gradually a dialogue would be established—-“pass me some nails’ or “hand me that hammer”-- and the healing began. Working with occupation was their saving grace.”
Being witness to so much pain and suffering can be unendurable and Rachel knows when she must take a break to replenish herself. She explains that reaction to this was not always positive, “The first time I asked for time out, some of my western colleagues said that I would loose face and be seen as incompetent.” In fact the reaction was quite the opposite, “People in Sierra Leone have told me that seeing me express my emotions gave them a sense of dignity. They had been hurt by other professionals who seemed indifferent to their plight.” She recalls the time she returned after a break and was handed a box of Kleenex by some of the Sierra Leone women she worked with.
As a Professor of Occupational Therapy at the University of Ottawa, Rachel is fortunate that she is able to dedicate the research component of her post to her work in developing and war torn countries. She readily acknowledges the support for her work that she receives from the faculty.
Rachel has an unerring belief in the value of occupational therapy. “Occupation is universal and the skills of occupational therapy can be easily exported into many contexts and situations. The variety of practice within our profession crosses the line between the physical and psychological. We do not have a limited vision. We don’t get lost in esoteric discourse. We remain rooted in what makes human life human. Occupational therapy is way ahead of the game compared to many other health professions.”
Rachel laughs are the idea of retirement, “I hope to work until I’m at least 85!” She intends to continue to offer her skills as a rehabilitation specialist wherever they are needed -- even if that means journeying to some of the most dangerous parts of the world.
— Siobhan Rowe for CAOT
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