Occupied
Brock Cook
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A creative project exploring all things Occupation, Occupational Science, and Occupational Therapy. Each fortnight I am to showcase a topic or therapist and to have a discussion exploring OT related ideas and concepts. My aim is to challenge you, make you think and provide you with guidance wherever possible.
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
2 days ago
158 – ALL ABOUT OCCUPATION ft Karina Sanson-Fisher
Karina Sanson-Fisher Occupational therapist in Mulubinba (Newcastle), Australia Instagram @doing.therapy
Session title Doing Drugs: Occupational therapy and alcohol and other drugs
Session details This session explores an occupational therapy role working with people who use alcohol and other drugs, and provides my own experiences of finding and maintaining occupationally focussed practice in this space.
For more and how to register for future seminars, see: https://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/occupation/
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May 26, 2023
157 – Lessons I’ve Learned Pushing OT Into The Digital World
Absolutely honoured to be asked to deliver the keynote for the Wisconsin OT Association virtual conference. This is that presentation as well as the Q&A at the end of it for your consumption.
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May 22, 2023
156 – The Memory OT ft Allison Brush
If you're like me you are aware that memory is a thing. You may even know there are different types etc but for many this is the extent of it. Allison Brush IS the Memory OT. I came across her page on Insta where she puts out awesome content around the OT's role when working with people whose memory has been impacted. It seemed like something that I definitely had to find out more about and brought you along for the ride!
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May 8, 2023
155 – ALL ABOUT OCCUPATION ft Clare Hocking
Time for a secret sneaky episode! featuring the one and only Claire Hocking doing her All About Occupation Seminar
For more and how to register for future seminars, see: https://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/occupation/
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Apr 1, 2023
154 – The State of the Profession
So I've been asked a fair bit about where I think the profession is at right now and where I think it's going. So here is a short and sweet exploration of that exact topic.....or is it....
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Mar 21, 2023
153 – How To/Not to Enact Change in the Profession ft Clarice Grote
We explore OT's role in politics and how Clarice's background makes her the perfect therapist to break this down for me. We look at various practice areas and the impact the medical model is having on them as well as our opinions on the positive or negative aspects of this impact.
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Mar 8, 2023
152 – ALL ABOUT OCCUPATION ft Jaime Leite Junior
This seminar aims to create a dialogue about the possibilities of life faced by the population who experience dissidence of genders and sexualities.
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Mar 1, 2023
151 – Can Anyone Be a Dope Leader?
Leadership is a topic that everyone has come across during their studies, career, sports engagement or just general life but how’s your knowledge about what it actually is?
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Feb 23, 2023
150 – Why do we need to talk about Occupational Therapy?
A hot topic every April during OT month. Why does no-one know what we do? I want to look deeper into how this became a problem and what can we do to fix it.
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Jan 4, 2023
149 – Rural Practice as a Newgrad ft Holly Gawthorne
You may have heard her on the Holly the OT podcast and if not then definitely get on that! Holly works in a super remote Australian town called Lightening Ridge. Her experience of the newgrad transition on top of working super remote is unique and one that everyone can take lessons from.
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Oct 24, 2022
148 – ALL ABOUT OCCUPATION ft Sakshi Tickoo
his session will focus on understanding the basics of sexuality and the various ways it translates into human occupations.
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Oct 17, 2022
147 – Should Therapy be Conducted Outdoors
For some students virtual learning and, in turn, virtual therapy is the only option available. Zoom fatigue, anyone? ?♀️ This got us thinking…is this really the best way for students to be learning and what are some alternative means for providing client centered therapy. What about using resources that all of us have right at our fingertips: Nature! ??
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Oct 10, 2022
146 – Eating Disorders Program Followup ft Carissa Gualano
Carissa returns to the podcast! During her last episode (OCCUPIED 123) she discussed her personal experience with eating disorders and was about to embark on her doctoral project. She has now completed that project and has come back to talk about how it went.
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Sep 19, 2022
145 – ALL ABOUT OCCUPATION – ft John Knight
This session will cover the learnings from a number of years research into digital workers’ occupational experience.
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Aug 12, 2022
144 – THE OT ROUNDTABLE – Should Every OT Practitioner Be A Fieldwork Educator?
Is being a fieldwork educator a skill?
What are traits that make a good educator?
Importance of communication
Navigating safety and expectations
Educators knowing their roles in fieldwork education
When do you know that you are ready to take students?
How we can prepare to be a fieldwork educator
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Aug 5, 2022
143 – An Exploration of Creativity ft Moo Smith
In this episode Moo and I explore creativity and where the mental and physical benefits of creativity might lay as well as how Moo manages the balance between using creativity for self expression as well as a business.
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Jun 29, 2022
142 – THE OT ROUNDTABLE – Do Occupational Therapy Practitioners Make Good Entrepreneurs?
What makes OT practitioners good (and bad) as entrepreneurs
Navigating the ins and outs of business without a business degree
Importance of understanding finances
Can anybody be an entrepreneur
Social entrepreneurship
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Jun 19, 2022
141 – ALL ABOUT OCCUPATION ft Dr Allison Sullivan
Session Title
“How Did I Get Here? One Occupational Therapist’s Search for Meaning”
Session Details (TW // sexual violence) The purpose of this session is to provide my personal perspective as a practitioner, educator, and researcher on the topics identified as the focus of this seminar series. In these roles, I have attempted to understand people as occupational beings. This quest has led me to explore and promote people’s engagement in activities, and in learning in particular, and appreciate the high degree of trauma many people have experienced or are experiencing whenever they attempt something new or challenging. This recognition has shaped my teaching and intervention practices and has me now focused on the legacy of occupational therapy in mental health, so I would like to share some resources that have resonated with me on this journey, in hopes that they may inspire others, cause discussion, and engage lively debate.
Resources https://research.aota.org/ajot/articl.…
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Jun 12, 2022
140 – OT and Pain ft Natalie Khan
This ep we have a look at that experience and then funnel down into her interest and experience living and working with chronic pain.
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May 16, 2022
139 – WFOT Congress with WFOT President Samantha Shann
We explored Samantha's journey through the profession, how she got involved with WFOT, how she made it to the position of President and we explore the upcoming WFOT Congress in Paris.
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May 11, 2022
THE OT ROUNDTABLE – 138 -Who is the Imposter?
Alondra is an occupational therapist in Bay Area California and currently, she provides services via Hippotherapy, which entails incorporating horses And utilizing the movement of the horse Within the treatment sessions. She has a keen interest in imposter syndrome given her own personal experience of it.
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Apr 26, 2022
137 – BecomingOT ft Dr Tailor Blaine
Her passion for improving those around her and assisting people to learn from her experiences is infectious. But how did it get to this stage? How did she get to share her content with thousands of OT's? How does she cope with modern day stressors of being a content creator? These are just a couple of the things we explored.
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Apr 20, 2022
136 – ALL ABOUT OCCUPATION ft Dr Daniela Castro De Jong & Dr Georgia Pike-Rowney
This session will introduce the participants to the community-based Music Engagement Program, which aims to create opportunities for social interaction and wellbeing for all of those who are involved through sharing songs.
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Mar 29, 2022
135 – MOHO 101 ft Ruth Hambling
I'm the first to admit that I never used the MOHO much in clinical practice for a number of reasons. Conversations with Ruth started to get me to revisit some of the thoughts I'd had for a long while.
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Mar 14, 2022
OCCUPIED PLUS+ CLIP – Essentialism and Productivity
So recently I embarked on a challenge with a few friends. We read Greg McKeown's Essentialism: The disciplined pursuit of less. The common feeling through the group was that we all often take on way more projects than we might have the capacity to handle.
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Mar 7, 2022
134 – ALL ABOUT OCCUPATION ft Dr Danielle Hitch
Outcome measurement is crucial to proving the effectiveness of occupational therapy, but remains scarce in many areas of practice. So what’s holding us back?
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Mar 3, 2022
133 – An OT’s Perspective of His Own Traumatic Injury ft Collin Hernandez
In this episode we explore the injury and his rehabilitation up to this point from an occupational perspective.
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Feb 20, 2022
THE OT ROUNDTABLE – 132 – What Impact is Isolation Having on People’s Habits, Routines and Health
This episode we are diving into the effects we have been experiencing recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic and “safer-at-home” restrictions. We looked at how it has impacted our habits and routines and also what we can do to adjust to these changes to maintain a sense of positivity and mental wellbeing.
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Feb 13, 2022
OCCUPIED PLUS+ CLIP – The Stress-Vulnerability Model
This is a model that I have used for many years with a massive variety of clients, friends, family and myself to help explain how a variety of concepts interrelate and can impact on our ability to cope with life.
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Feb 9, 2022
131 – Political Competency in OT ft Dr Nick Pollard
Dr Nick Pollard is a senior lecturer in occupational therapy at Sheffield Hallam University, teaching occupational therapy students at undergraduate and post graduate level, and course leader of the MSc pre-registration programme. He was previously professional lead in occupational therapy, vocational rehabilitation and dietetics on an interim basis for 23 months, and before that team leader and research co-ordinator for occupational therapy also at senior lecturer grade.
His MA explored internal migration and mental health; His MSc explored occupations in creative writing groups, and his PhD the political implied in occupational therapy. Dr Pollard has written and presented extensively on community based rehabilitation and on critical explorations of occupational therapy.
You may know Dr Pollard for having coedited several landmark occupational therapy texts, notably the Occupational Therapy without Borders books, with a new edition published in 2016.
This episode we explore the ne…
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Feb 3, 2022
130 – ALL ABOUT OCCUPATION ft Moses N Ikiugu
Session Details
In this seminar, we will discuss the following:
- The nature of meaningful occupations - The difference between meaningful and psychologically rewarding occupations
- The postulated healing properties of meaningful and psychologically rewarding occupations
- Future research to clarify the nature of meaningful and psychologically rewarding occupations
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Jan 24, 2022
129 – The Occupational Narratives Project ft Dr. Gail Whiteford
You know her. You love her. I'm honored to have the phenomenal Professor Gail Whiteford back on the podcast. This time we got to talk about a project thats very close to her heart and we lay out a challenge to you all to get involved!
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Jan 11, 2022
128 – THE OT ROUNDTABLE – What are the Occupational Implications of COVID-19?
As occupational therapy practitioners, we know the importance of community; so please reach out and let us know how you are navigating this challenging time. We here at the OT RoundTable want to support you and band together as an OT community.
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Jan 10, 2022
127 – Occupied Update
Just a short update about where I've been, what I've been up to, and what the plan is for 2022!
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Nov 28, 2021
126 – The Neurodivergent Experience in a Neurotypical World ft Jacklyn Googins & Greg Boheler
We discuss the wider societal acceptance of neurodivergence, their personal experiences, and how B3 is pushing the way forward for an all-inclusive future.
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Nov 21, 2021
125 – ALL ABOUT OCCUPATION ft Dr Paula Kramer
COVID has drastically changed the critically important occupations of many and has enhanced our understanding of occupational disruption experienced by clients with disabilities. Occupational therapists profess to understand disruption, but now have a personal experience of disruption. The pandemic provides a unique perspective on our clients’ experience.
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Oct 28, 2021
OCCUPIED Plus+ clip – What do I Need in a Contract
Been asked a few times recently for tips on the kinds of things new graduates should think about when going in to negotiate their first contract. This is NOT LEGAL ADVICE but rather some points to keep in mind. Should you need legal advice for your contract most definitely see a professional.
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Oct 20, 2021
124 – Lessons from a Career in Occupational Therapy
What I would want to know if I was about to step into the world as an OT for the very first time. So here it is, my lessons from a career in OT.
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Oct 12, 2021
123 – The Real Life Impact of Eating Disorders ft Carissa Dyer
rs. How does this hyper focus on food, eating, comparison, judgement and hiding all of the above from your closest people impact your life?
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Oct 5, 2021
122 – You Are Not Client Centred
Are you client-centered? Are you sure? Does your initial reaction to a situation indicate that you are too? After coming across a little video of a man learning to use his new prosthesis with no supports outside on the grass. He falls multiples times but gets back up and keeps trying. Unfortunately, the original video has been removed so I can't show you all but I still wanted to share with you my reflections on the reaction to this video.
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Sep 15, 2021
121 – All About Occupation ft Michael Sy & Pauline Gail Martinez
Describe the group culture of people who desire to be “beautiful” through the world of beauty pageants
Discuss the different perspective on pageantry work
Discuss essential and hidden occupations performed within the context of beauty pageants
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Sep 1, 2021
OCCUPIED Plus+ clip – Why do we need to talk about Occupational Therapy
An exclusive sample clip of one of the Occupied Plus+ Patreon episodes. If you like it and want to get access to the rest of this episode and many more go to patreon.com/occupiedplus and sign up today!
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Aug 23, 2021
120 – Body Image and its impact on Occupation ft Emily Roberts
Emily Roberts has really begun to champion the niche of body image within the OT community.
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Aug 8, 2021
119 – Trauma and Healthcare Practice ft Dr Allie Watkins
Connecting with Allie has been an absolute blessing. You may know her better as @patchesofot and the host of the Patches of OT podcast. Her content is super unique and deeply personally engrained. This engrained passion is what initially drew me to her. We discuss all things trauma and her experience she had through researching it through her doctorate.
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Jul 8, 2021
118 – All About Occupation Series ft Dr Nedra Peter
The aim of this session is to show how social assistance recipients experience lack of opportunity and resources to make everyday choices and to have decision-making power as they participate in occupations. This presentation will also consider my research from a lens that moves away from individualised Western epistemologies and discuss how race/culture has a significant influence on occupation.
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Jul 1, 2021
117 – Creativity Vs Science- The Juxtaposition of Occupational Therapy
So recently I was given the opportunity to present to the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section for Children, Young People and Families. At the time I was toying around with the concept of the "Art & Science of OT" so as part of my looking into that I built this presentation that looks at where that came from and what it means for modern occupational therapists.
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Jun 20, 2021
116 – The ever expanding world of OT with Professor Liz Townsend
Professor Liz Townsend is a name that almost every OT around the world would know and have learned about some of her work.
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Jun 13, 2021
115 – Student to Podcaster to OTR ft Amy Tippol
Amy Tippol cohosts The Occupation Station podcast with her friend Ana Milanese. Today we explored Amy's journey though OT school, starting a podcast and now transitioning into the profession.
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Jun 7, 2021
114 – All About Occupation Series ft Karen Whalley Hammell
Karen will reflect on her report entitled ‘Engagement in living during the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing occupational disruption’. This essay, about occupation and wellbeing, was written in March 2020 during the uncertainties of the first weeks of the pandemic. Looking back on the intervening year, Karen will explore the deeply rooted social inequities and structural injustices that have been exposed by the pandemic; inequities that impacted occupational rights, wellbeing and the likelihood of survival itself.
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Jun 1, 2021
113 – Lived Experience of Suicidality ft Ellie Frith
Ellie Frith found herself in an acute mental health ward after experiencing some issues with her mental health. This is her story.
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May 20, 2021
112 – Integrated Womens Health ft Taryn Gaudin
Taryn's unique perspective on her practice has grown into a business that offers integrated woman's pelvic floor health services.
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May 17, 2021
111 – Happy Birthday Occupied
A nice, short and sweet episode reflecting on the last 3 years of this podcast. So much work but for me personally its resulted in so much growth. Thankyou to everyone who's been involved in the podcast in any and every small way. Heres to the next 3 years
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May 13, 2021
110 – Taking OT into the Digital World ft Laura Simmons
Laura brought her business to my attention via LinkedIn and right from our first conversation I was completely intrigued with what she was trying to do. As the CEO and founder of Theratrak Laura is walking a line not commonly travelled by those in the OT profession. She is not only a private business owner, an entrepreneur but she is developing a product that aims to bring OT into the digital age.
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May 1, 2021
109 – Kwaku and Brock Do Communication Good
Kwaku & I started talking and let the convo go where it wanted. It drifted towards communication skills and the nuance involved in being an excellent clinical communicator.
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Apr 20, 2021
108 – Creativity V Depression ft Erik Johnson
Erik is by far one of my favourite OT's on the planet and his honestly and vulnerability in this conversation simply confirmed that for me.
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Apr 12, 2021
107 – Life and OT in the Arctic ft Rachel Schooley
Exploring how Rachel navigates living on traditional peoples land and working with their populations. This convo was absolutely eye opening and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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Apr 1, 2021
106 – Semantics and Platitudes in OT
So many times over my career I've heard cliche's and platitudes used by therapists and often wondered....do they know what that actually means? Recently I've had a number of discussions on this podcast about terms used that are used incorrectly OR used as lip service and I thought it was about time I did an episode and explored some of these.
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Mar 28, 2021
ANNOUNCEMENT: Launching Occupied Plus+ on Patreon
I’m super excited to be announcing……. Occupied Plus+
Occupied Plus+ will have Patreon exclusive resources for those supporters looking to inject some extra value into their practice.
For a long time I’ve wanted to expand the resources and value I can add to you, the listener. From this OccupiedPlus+ was born. From as little as $4 a month you become a member of the Occupied Plus+ Patreon. In there you will get access to resources from monthly Occupied Plus+ podcast episodes, Monthly AMA, a range of digitally downloadable resources, Short essays on important topics and so much more! In this higher tiers there is also available supervision/mentorship with myself, supporter shoutouts on the Occupied podcast and ongoing direct chat access to me for continued regular support.
Occupied Plus+ comes with 4 tiers to suit your needs, level of support and budget.
I do want to assure you that if you simply enjoy the Occupied podcast, nothing will be changing there and you will stil…
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Mar 18, 2021
105 – OT Needs to be Doing Being and Becoming MORE ft Khalilah Johnson
There are many parts of OT that need improvement and we explore the lip service that is often payed to topics around inclusion with different populations.
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Mar 10, 2021
104 – My Hospital Stay Reflection
December 2020 I had my first experience being admitted to hospital. It was eye opening to say the least and my experience highlighted for me certain things that I NEVER considered when working for the same hospital system.
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Feb 28, 2021
103 – Lived Experience Inside Graffiti Culture ft Mr Toy Division
Mr Toy Division joins us on OCCUPIED to provide a "lived experience" of being a part of graffiti writing culture.
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Feb 22, 2021
102 – Difficult Conversations & BPD ft Keir Harding
We discussed the complexities of the healthcare system and how that often fall short when working with people who are diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.
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Feb 14, 2021
101 – Comprehensive Kawa ft Dr Michael Iwama
The aim of this episode was to create a grassroots resource about how the Kawa came to fruition as I strongly believe that in order to get the most out of the model, understanding its roots is imperative.
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Feb 8, 2021
100 – A Celebration of OT Podcasting
Right from the very start, I said if a handful of people learned something or took something away from the podcast it would be worth the time
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Jan 27, 2021
099 – Sexualisation and Identity ft Sakshi Tickoo
This episode we explore the concept of sexualisation how that relates to identity and what this means for Occupational Therapy practitioners.
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Jan 21, 2021
098 – What Does My Depression Look Like?
On December 8th I went public about my journey with depression. Some people asked for more, asked for an episode. So here it is.
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Jan 16, 2021
097 – The OT Lifestyle Movement ft Rhiannon Crispe
Rhiannon Crispe describers herself as "a salty soul, health enthusiast, sun chaser and blessed mumma & wife. A dreamer and a doer. A goal setter and a go-getter. A change agent and a game changer. And also a proud Occupational Therapist and business owner."
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Jan 1, 2021
096 – A New Look at Resolutions
I wanted to look at why soooo many people fail their resolutions and an alternative method that I use and you might find more successful!
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Dec 26, 2020
095 – BEST OF 2020 – The Importance of Language in Disability
Having this discussion about language and how we as therapist use it to frame and situate our therapeutic relationship, power and recovery for the people that we work with.
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Dec 14, 2020
094 – BEST OF 2020 – The Dark Side of Therapy Memes
I've spoken many times about the impact public portrayal of OT has on our profession. In my opinion, I can see how condoning some of these memes could be doing us damage.
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Dec 7, 2020
093 – BEST OF 2020 – Dev and Brock Deep Dive into Gender Identity and Stigma
Dev is on a mission. A mission for inclusion. A mission for happiness. A mission for equal rights. A mission for acceptance.
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Dec 3, 2020
092 – BEST OF 2020 – Unpacking Colonised Thinking
PLEASE NOTE: This episode discusses topics such as colonisation and racism in multiple forms. The guests would like to make it clear that this episode does not sit as a ‘standalone’ teaching tool. If you are planning to share it with your cohorts of students we encourage you to use it alongside other aspects of the curriculum with cultural responsiveness with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Have you ever considered the impact colonisation might have had on the indigenous peoples of your country? Have you ever considered the ongoing impact these historical events have had in terms of systemic racism and institutional marginalisation of our clients?
Australia has a checkered and often hidden history when it comes to its colonisation by western entities. The impact that this event has had on Australia’s indigenous peoples is something that continues to impact them today. Today’s episode delves into the institutional racism and cultural isolation that continues toda…
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Nov 28, 2020
091 – Falls Prevention and OT
Some of you will remember Erin from the Occupied 2020 Guide to Job Interviews....Well she's back! and this time we are delving into her true passion, falls prevention. This is an area I will openly admit that I didn't know much about the specifics of it so i absolutely loved this conversation. Erin is very occupation based in her views and practice and very practical in her advice. Give it a listen.
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Nov 10, 2020
090 – Exploring Graffiti as an Occupation
This episode the lovely Clarissa Sorlie joins me again to shed some light on her interest in the occupation of graffiti. Considering this occupation using the concept of the Dark Side of Occupation we explore the depths of why people engage in it and some of the meaning they often assign to it.
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Nov 2, 2020
089 – Leading a Mindful Life with Jess Leggatt
Jess is a phenomenal OT and a great friend of mine. She has often explored the road less travelled in this profession and has developed into a clinician with a unique perspective on life, health, wellbeing and OT. In this episode we delve into Jess's story, her burnout and how she rebuilt herself to be a better, stronger OT. She talks about her use of mindfulness, self-awareness, rest, and yoga among many other things.
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Oct 24, 2020
088 – Starting a New Hobby
In these unprecedented times, many many people are experiencing occupation disruption on a large scale. Many people are starting or looking for new occupations in order to maintain their occupational wellbeing. Today I wanted to explore a small part of my journey into a new occupational engagement.
A new hobby in a crazy world. I took up photography and am aiming to learn as much about it as i possibly can. The more i learn, the more i find i have to learn. But I'm absolutely loving it and immersing myself into this new community and new world. Listen in to my experience of navigating this period of occupational disruption through an occupational lens.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFvpZxjnZq3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Keep Occupied
Brock @brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com
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Oct 17, 2020
087 – Get a Dose of Support with Dr Vanessa Kasper
We highlight some things health practitioners should be aware of and what they can do to help maintain their own mental wellbeing.
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Oct 10, 2020
086 – The 2020 Occupied Guide to Job Interviews
You asked for it, so here it is! The 2020 Occupied guide to job interviews. How can you give yourself the best chance of landing that job!
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Oct 5, 2020
085 – Occupational Transition from Professional Sportsperson
Jesse recently retired from his professional rugby career and it seemed like an opportunity too good to pass up to pick his brain about navigating that transition into civilian life.
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Sep 16, 2020
084 – What I Wish I Knew When I Was A New Grad
I put it out to you guys and many of you requested to know about: What I wish I knew when I was a new grad.
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Sep 1, 2020
083 – OT’s Role in Harm Minimisation
Exploring the Dark Side of Occupation in more detail this episode, Rina and I delve into the world of harm minimisation. A question that I've been asked by many students is how can you work with someone who is "using illicit substances" when its "illegal". When is "getting off" or "staying off" drugs not the goal? By not addressing these things are you encouraging it? These are the ethical grey areas that many students and clinicians have toyed with when moving into mental health or duel diagnosis settings.
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Aug 12, 2020
082 – Danielle Delorenzo Talks Infant Mental Health
Danielle Delorenzo is well known to much of the online OT community and may be better known as @MorningswithanOTmom on Instagram. Danielle has a phenomenal personal story about becoming a mom and learning and growing with her neurodivergent son, Luke. She is also qualified in infant mental health which is what we wanted to talk about in this episode. We delve into infant mental health, postpartum care, self-love, and discuss how the world is impacting our wellbeing at the moment.
If you're interested in hearing her heart moving birth story definitely have a listen to her episode with Sarah over at OT4Lyfe:
Check out all of her socials and projects here:
https://linktr.ee/morningswithanotmom
Keep Occupied
Brock @brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com
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Jul 26, 2020
081 – Promoting Strength through Adaptive Training
This episode we discussed the progression of adaptive training focusing mostly on the functional fitness world. Exploring the training of those with a disability from a coaching to a competing perspective.
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Jul 14, 2020
080 – From Depression to Advocacy for an Unbreakable Woman
Ciara and I discuss depression and other mental illnesses, training, resilience, emotional flexibility and recovery. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!
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Jul 7, 2020
079 – Conversations with an OT Student Through her Final Placement
We discuss what she learned, hows she grows, how she overcomes some of the challenges associated with placement and at the end have a discussion on what she feels would be the biggest learning points for other students going through or coming up to their placement.
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Jun 25, 2020
078 – Detrimental Language and Documentation
Language is important. Documentation is important. The people we work with are important. But with all these "important" factors splitting our focus, have we lost the point?
Zara Mills is an RN with extensive experience in mental health and a passion for improving nursing and healthcare in general. We talk often about the language used in health care and the throw-away terms and conversations had by health professionals that have a profound impact on those we work with....without us even realising it.
I'm super glad we got to have one of those conversations on the podcast to share with you all.
Keep Occupied
Brock @brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com
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Jun 15, 2020
077 – The Importance of Language in Disability
Having this discussion about language and how we as therapist use it to frame and situate our therapeutic relationship, power and recovery for the people that we work with.
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May 21, 2020
076 – Surfing the Spectrum
It’s a beautiful thing seeing a therapist incorporate something they're really passionate about into their Occupation Based Practice
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May 5, 2020
075 – Life, Death and Mental Illness
In this episode, we explore Gabe's lived experience of BPAD, his experiences with health services, the impact mental illness has had on his life and EVERYTHING in between.
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Apr 23, 2020
074 – Dev (they/them) and Brock (he/him) deep dive into gender, identity, and stigma
Dev is on a mission. A mission for inclusion. A mission for happiness. A mission for equal rights. A mission for acceptance.
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Apr 15, 2020
073 – Leadership, Mental Health and OT with Dr Virginia “Ginny” Stoffel
I was super excited to talk to this phenomenal OT and garner her perspectives on life, MH and OT.
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Apr 7, 2020
072 – Successful Telehealth with Melissa LaPointe
An episode discussing how therapists can make this transition to telehealth more successfully in this ever changing world we are currently in.
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Mar 31, 2020
071 – The Entrepreneur Mindset
In recent times I've come across some absolutely amazing OT private practices. Becoming an entrepreneur is rapidly becoming a valid career progression for OT's around the world and I suspect that in this current health climate the potential of going into private practice will become more and more enticing, but how is that someone can develop a truly unique and innovative practice? The first step is about developing the mindset required to turn your idea into reality.
Stay safe. Stay home. Keep learning. Share the love with your colleagues. #happyaprilfools
Keep Occupied
Brock@brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com
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Mar 18, 2020
070 – Mindful Moments with Michelle Amussen
In the current climate, it's more important than ever to be in control of your headspace. Michelle has received specialized training in teaching mindfulness and has her own business, Incorporate Mindfulness
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Mar 11, 2020
069 – Meaning, Purpose and Tattoos
Tattoo's and tattooing has become somewhat mainstream in western culture today and we, as therapists, will work with tattooed individuals every day. But how many of us have actually considered them through an occupational lens?
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Feb 29, 2020
068 – Passion and Content Creation with OT Miri
We explore content creation and exchanged hints and tips for OT's to not only find their creative talent but also to dive into sharing it with the world.
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Feb 20, 2020
067 – Sensory Processing and Reflex Integration
Sensory processing is something that is not uncommon to hear spoken about in OT circles but unless you're on the coalface of its application it can seem a little like the therapist is playing games. I am well versed in Sensory Modulation in mental health but I wanted to learn a bit more about the basics of sensory processing in paediatrics.
Kara Rice runs a private practice that specialises in brain development and sensory integration. She was amazing and taught me so much! I really loved how she framed sensory integration not as a standalone modality but in the context of the impact it has on behaviours and reactions.....on OCCUPATIONAL ENGAGEMENT!! This was VERY exciting for me.
Learning about primitive reflect integration was also very exciting for me as it's not something I've ever been exposed to before. If, like me, you have an interest in learning the basics of sensory processing and what an OT does in this space than this is definitely the episode for you!
website: www.brain…
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Feb 14, 2020
066 – The Dark Side of Therapy Memes
This is most definitely a passionate plea from me to you guys. Firstly, I love memes. I think so many of them are amazingly clever and incredibly funny.
Therapy-related memes, however, are a thorn in my side. Firstly, 99.99% of them are not remotely funny. I’m really sorry to break it to you guys but therapeutic relationships are rarely funny and trying to make light of them comes across as soooo forced and often offensive. And this is where today’s episode comes from.
I’ve spoken many times about the impact public portrayal of OT has on our profession. In my opinion, I can see how condoning some of these memes could be doing us damage.
The meme above is the inspiration for this episode. It was a short video of a person falling out of a wheelchair after going off a step. The comment, as can be seen by my comment, is the main part that really got to me.
I encourage you to keep an open mind, have a listen to hear my opinion and come up with your own opinion on the matter.
Keep…
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Feb 7, 2020
065 – Digital Communication, Confidentiality, and Information Sharing
Do you ever wish communication in healthcare was more efficient? Clarissa does – all the time. In this episode, Clarissa shares how her frustrations with clinical communication led her to seek out a job in the health technology industry, and what she learnt about transferability of Occupational Therapy skills in the process.
Clarissa (@geekyOT on Twitter) works in forensic mental health, and also for the secure messaging app Pando.
Pando is free to download in the UK. To get your name on the international waiting list, please email aline@hellopando.com
Show Links:https://hellopando.com/https://hellopando.com/privacy-centre/https://geekyot.com/
Keep occupied
Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT
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Jan 31, 2020
064 – A Lived Experience of Borderline Personality Disorder
DURING THIS PODCAST TOPICS SUCH AS BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER, SELF HARM AND EXPERIENCES OF TREATMENT ARE DISCUSSED. IF THIS IS A TRIGGER OR MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, LOOK AFTER YOURSELF AND DON’T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO LISTEN.
OTforBPD was an account on Instagram and Facebook that I came across through MH4OT. They were putting out some practical and detailed resources for practitioners about the often misunderstood diagnostic category of Borderline Personality Disorder. BPD is a diagnosis that even though I encountered people who have it through my career, I do not feel like I had a good grasp on the user experience of it.
I messaged the page and managed to track down the owner, Laura, who explained that she had a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder, was a qualified OT and her mission was to help not only support others with BPD but to help educate OT’s and other health practitioners about BPD.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD), is a mental illness charact…
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Jan 21, 2020
063 – Unpacking colonised thinking in OT
PLEASE NOTE: This episode discusses topics such as colonisation and racism in multiple forms. The guests would like to make it clear that this episode does not sit as a ‘standalone’ teaching tool. If you are planning to share it with your cohorts of students we encourage you to use it alongside other aspects of the curriculum with cultural responsiveness with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Have you ever considered the impact colonisation might have had on the indigenous peoples of your country? Have you ever considered the ongoing impact these historical events have had in terms of systemic racism and institutional marginalisation of our clients?
Australia has a checkered and often hidden history when it comes to its colonisation by western entities. The impact that this event has had on Australia’s indigenous peoples is something that continues to impact them today. Today’s episode delves into the institutional racism and cultural isolation that continues toda…
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Jan 11, 2020
062 – Meditation and The Good Lives Model with BreeTheOT
Breeanna Janson (@breetheOT) is an Australian OT who I discovered through Instagram and her amazing content. Bree often has “theme weeks” on Instagram where she would education on topics around Occupational Therapy and personal growth including meditation. Bree has a number of amazing projects on the go at once, most of which we touch on during this podcast.
I really wanted to discuss meditation with her and its clinical application for OT’s. Bree has a side gig voicing guided meditations for an app called Bloom. She also utilises the benefits of meditation with a prison population in which she works with.
On that topic, during the conversation, Bree introduced me to an amazing model called the Good Lives Model which we went through and she utilises to highlight where in a persons life meditation can have a huge impact.
View this post on Instagram Here's a pic of me from last Friday, doing more meditation recordings for @bloomapp ✨ @chloeszep @mollyjane A…
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Dec 31, 2019
061 – Picking the Brain of Dr Charles Christiansen
Charles Christiansen is a name that a large portion of Occupational Therapists from around the world would recognise. From his papers to his textbooks to his positions on AOTA and AOTF boards, Charles’ impact on the profession has been nothing short of paradigm-shifting.
I first met Charles in 2012 when he was flown out to a conference here in Australia as the keynote. Through a serendipitous turn of events, I was given the privilege of picking him up from the airport. From that first minute, his bubbly personality and amazingly measured and thoughtful conversations had me enthralled.
Since that time we have kept in contact and it was an absolute pleasure being able to host him on Occupied. An amazing man, an amazing story and such a great conversation.
Keep occupied
Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT
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Dec 19, 2019
060 – BEST OF – Online Technology for Occupational Therapy
WELCOME TO THE OCCUPIED BEST OF!
Voted by you guys as one of the four best episodes thus far, Dr Anita Hamilton has arguably had the biggest influence of any individual on my OT career. If you’ve heard this episode before I can guarantee you’ll get something new out of it. If you haven’t heard this amazing episode before, strap in, you’re in for a ride!
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The one and only Dr Anita Hamilton has had a MASSIVE influence on my career and volunteered me for a number of amazing opportunities I would not otherwise have had the fortitude to tackle. Anita is an expert and leader in the space of OT’s utilising online technology and has been a massive proponent of the OT4OT group who founded and help facilitate the whole range of 4OT facebook communities.
Stay tuned to the end for a WORLD EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT regarding the ongoing future of the OT24VX virtual conference!!!
Also find the “first follower” video dis…
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Dec 13, 2019
059 – BEST OF – Why SMART Goals are DUMB
WELCOME TO THE OCCUPIED BEST OF!
Voted by you guys as one of the four best episodes thus far, this episode rustled more jimmies than just about any other! If you’ve heard this episode before I can guarantee you’ll get something new out of it. If you haven’t heard this amazing episode before, strap in, you’re in for a ride!
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Goals…..we’ve all heard of them and all been advised that we should be using them both personally and clinically….but why and how are we using them? Do we have a good understanding of how they work? Hear me out and I’ll see if I can make you think ?
When I say how do you write a goal I bet this is what you think of:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-bound
………….but why?
I’m sure we’re all very familiar with this format for “goal setting”, it’s been drilled into us for year! But how many of you could list a different goal format right now off the…
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Dec 6, 2019
058 – BEST OF – Occupational Justice with Professor Gail Whiteford
WELCOME TO THE OCCUPIED BEST OF!
Voted by you guys as one of the four best episodes thus far, Professor Gail Whiteford has had an almost immeasurable impact on the profession of Occupational Therapy. If you’ve heard this episode before I can guarantee you’ll get something new out of it. If you haven’t heard this amazing episode before, strap in, you’re in for a ride!
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I am honestly so excited about this episode. When Gail first sent me a message asking to be on the podcast I almost fell off my chair. All my Occupational dreams come true!
Professor Gail Whiteford has been an OT hero of mine for the longest time and even though we have met multiple times, getting to have a chat with her was a surreal experience. To say I was fan-boying was an understatement. Coming to the conclusion that she is not only one of the most intelligent and well rounded Occupational Therapists i know but also one of the most easy to ta…
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Nov 30, 2019
057 – BEST OF – The Dark Side of Occupation with Rebecca Twinley
WELCOME TO THE OCCUPIED BEST OF!
Voted by you guys as one of the four best episodes thus far, Rebecca Twinley’s Dark Side of Occupation has been growing exponentially over the last few years. If you’ve heard this episode before I can guarantee you’ll get something new out of it. If you haven’t heard this amazing episode before, strap in, you’re in for a ride!
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Dr Twinley came into my life, as many have, via online connections and shared thoughts on Occupation and Occupational Therapy. When we first connected was just before she publicly released the concept of The Dark Side of Occupation. This concept very easily resonated with me. It integrated into my clinical practice and conceptualization very easily. It just made sense.
The understanding that occupations having purpose and meaning, being contextually situated and having an impact on health are nothing new to OTs. Reflecting on “the dark side” of occu…
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Nov 20, 2019
056 – What If You Just Found Out That You Had A Sibling?
Have you ever thought about how your life would change if you just found out you had a sibling? Sounds like a movie script right? What if one sibling was an Occupational Therapist and the other had Cerebral Palsy? How would your occupations change? How would your family dynamic change?
I came across Whitney and Dexter's story on Instagram. In this podcast, we explored their amazing story and how finding each other has impacted both of them.
View this post on Instagram Hey guys my name is Dexter I am the other half of the team here at Tied Together I'm 26 I have cerebral palsy which has been one of craziest experiences of my life along with finding my long lost sister. What I hope to bring to this page is the fun? as well as give voice to those who are in my situation or similar situations to let you know 1)there's hope 2) you're not in this alone 3) your voice matters With that said welcome to Tied Together let's have some fun #cerebralpalsy #disability #adventure…
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Nov 11, 2019
055 – Exploring Neuro with TheBrainyOT
I came across Crystal's Intagram account during her "Neuro A-Z Photo Challenge". Her content and explanations are exceptional and I learned a lot. Since then her content has continued with her focus on educating OT's and the public on all things neuro, especially stroke. Her passion for her practice area is very obvious and infectious.
We explored her journey into OT, her passion for promoting brain health as well as a number of other helpful little tidbits for therapists to be aware of.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by ??????? ? ??????????? ? (@thebrainyot) on May 21, 2019 at 6:29pm PDT
The following website was also discussed by Crystal during the episode:
EBRSR.com (Evidence-Based Review of Stroke Rehabilitation)
You can also check out her blog at: https://thebrainyot.wixsite.com/website
Keep Occupied
Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT
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Oct 31, 2019
054 – Mental Wellbeing and Occupational Therapy
This episode I wanted to reflect on an idea that I've been playing around with for a few weeks and that's the difference between Mental Health and Mental Illness. Having an understanding of the links between wellbeing and mental health is a skill that every clinician can take into just about every clinical practice area.
This is an area and a concept that fits core with Occupational Therapy and isn't constrained by the boundaries of Mental Health practice. Exploring Mental Wellbeing with clients is something for ALL OT's to engage in....but how?
"There is no health without Mental Health" Erik Johnson
During the episode I explore one model for wellbeing that you can find here:
https://www.wheelofwellbeing.org/
Keep Occupied
Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT
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Oct 19, 2019
053 – Brooke George is Teaming with Dementia
I know a lot of passionate people. I also know a lot of people in a lot of different practice areas. I've been lucky enough to know a couple of people who are incredibly passionate about working in the aged care sector. Brooke George has an amazing passion for working with people who have dementia. Those of you who have listened to a couple of episodes will know that this is far from my forte so I've been keen to learn more.
This conversation was one that I'd wanted to have for a long time given my own knowledge gap. I learned an absolute tonne about working with people with dementia. We also explored how Occupation based practice can be exemplified in this practice area. Brooke was also able to highlight some of the difficulties of working in this practice area.
It was a fantastic conversation and Brooke was brilliant. I learned a tonne from her expertise and I'm sure you will too.
https://www.holisticoccupationaltherapy.com.au/
Brooke also posts a TONNE of amazing videos and reso…
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Oct 8, 2019
052 – An OT Students Lived Experience of Chronic Pain
Continuing on a bit of a trend of lived experiences on the podcast I roped in the awesome Taylah Douglass to have a chat about her experience with Chronic Pain. Taylah is currently completing her OT degree just outside of Melbourne Australia and the combination of her study and her experience of pain has given her some great insights into its impact on occupational engagement.
Her story and her insights are invaluable and I learned so much about the mindset, and the toll that pain can have on a person. With roughly 1/5 people having chronic pain of some kind in their lives if you are lucky enough to not experience this for yourself you will definitely work with someone during your career who does. For this reason, gaining an understanding of the experience and toll of pain on a person is invaluable for an Occupational Therapist.
Resources Mentioned in the podcast:
retrainpain.org
Painfreeyou.com
Thankyoudrsarno.org (page full of success stories healing from chronic pain through the m…
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Sep 30, 2019
051 – When You Love What You Do…WORK with Karen Jacobs
Professor Karen Jacobs is one of those guests that makes me feel like I don't work hard enough. Any of the projects she has been involved in could be looked at as career-defining by mere mortals like myself. Everything from writing textbooks, creating national campaigns looking at safe backpack use, writing a library of kids books. Also, she's been President and VP of AOTA, run a cable TV show, started an academic journal and runs an OT podcast. The list goes on and on and on!
I first "met" Karen in 2011 when I first got involved with the OT4OT team (where she was a member). There, I was able to help them out with their 24hr virtual conference as well as their suite of Facebook groups. The more I learned about her the more I was just in awe of the impact she has had on our profession.
AOTA's summary:
Jacobs is a clinical professor of occupational therapy and the program director of the distance education post-professional occupational therapy programs at Boston University. She has e…
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Sep 11, 2019
050 – A Celebration of you, the Listener
When I started Occupied I didn't really have a plan for how it was going to go. It was a form of creative expression for me and I enjoyed learning the process and creating a product. The uptake of said product has been absolutely amazing.
I'd be lying if I said I was excited every single hour of the editing process or thrilled to get up at 4am to record but the feedback from you guys and hearing every now and then that you love the conversations is a big part that keeps it fun and interesting.
50 episodes
70k+ downloads
34 amazing guests
55+hours of released content.
70+hrs of recording
140gig of raw audio files
115 countries reached
44 different podcast apps
2 websites
2 MacBook Pro's
3 Microphones
Still only 1 tech issue (touch wood)
Many early morning alarm clocks
A Million laughs
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means the world that you guys would listen, comment, email, share, like even just think positive thoughts about the podcast. I encourage you to keep building th…
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Sep 9, 2019
049 – Meaning and Occupational Engagement
This is an emerging topic for me. It's something for which I've seen a correlation for many many years. Now is the stage in my career where I'm starting to explore this more in-depth. Meaning is arguably the most important aspect of a person's occupation. Yet, in my experience, it is also one of the most neglected or least understood areas of our practice.
This episode I wanted to take some time to reflect on my thought process and how "meaning" has evolved over my career.
I make reference to an article during the episode that has recently provided me with some food for thought around this:
Morris, K., Cox, DL. (2017) Developing a descriptive framework for “occupational engagement” Journal of Occupational Science 24 (2), 152-164
Would love to hear your thoughts on "meaning" and how you see it relating to occupational therapy! Shoot me an email or a voice mail! All links in the profile.
Keep Occupied
Brock @brockcookOT brock.cook@me.com
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Aug 31, 2019
048 – OTReference Discusses the Similarities Between OT and Powerlifting
Since the beginning of my involvement in the sport of powerlifting, I've always been fascinated by the similarities. There are close links between the skillsets required to excel in Powerlifting and those commonly utilised by Occupational Therapists. I have, previously, written blog posts on how I've utilised my OT skillset in my coaching. To build on those I have planned to record an episode on it for the longest time.
At about the same time I started this podcast, I came across two ladies on Instagram. One was a powerlifter, one an OT who was developing quick reference products for students and therapists. I'm semi ashamed to admit that it took a good 12 months for me to work out that these two ladies were, in fact, one and the same...Jennifer of @OTreference.
I was talking with Jennifer one day about these previously mentioned similarities between the profession. I reflected and knew that I couldn't record this episode on my own. Luckily for me, Jennifer agreed to come and have a…
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Aug 22, 2019
047 – The Life and Times of the Occupational Therapy Hub
There aren't too many OT's in the online space that hasn't come across or seen posts from The Occupational Therapy Hub. I've known Jamie for about as long as Occupied has existed. He was one of the very first people to contact me after the release of my very first episode. Since that time Jamie has always been a strong supporter of Occupied and all of the OT podcasts out there.
From Radio and TV then on to Occupational Therapy, Jamie discusses his journey and all the ups and downs along the way. Glad I was even able to teach him a new saying:
"The important thing to remember about the idiom "how the sausage gets made" is that it always refers to UNPLEASANT details (not boring details, unimportant details, etc.) and it always refers to a PROCESS. It means that there are a number of details that we'd rather not hear about."
https://www.italki.com/question/129918
Jamie had a vision when he was an OT student and that was to create a "hub" where OT related resources could be curated i…
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Aug 14, 2019
046 – Overcoming Anxiety/PTSD with one of the Worlds Strongest Humans
DURING THIS PODCAST TOPICS SUCH AS ABUSE, PTSD AND VIOLENCE ARE DISCUSSED. THERE IS ALSO STRONG LANGUAGE USED. IF THIS IS A TRIGGER OR MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, LOOK AFTER YOURSELF AND DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO LISTEN.
When we think of Anxiety and PTSD we all would get some image of a person in our heads. But what we need to understand is that no matter what that image looks like, it's wrong. PTSD and anxiety are both in-discriminatory.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Heather Connor (@heather.e.connor) on Oct 27, 2018 at 10:36am PDT
I had the absolute privilege of knowing and being able to chat with Heather Connor who is pound-for-pound one of the strongest drug-free powerlifters on earth. With multiple national and international titles and records under her belt she is looked up to and admired by people all over the world for her strength, dedication, work ethic and her humorous outlook on life (as well as her dogs, Pancake and Butters lol)…
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Aug 5, 2019
045 – Newgrad Mental Health and the Transition from Student
This conversation starting talking about the transition and what to expect moving from a student to newgrad practitioner. Thalia was honest and raw and didn’t sugar-coat any of the experiences, good and bad. We explored the intricacies of practitioner mental health. The aim being to come up with some strategies for newgrads to help maintaining their mental health and thrive during the transition. Thalia, as am I, is of the opinion that this level of awareness and conversation is important for newgrads to be exposed to.
I first came across Thalia about a year ago and was instantly taken by her confidence in putting herself and her experiences out there for the world to see and to learn from. At the time she was a student who had been documenting her placement experiences and reflecting on them in youtube videos on her channel, Endless Eduation.
She has since then graduated and begun working as an Occupational Therapist. Her channel, likewise, has graduated to sharing her musings…
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Jul 22, 2019
044 – OTAus2019 Conference Reflection
On July 10-12th 2019 I found my way to Sydney for the 28th Occupational Therapy Australia National Conference & Exhibition. This was my 4th Australian National Conference which runs every 2 years. In this episode, I'd love to highlight some of the key moments and amazing inspirations for me from #OTAus2019.
Key Conference Stats
Delegates
1419 Registrations (Record Number!)
915 OTA Members
283 Students & New Graduates
14 Countries
Australia, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, United Kingdom, USA, Vietnam
Program
642 Abstract Submissions
6 Occupation Stations (New Format!)
347 Oral Presentations
168 ePosters
Exhibition & Media
18 Organisations Sponsoring
120 Organisations Exhibiting
40+ First Time Exhibitors
12 Media Releases
Leigh Sales AM and her brilliant presentation about adjusting after life-changing events.
Associate Professor Natasha Lannin and her amazing keynote focused on how we can sustainably get more cli…
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Jul 14, 2019
043 – Sense Rugby: Occupation-Based Practice with Passion
I first came across Sense Rugby when the below video came across my facebook browsing. Being a strong advocate for occupation-based practice AND an old rugby union tragic, this video appealed to me on multiple levels. The use of Rugby Union as a therapy seemed so simple yea sooooo powerful.
The combination of Occupational Therapist, Carlien Parahi and her husband, Australian 7's Rugby representative, Jesse Parahi has produced an amazing service. Utilising the culture, training, social aspects and even the equipment of rugby union and adjusting it to make it fully accessible to their clients is their core business. There is no inclusion criteria for Sense Rugby. Due to the word of mouth of friends or other therapists they have amassed a small army of children who are now reaping the benefits of organised team sport.
Their amazing program has now expanded across almost 20 locations across Australia. They are planning to expand it even further to other parts of the country and the wo…
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Jul 2, 2019
042 – Choose your Mental Health with Sarah Cawthorne
DURING THIS PODCAST TOPICS SUCH AS SUICIDE AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION ARE DISCUSSED. IF THIS IS A TRIGGER OR MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, LOOK AFTER YOURSELF AND DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO LISTEN.
DURING THIS PODCAST PERSONAL OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCES WITH MENTAL HEALTH AND MEDICATIONS ARE DISCUSSED. THESE ARE OUR PERSONAL OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCES ONLY AND YOU SHOULD DISCUSS YOURS WITH YOUR DOCTOR.
Who is Sarah?
Sarah Cawthorne is a friend and an amazing human. She's always been open and friendly and there for people who need her. Almost 12 months ago she made an amazingly honest post on Instagram addressing her experience with detrimental alcohol use and her recent decision to "remove alcohol from her life". I remember talking with Sarah at the time and being in absolute awe of her strength and clarity around the issue. To see someone who was so physically strong (she's a badass, strong AF, powerlifter), have a hidden weakness for alcohol and to be on the journey to addressing it is so…
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Jun 24, 2019
041 – How to Become an Entrepreneur in Private Practice
Laura Park Figueroa, to me, is something special in the profession. To take on the often scary role of an entrepreneur and turn your passion into a private practice takes STONES. This is exactly what Laura has done with her practice, Outdoor Kids Occupational Therapy. Loving the great outdoors and having that connection with nature are driving forces behind the business.
Laura also runs the Mind Your OT Business podcast where she shares her insights and thoughts about private practice and supporting OT's to take the plunge! We delved into her journey into private practice as well as what it might take for others to do the same.
I was able to draw on my experience of a time when I NEARLY became an entrepreneur myself and Laura helped me highlight the areas where I could have improved.
I'm a firm believer that many of the amazing new and adventurous OT practice out there at the moment is coming from the brave people in the entrepreneurial space. Those that are brave enough to really b…
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Jun 12, 2019
040 – Michelle Perryman Hijacks Occupied
A while ago I asked Michelle to come and be a guest on Occupied. As I had expected she agreed but then retorted, "I'm going to interview you". We both laughed and that was that for a couple months while we tried to nail down an appropriate time. When we did find a time Michelle mentioned that she had been thinking about questions to ask me. This is when I finally realised she was serious....she was intending to hijack the podcast!
In all seriousness though, Michelle and I have known each other for a long time and we talk often about all things OT and OS so I knew her questions and ideas were going to be deep. We went right through my OT history but from the perspective of my conceptual development which was an interesting reflection.
I hope there's something for everyone in this one as we explore a whole gamut of OT and the OT process. Some strong discussions around Occupation based practice, institutional trauma, alternative lenses and where we'd like to see the profession go in the…
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Jun 3, 2019
039 – From Army OT to Adaptive Gaming
The release of the adaptive XBox controller might have been something you saw cross your news feed a while back. You may even have thought "damn that's awesome, I wonder how OT's are going to use this". What you may not have known is that an OT was heavily involved in its development! Erik Johnson is that very OT and his story is phenomenal. Some of you may remember Erik from his time in the Army when was known across the social media landscape as ArmyOTguy. Back then, like me, you might have been in awe of his amazing work with service men DURING his deployment to Afghanistan. For me it really opened up my mind about the potential for where OT's could work. At the time he also inspired me to explore the use of Nintendo Wii in my own practice area. Fast forward a few years and Erik retired from the Army. Since then he helped start Warfighter Engaged, a volunteer company that custom designs and sets up adaptive control centres for people with accessibility issues so they can en…
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May 20, 2019
038 – Is Occupational Balance BS? ft Alexis Joelle
Alexis is an OT, an online juggernaut, a clinical mentor and metaphor aficionado. If you're on Instagram or Facebook then you have more than likely come across some of her posts, stories or live chats. Hard to imagine how she has any balance.... ;)
A few months ago Alexis invited me to do an Insta-live with her. Honestly, I can't even remember what we originally started talking about but we digressed to occupational balance. We decided then and there that we needed to record a podcast and give the topic the time and space that it deserved.
Occupational Balance is a concept that ALL occupational therapists have heard of and the majority would mention regularly, usually as a potential or ideal outcome. But how many have thought about the concept in detail? How many have considered the process of occupational balance outside of the feeling that we get when we have "achieved" it? What is actually being balanced?
Definition:
balance /ˈbal(ə)ns/noun 1. an even distribution of weigh…
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May 11, 2019
037 – An Occupational Analysis of Coffee
"Coffee, a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds of berries from certain Coffea species." I can guarantee you that many people reading this did not know that a coffee bean comes out of a cherry! Why? Because, for most of us, it's not important to our engagement with it. Some of you may not even be aware that it is a seed! and some of you might not like coffee at all (say it isn't so!). What I want to do with this episode is take something that I love and explore how it has the potential to mean so many different things to different people. By looking at the different ways in which it can be engaged with I'm hoping it will act as a lesson/reminder that context is king and assumptions of meaning have very little place in Occupational Therapy. As an added bonus, I came out of this episode so highly caffeinated I recorded another right after it! Keep occupied
Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT
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May 1, 2019
036 – The Occupation within Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a clinical modality that I was introduced and exposed to during my clinical career. Unlike many psychotherapies, ACT was always able to be incorporated into an Occupation-Based Practice framework.
I came across Lou Sanguine on Facebook through a post about the podcast. She challenged me to make a post about ACT. I challenged her to make it with me. It was a challenge but she caved and joined me for a chat. We explored this new experience for Lou during the conversation and use it as an example to explain a lot of the different aspects of ACT....very meta.
Lou's knowledge and passion for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy runs deep and that comes across in our conversation. She mentions the underpinnings being based in Contextual Behavioural Science. If you'd like to explore this more, do check out their website contextualscience.org
For more regular updates and information on ACT in the OT profession go ahead and give Lou's FB page a like:…
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Apr 22, 2019
035 – The Realities of living with Schizophrenia
There's very little I can say about RachelStarLive that she hasn't expressed herself in one of her amazing youtube videos. So using her own words, Rachel is a "schizophrenic badass from Youtube and TV stuff." She's been on Americas Got Talent & Ninja Warrior. She is a Mental Health advocate. She's a Schizophrenic (listen to the episode before you take offence to the word). She's survived a flesh-eating bacteria. She's a Stuntwoman. She is not a pornstar.
Her story is diverse, scary, inspiring, shocking and all that without even considering her schizophrenia. When people say they've "been through some stuff," Rachel is the embodiment of that phrase.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjxmQt47Uwo
I've personally used some of Rachel's videos to help teach students about the lived experience of various symptoms etc. So when it came to wanting to highlight lived experience on the podcast there was no one else for me, It had to be Rachel.
There are a lot of things that originally dre…
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Apr 14, 2019
034 – The Dark Side of Occupation with Dr Rebecca Twinley
Dr Twinley came into my life, as many have, via online connections and shared thoughts on Occupation and Occupational Therapy. When we first connected was just before she publicly released the concept of The Dark Side of Occupation. This concept very easily resonated with me. It integrated into my clinical practice and conceptualization very easily. It just made sense.
The understanding that occupations having purpose and meaning, being contextually situated and having an impact on health are nothing new to OTs. Reflecting on "the dark side" of occupations and seeing that there are many people in society, you included, who engage in maladaptive, harmful or health decreasing occupations was profound. It's something, that for many, doesn't seem to have been given the focus it deserved until it was given a name.
Why is it important?
Since this time I've seen the concept spread and evolve and become more widespread. One thing I've seen is the evolution of how people used the term. It wa…
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Apr 6, 2019
033 – Thoughts on how OT’s can talk about OT
It's OT Month in the states and I've seen a TONNE of social media posts promoting the profession and saying how amazing we are and outlining the wide variety of things we can do. What I haven't seen is a large swell of people promoting the profession outside of the profession. I'm all for giving each other a pat on the back when we've done something awesome, 100% but don't expect that pat on the back to be anything other then what it is. If we really want people outside the profession to understand what we do then we need to promote to them.
So why now?
This all started after a conversation with Gail Whiteford. Sitting on my couch the other day I had the thought that I would put out my "elevator speech" to see if it was similar to other peoples. I also wanted to share with my networks (most of which are non-OT's) with the hope that it might trigger the conversation where I could explain fully about our amazing profession. What I didn't expect was the reaction these three little pic…
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Apr 1, 2019
032 – The Rocket OT returns to Earth: Occupation in Action
You may remember Simone from episode 2! She is the creator of the Regulation Rocket and an amazing occupation-based pediatric OT. Simone has definitely been one of our most popular guests. She has just got back to Australia after spending a year travelling the world (pretty sure the last episode was recorded from Japan!). Because of that, I thought it was time to touch base again and explore her occupational brain. :) From the moment we met Simone and I have got along really well and found that we're both on the same occupational wavelength. We could literally talk for days if left to our own devices. This episode we explore her new business venture including telehealth and how occupation can be implemented using it. We went deep into the realities of implementing Occupation Based Practice and the systemic limitations that become barriers. Naturally, a lot of pet peeves came to the surface such as OT memes, client labels, generational communication differences. We explored the im…
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Mar 21, 2019
031 – Succeeding to Fail with Jon Jon Rivero
Prior to meeting Jon Jon my measures of success were most definitely material and superficial. Since that time I've been a much more introspective OT. I met Jon Jon Rivero in 2014 when he came to Australia to deliver the keynote at the QLD State Conference. I've still never been to a more amazing presentation. There was singing, dancing, roundhouse kicks, beatboxing, harmonica as well as amazing occupation based practice stories. I learned about creativity and growth and finding yoURawesome.
Since that time we've kept in touch and I've followed along the success, growth and development of Qi Creative. Some of you may have seen me hinting at a link between my last guest, Meghan Harris, and Jon Jon and that link is that Meg also works for Qi!
The conversation ended up moving towards something that I'd been mulling over for a few weeks and thats, pulling success from failure. Jon Jon was open and honest enough to share an amazing story. He told how a large part of his professional self…
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Mar 13, 2019
030 – An OT’s Story of Trauma and Rehab
THIS EPISODE DISCUSSES TRAUMA & TRAUMATIC INJURY. ALTHOUGH THERE IS IS NOTHING OVERLY GRAPHIC OR NEGATIVE, PLEASE DO EXERCISE COMMON SENSE IF YOU FIND THESE TOPICS DIFFICULT OR TRAUMATIC.
Meghan and I connected many years ago on twitter and I've followed her career and growth since then.
Last year Meghan and a group of others from her cycling club were hit by a truck whilst out for a ride. She suffered vast and traumatic injuries and spent a long while in a rehabilitation hospital. Meghan is now back at home but still working through her rehabilitation. In this conversation, we explored Meghan's experience right from the accident to this point in time through her occupational lense. The hope is that we are able to give therapists a view and perspective from the other side of the fence.
Through the trauma, Meghan remained positive and driven. This was something I was curious about and we did get to discuss the realities of this perception. Meghan is an amazing therapist and her vie…
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Mar 7, 2019
029 – OT After Dark: Sex as an ADL
SOME CONTENT IN THIS PODCAST MAY BE CONSIDERED EXPLICIT BY SOME PEOPLE. SEX AND INTIMACY TOPICS ARE DISCUSSED AND MAY INCLUDE SOME COLLOQUIAL TERMINOLOGIES. EXERCISE COMMON SENSE IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY THESE OR RELATED TOPICS. I discovered the OT After Dark podcast only 4hrs after they released their first episode (Sex as an ADL). My initial reaction was "Yes! Finally someone is brave enough to talk about sex and sexuality in a public forum!" But it got even better. Firstly, they're hilarious and very personable. Secondly although speaking candidly about these topics they are exceptionally well read and well researched.... They also include, on their website, all of the research they discuss in each episode for your perusal. I firmly believe that sex, sexuality and intimacy are topics that OT's often neglect for a variety of reasons. Similar to most social change I feel that opening the conversation is the first step. Exposure to the topics will hopefully ease some of the anxiety…
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Feb 26, 2019
028 – Seniors Flourish in a Digital World with Mandy Chamberlain
You may know Mandy as Seniors Flourish. She's an OT. Entrepreneur. Business Owner. OG OT Podcaster. Online OT personality. but most of all she was kind enough to come and have a chat with us here at OCCUPIED.
Many of you may have come across her work on social media where she produces and curates tonnes of useful and interesting content for therapists in all areas of practice. Her work is, as the name suggests, predominantly targeted at those working with seniors in the aged care sector and we explored just why her passions lay in this practice area.
It was an extremely fun conversation that had us both laughing a lot. We explored Mandy's journey into OT, her business, her podcast, the evolution of digital tech and even her dance prowess.
If you don't already definitely get along and check out her website and social profiles:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
And if you are in aged care or have an interest in aged care her membership site, The Learning Lab, provides and unprecedented comm…
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Feb 19, 2019
027 – Occupational Observations of a Natural Disaster
I'd like to reflect on a natural disaster. At the beginning of February 2019 the city where I live was stuck under a monsoonal rain even for over a week. This event dumped over 1.6m (5ft) of water in 7 days. Townsville being a typically dry place was not designed or ready to drain and divert more than its yearly rainfall in one week. What proceeded was a 1 in 100 year wet event with unprecedented flooding.
Throughout the event I received so many messages from friends, family and fans of the podcast and I'd like to thank you for your thoughts and concern. It meant the worlds. Long story short, myself, my family and most importantly my dog are all fine. We didn't even get the worst of it. Some of the suburbs on the south side of Townsville were completely devastated. In many cases lost everything they owned.
The Podcast
This podcast is some observations I made during the even through an occupational lens. My aim is not to sugar coat, nor shield anyone from the realities of natural di…
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Feb 12, 2019
026 – How and Why EVERY Occupational Therapist needs to Research with Dr Kitty & Dr Anna
Kitty (@truly_radical_) contacted me over Twitter some time ago and emphatically stated that she wanted to talk with me about research. She told me that herself and fellow OT, Anna (@aurbanowicz) had a huge passion for promoting research to Occupational Therapists. She wondered if I would like to talk about it with them on Occupied.... definitely!
Dr Anna Urbanowicz and Dr Kitty-Rose Foley did their PhD's at the same time in the same place. This lead to two very different directions and experiences. Sitting down and chatting with the two of them highlighted the challenges and rewards of completing research and a PhD.
Anna is Australian but currently in the United States as a VC Postdoctoral Fellow (Fulbright Scholar) at RMIT University. Learning inclusive research techniques to bring back to her work in Australia.
We talked about their respective journeys through PhD and into Post Doc. From there we went on to explore why research is important to the profession and various ways th…
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Jan 31, 2019
025 – Mindfulness and Occupational Therapy with Leah Forman
Leah Forman is a COTA and an OTD student whom I originally discovered from her Instagram. The very first post I saw was a photo of a pelvis and a comment about womens health, mindfulness and OT. This (strangely) caught my eye due to my good friend Melissa LaPointe and her business/interest/passion in the field.
I also noticed Leah had a blog and through reading some of her posts I got to see some quite similar interests to myself. The use of mindfulness and meditation being one of them. Connecting with her then and having further discussions it didn't take long to work out we were on the same wavelength about a lot of different things. Seemed like a no brainer to get her on Occupied and see where the conversation took us!
Leah taught me about what a COTA is and what they do. We also explored the therapeutic use of mindfulness and meditation. Finally we looked into the links that can be seen between the concepts of mindfulness, minimalism and Occupational Therapy. The conversation was…
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Jan 19, 2019
024 – Occupational Justice with Professor Gail Whiteford
I am honestly so excited about this episode. When Gail first sent me a message asking to be on the podcast I almost fell off my chair. All my Occupational dreams come true!
Professor Gail Whiteford has been an OT hero of mine for the longest time and even though we have met multiple times, getting to have a chat with her was a surreal experience. To say I was fan-boying was an understatement. Coming to the conclusion that she is not only one of the most intelligent and well rounded Occupational Therapists i know but also one of the most easy to talk to and engage with. I can't thank Gail enough for allowing me to pick her brain.
Professor Whiteford's work has had a significant and lasting impact on the direction of the profession and Occupational Science. In particular her work with Dr Elizabeth Townsend in the development and promotion of the Participatory Occupational Justice Framework was something that resonated with me from the core of my OT beliefs. Being involved with OT organis…
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Jan 8, 2019
023 – WFOTvx: Podcasting 101
December 2018 I was given the opportunity to co-present a webinar for the new WFOTvx series of professional development things. Myself, Karen Jacobs of Lifestyle by Design and Stephanie Lancaster of On The Air presented a Podcasting 101 webinar for Occupational Therapists.We covered everything from the workflow involved in creating and publishing a podcast as well as how OT's can utilise this media space for their own professional development.A massive thanks to WFOT for supporting this presentation and to Karen Jacobs for facilitating and inviting me to be part of it.The recording of the webinar can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUOHG2ZVyZs
Keep occupied
Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT
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Dec 30, 2018
022 – Going From Burnt Out to Lit Up with Erika Del Pozo
Erika is an OT and entrepreneur who together with her husband, Mike, run their business Joy Energy Time. Their focus on burnout in health professionals is a contemporary issue that needs to be addressed now before it becomes an epidemic.
How I found Erika
I first came across Joy Energy Time on Instagram and, being the visual person I am, was instantly attracted by their awesome pineapple logo. I found the podcast and was an almost instant fan! I'm generally quite picky with the podcasts but i instantly got this sense that the content Erika and Mike were putting out was real and honest. I tuned into an amazing Instagram Live story where Erika explored a revelation she had recently had about her long term anxiety and burnout. She then turned that into a podcast which I have shared for you below.
It takes a special something to be able to put yourself out to the world like that. It takes something even more special to take these experiences and turn them into an opportunity. This is exact…
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Dec 17, 2018
021 – In Depth on Diversity with Alondra Ammon
Alondra Ammon is an Occupational Therapist from California. She graduated with her masters in Occupational Therapy from Samuel Merritt University and is currently working as a school-based OT. Her passion is Diversity and the promotion of the profession!
I first came across Alondra's youtube channel and being a bit of a geek had a search around for the rest of her social media presence. After that, we engaged in some conversations over Twitter where I found that she had been on On The Air. The diversity of her professional experience, her bright and bubbly personality and her interest in promoting diversity throughout Occupational Therapy all added up to her being someone I just had to chat with. I have always found people with a broad and varied life experience have the most interesting perspectives on things and Alondra's military and previous health service experience intrigued me.
At the beginning of the episode, we discussed Occupied Ep 020 which wasn't released at the time of re…
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Dec 4, 2018
020 – Is the Sex Disparity in Occupational Therapy all Bad?
Today's discussion stemmed from a number of observations of late. Seemed like too much of a coincidence that the topic came up multiple times in a very short space of time so I decided to put together my thoughts. I'm very aware that for some people this topic is quite sensitive. I do encourage you to have a listen with an open mind as I am simply trying to highlight an idea that I haven't seen spoken about in the literature. That idea is that changing the demographics of Occupational Therapy will change the profession fundamentally. I definitely don't have a definitive answer to any of these raised concerns but the (well rounded) discussion needs to happen.
Topics:
I compare some of the reported experiences from the literature to my personal experience. My belief is that the experiences are legitimate but my interpretation of the cause of these experiences seems to differ greatly from those presented in the articles that I have read. I've seen a lot of very heated discussion on the…
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Nov 25, 2018
019 – Occupation Based Practice with Dr Nicholson
Dr. Ellen Nicholson is the Head of Department at the Aukland University of Technology's, Department of Occupational Science and Therapy and has had a vast and profound influence on my own career being the inspiration for Operation Occupation. We talked about everything from her journey into OT, the professions move back towards Occupation, and the role of Occupational Language in that journey.
I first came across Ellen's work in ~2012 when she presented at the OT24VX on her PHD research. This really hit me at a time in my career when I was having a professional identity crisis. I was struggling to even work out if i was working as an Occupational Therapist. Ellen was super friendly and easy to connect with. She normalised a lot of the feelings and experiences that I was having at the time and acted as a super intelligent, amazing soundboard.
Using her references, ideas and inspiration i not only changed my own practice but also started a couple projects that aimed to support other cl…
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Nov 14, 2018
018 – Occupational Transition Periods
We've looked at values and how they may highlight a person's occupational needs so the next logical progression is to have a look about what happens when someone changes the occupation that fills a need. That gap between occupations is a time that I feel OT's can really have an incredible impact on peoples lives. Let's explore the different types of transitions and how this can impact on the interventions and OT could perform.
Keep occupied
Brock
brock.cook@me.com
@brockcookOT
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Nov 8, 2018
017 – Sarah Putt is an OT4LYFE pt2
We continue our chat about Sarah's experiences overseas, what developed country OT's could learn from these limited resource experiences, professional understanding of culture and OT's use of diagnosis.
Sarah Putt is pediatric OT and fellow podcaster! She currently runs her own practice but has practiced in more countries than I was able to count and has some amazing stories to go with it! As expected we discuss the amazing medium of podcasting and how OT's can benefit and engage in it and she also introduces me to Hippotherapy and the occupation based benefits for service users of this very unique practice modality.
OT4LYFE.com
You can find the OT4LYFE podcast anywhere you can find Occupied
Also check out the FB page:
or Insta:
or contact Sarah Via Twitter:
@OT4LYFE
Keep occupied
Brock
brock.cook@me.com
@brockcookOT
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Nov 1, 2018
016 – Sarah Putt is an OT4LYFE pt1
Sarah Putt is pediatric OT and fellow podcaster! She currently runs her own practice but has practiced in more countries than I was able to count and has some amazing stories to go with it! As expected we discuss the amazing medium of podcasting and how OT's can benefit and engage in it and she also introduces me to Hippotherapy and the occupation based benefits for service users of this very unique practice modality.
OT4LYFE.com
You can find the OT4LYFE podcast anywhere you can find Occupied
Also check out the FB page:
or Insta:
or contact Sarah Via Twitter:
@OT4LYFE
Keep occupied
Brock
brock.cook@me.com
@brockcookOT
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Oct 15, 2018
015 – Occupational Interviewing
As requested! an expansion of Episode 009 - How Do Values Fit with OT Practice by having a chat about how I've used these concepts in practice. Looking at a very practical way of finding a person's occupational needs which can then be used to guide the occupation based practice direction.
Super keen to start the discussion an hear if other clinicians have used any values-based perspectives in Occupational Therapy
Keep occupied
Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT
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Oct 1, 2018
014 – Exploring the Experiences of Three Early Career Academics pt2
The 2nd half of our roundtable discussion with Michelle Perryman and Dr Jessie Wilson about the challenges of transitioning from a clinical OT role into an academic role. Between the three of us we are from 3 different countries, pre, during & post Phd, varying clinical backgrounds, and all have recently moved into academia.
Keep occupied
Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT
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Sep 24, 2018
013 – Exploring the Experiences of Three Early Career Academics pt1
A roundtable discussion with Michelle Perryman and Dr Jessie Wilson about the challenges of transitioning from a clinical OT role into an academic role. Between the three of us we are from 3 different countries, pre, during & post Phd, varying clinical backgrounds, and all have recently moved into academia. Being able to compare multiple experiences from around the world fostered some amazing conversation that I hope any people considering a move into academia will find interesting.
Keep occupied
Brock
brock.cook@me.com
@brockcookOT
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Sep 15, 2018
012 – OT School to School OT
Stephanie Healey graduated from the University of the Sunshine Coast and moved into her first OT position with the Department of Education in her home state. This position turns out to be quite unique in Australia and I wanted to learn all about it. Steph explained the types of intervention she does with her students, her journey into OT and her dream roll!
Keep occupied
Brock
brock.cook@me.com
@brockcookOT
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Sep 4, 2018
011 – Online Technology for Occupational Therapy
The one and only Dr Anita Hamilton has had a MASSIVE influence on my career and volunteered me for a number of amazing opportunities I would not otherwise have had the fortitude to tackle. Anita is an expert and leader in the space of OT's utilising online technology and has been a massive proponent of the OT4OT group who founded and help facilitate the whole range of 4OT facebook communities.
Stay tuned to the end for a WORLD EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT regarding the ongoing future of the OT24VX virtual conference!!!
Also find the "first follower" video discussed in the episode:
https://youtu.be/fW8amMCVAJQ
Anita's video highlighting the use of her model of knowledge dissemination "the IM-KT Framework":
https://youtu.be/AsJzjeieqf0
Keep occupied
Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT
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Aug 26, 2018
010 – The Grey Revolution: Aged Care’s Young Leaders
Samantha Bowen is an Occupational Therapist from Perth Australia who found her passion in the aged care sector. Samantha started Acorn Network, an entrepreneurial venture aimed at promoting young leaders in the aged care sector by providing mentoring, support and growth services to individuals and companies.
http://www.acorn-network.com.au/
Samantha has also just dropped her own podcast (The Grey Revolution)! So if you work in aged care, are interested in aged care or just breathe air then check it out!
http://www.acorn-network.com.au/podcast/
Keep occupied
Brock
brock.cook@me.com
@brockcookOT
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Aug 16, 2018
009 – How do Values fit with OT practice?
A rather spontaneous recording whilst getting some vitamin D, sitting outside, and relaxing. You know what they say, strike while the iron is hot, so whilst thinking about how I utilised values and values assessments within and occupation-based practice context it seemed like the perfect time to put my thoughts on record....and then send them out to the world.
A bit of a reflection on how I've used concepts such as Occupational Need, Values, Occupational Disruption, and how these interrelate in order for us to be able to support people with more authentic interventions and recommendations.
The example model discussed in this podcast is the Theory of Basic Human Values and is shown below.
As is highlighted in the episode this is just one of many, many models of values and how they interact.
This is a brief overview of how I think about these concepts interact together and I will be exploring them individually in more detail in future podcasts.
Keep occupied
Brockbrock.cook@me.com@…
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Aug 6, 2018
008 – Dr Jessie Wilson and the Co-Op approach
Dr Jessie Wilson is a former colleague of mine who now works at Western University in Canada. Her paediatric and mental health clinical background led her into her Ph.D. around an occupation based therapy project for young adults with autism.
We discussed everything from previous episodes of Occupied, some of the marketing issues of the profession, some of the challenges between undergrad and graduate entry OT's as well as in depth about her experience completing her PH.D. project using the CO-OP approach.
Critical Physio blog: https://criticalphysio.net/network-blog/
The CO-OP Academy: http://co-opacademy.ca/
Keep occupied
Brock
brock.cook@me.com
@brockcookOT
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Jul 26, 2018
007 – Why SMART Goals are Dumb
Goals.....we've all heard of them and all been advised that we should be using them both personally and clinically....but why and how are we using them? Do we have a good understanding of how they work? Hear me out and I'll see if I can make you think ;)
When I say how do you write a goal I bet this is what you think of:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-bound
.............but why?
I'm sure we're all very familiar with this format for "goal setting", it's been drilled into us for year! But how many of you could list a different goal format right now off the top of your head? To me, that in itself is an issue. I encourage you to hear me out and listen to this one with an open mind. I'm a believer that SMART goals are not only not a good method of goal progression for OT's but even that they can be detrimental....and I'm about to explain to you my thoughts around this!
Keep occupied
Brock
brock.cook@me.com
@brockcookOT
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Jul 16, 2018
006 – The Business of Women’s Health and Occupational Therapy
Melissa LaPointe is a friend I've known for a number of years and I've watched her entrepreneurial journey building from her original passion area, Occupational Therapy and Women's Health. Now she is an online entrepreneur, a women’s health advocate, a coach, a leadership consultant and a community builder!
We went into some detail around therapist burnout and how we both have been through it and come out the other side. I obviously explored the role of Occupational Therapy in Women's Health and the types of things they might do in this area and how Melissa's work in this area devolved into her current online businesses. Melissa's passion has now evolved into supporting and coaching other therapists to follow their passion for developing healthy and sustainable private practices'.
Melissa's consultancy service can be found here:www.melissalapointe.com
Melissa's online community for therapists and entrepreneurs in pediatrics and women's health.www.strongbeginnings.online
Melissa refer…
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Jul 5, 2018
005 – What can Minimalism teach Occupational Therapists
So in this episode, I explore some random reflections I've had after coming across the concept of "minimalism". It started when I found a documentary on Netflix called Minimalism: A documentary about the important things which was the beginning of me diving down the minimalism rabbit hole.
"Minimalism is a lifestyle that helps people question what things add value to their lives. By clearing the clutter from life’s path, we can all make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution."
The reason this concept grabbed me, once I started looking into it, is because I could see some really close links with Occupational Science! I decided to have a think and a chat about the links that I could see and how they might relate to Occupational Therapy and I hope this provides some food for thought for some people.
https://www.theminimalists.com/
Keep occupied
Brock
brock.cook@me.com
@brockcookOT
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Jun 24, 2018
004 – Newgradoccupationaltherapy.com with Dom
This episode I delved into the world of the New Graduate Occupational Therapist!!
I had the pleasure of sitting down with the one and only Dominic Lloyd-Randolfi to hear about his journey into Occupational Therapy including his involvement with www.NewgradOccupationalTherapy.com
NewGradOT is an amazing blog resource for new graduates containing an amazing array of information with the aim of helping new graduates navigate the (often scary) transition into the profession.
We had a chat about his transition from student to practitioner, sex as an occupation, made some comparisons between American health care and Australia’s as well as (OF COURSE) provide some tips for new grad therapists to help make the transition to practice a much smoother and more productive one.
Keep occupied
Brock
brock.cook@me.com
@brockcookOT
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Jun 12, 2018
003 – Reflecting on Reflection
Every now and then a small thing happens during my day triggers some much more extensive thoughts/reflections (ironic right?). Discussing with my Occupational Therapy students about the importance of reflection got me thinking about my personal journey towards developing this SUPER IMPORTANT skill. I discuss a bit about my experience of finally realising how amazing this skillset can be and some tips about when and how you can start implementing it.
If you enjoy it and know someone else who could do with some tips on reflection than feel free to share this podcast with them!
Keep occupied
Brock
brock.cook@me.com
@brockcookOT
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May 23, 2018
002 – Occupation based Pediatrics with the Rocket OT
Simone contacted me on Reddit following the release of Occupied episode 001 saying she wrote a blog called the Rocket OT and had created a visual that "demonstrates how regulation develops and is affected depending on environment/occupation". After having a chat it was clear that Simone and myself were on similar wavelengths so how could I not have a chat with her and learn more about her occupation perspectives and her story.
We delved into a tonne of topics including OT's and the drift away from occupation, professional identity, sensory modulation as well as Simone's very own Occupation based pediatric resources. I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed having the discussion!
Follow Simone's work here:
https://www.facebook.com/rocketot/
Keep occupied
Brock
brock.cook@me.com
@brockcookOT
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May 17, 2018
001 – Operation Occupation
Operation Occupation was a project that I undertook a few years ago and was a turning point in my career for my personal growth into the profession of OT. Below is a presentation that I gave to the OT’s in my district about the “Operation Occupation” p...
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Apr 29, 2018
000 – Introducing Occupied!
For the longest time I've wanted to start a podcast. The blend of technology, creative expression and Occupational Therapy has always appealed to me greatly.
My vision for this is to be an online space where I can discuss concepts, new ideas, old ideas, talk to interesting OT's, explore the dark depths of Occupation and generally have fun. If you have any ideas about topics you would like to hear broken down and discussed OR if you would like to discuss things with me then get in contact!
brock.cook@me.com
@brockcookOT
Keep occupied
Brock
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