Spirituality in OT

[CinnFL]

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I am a current occupational therapy student and am currently doing research on the use of spirituality in occupational therapy practice. Can anyone provide any personal experience on the use of spirituality in the classroom or in actual practice? If not you, do you know of anyone who might?

AOTA's Occupational Therapy Practice Framework states that spirituality is an important client factor, but there is little evidence that shows that many schools and therapists use this on a daily basis.

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Whistle Pig]

There are several practices in Pittsburgh that engage spiritual healing in treatment of patients. I'm not sure if there are OTs involved in their work there ...but you might investigate. Dr. David Hall has long been the bearer of Gospel good news ...He's been associated with UPMC Shadyside and his clinic is in East Liberty. The other doc has worked outta Mercy Hospital (I think they too are now a UPMC provider. He and his team care for homeless persons in the city. Chris??? I'm sure someone's including Dr. Hall's team know of him well. They also have a practice on the North Side. Hope this might lend some leading. Blessings to your important study.

 

[OT2Be2013]

I am a current occupational therapy student and am currently doing research on the use of spirituality in occupational therapy practice. Can anyone provide any personal experience on the use of spirituality in the classroom or in actual practice? If not you, do you know of anyone who might?

AOTA's Occupational Therapy Practice Framework states that spirituality is an important client factor, but there is little evidence that shows that many schools and therapists use this on a daily basis.

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

This is going to depend on the practice setting, the client's views on spirituality, and whether the client has a skill deficit that prevents him or her from engaging in activities that promote spirituality. It's more to keep a client's beliefs in mind and whether they want to gain some spiritual benefit out of therapy, I think, but there are some activities that are used in practice that have what some people consider a spiritual component- namely, meditation and yoga. Maybe you can try to find a few journal articles on alternative treatments or, if you're a member of AOTA, go on to the conference page and see if there were any presentations on the topic.

 

[lizzo76]

Very interesting question. I'm inclined to agree with what OT2b2013 said. I think any answer also really depends on what you mean by "spirituality."

At the hospital in which I volunteer, they often use Reiki on patients. It's usually done on a volunteer basis (volunteers who are certified practitioners), although they may have some on staff who also happen to be certified Reiki practitioners. This is, of course, not specifically part of OT, but it could potentially be incorporated into OT treatment. I don't think it's done just as a matter of course, but on patients who agree to it.

I wouldn't imagine that OTs would use any kind of spiritual treatment on a daily basis, and I would think that if they did, it would 1.) potentially undermine attempts to be seen as a true medical field and 2.) potentially offend clients. I think if they consider it to be an important client factor, that means for clients for whom spirituality was already a very important thing. So maybe OTs would help them to get back to doing their normal daily activities, which might mean reading the bible, or whatever. But I don't know that OTs would regularly try to use spiritual techniques on people for whom spirituality is unimportant.

 

[CinnFL]

There was no specific field of OT that I was focusing on that deals with spirituality. It's common to find research on spirituality in relationship to hospice and end of life quality of care, but I was curious what other areas OT's consider and use as spirituality in the workplace. The definition that I have been focusing on for spirituality is from the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework that defines it as the "personal quest for understanding answers to ultimate questions about life, about meaning and the sacred".

Interventions could include anything from praying with a client who has expressed that desire, to as simple as creating goals centered around a client getting dressed and ready for church. The definition of spirituality to everyone varies so much, that seeking opinions from varying therapists helps me see how others use this personal client factor.

Lizzo, I've never heard of Reiki, and I'm interested to look it up and find out more about it.

I truly appreciate all of you commenting on this request. It has been a very interesting topic to research, and I'm curious to see what other methods others share with me.

 

[OT2Be2013]

As you've said, spirituality is a client factor- it's one piece of the whole picture that makes up the client's occupational profile. Prayer, Reiki, Meditation etc. are all interventions, but spirituality itself is something that is dependent on the client and will always be unique to the individual. It should be considered along with every other client factor in the framework (beliefs, values, body structures etc.) in formulating goals and interventions to meet those goals, no matter what the practice setting or type of client.

For your example of helping a client become independent in dressing for church, it depends on what it is about the client that is hindering that task- is it a problem with cognition and sequencing? Maybe that client is being treated in a mental health setting. Is it a child with tactile sensory issues who is oversensitive to the texture of the fabric or the feel of the tag on his shirt? Pediatrics. Somebody with motor planning issues who is physically having trouble performing the movements it takes to get dressed? Phys-dys. It could be so many things... it's impossible to generalize. Those are all deficits that the OT can address.

But the actual importance of getting ready to go to church on the client's part? That's one ADL (dressing) that the client is struggling with that is part of the larger IADL of religious observance which may be tied in with spiritual beliefs. OT is all about the "doing" in life, so in practice, the OT is going to help the client do the tasks he or she needs to do in order to do activities that tie into his or her spirituality (if it is important and meaningful for the client).

Also- if you have a copy of Willard and Spackman (aka the bible of OT), check out chapter 9 written by Christy Billock. A couple quotes from that chapter:

"Occupations that are deeply meaningful to the person, imbued with personal reflection and intention, and carried out within a supportive contextual environment offer the highest potential for spiritual experience."

"Those who practice therapeutic use of self through active listening, empathy, tolerance, unconditional acceptance, and flexibility toward the client's desires and needs demonstrate a spiritual approach to therapeutic interaction."


... I suppose I'm not really understanding the question, but I wish you luck.

 

[lizzo76]

Unrelated to the main question here, but I just wanted to say that I just happened to pick up the latest edition of Willard and Spackman last week. Some OT masters programs I've looked at have suggested that potential applicants take an Intro. to OT course before applying (which doesn't make a ton of sense to me because if you did that you'd potentially either place out of it in your official program, and miss out on that shared experience and shared foundation, or you'd have to take it again which would be mostly redundant.) In any case, this is not possible for me to do, and quite frankly I spent enough on my prereqs that I don't want to take another course til I get into an OT program. But, I searched amazon, found out about that book, and saw that the first-listed editor is a prof in my top choice program. I plan to undertake a self-study using that book this summer. It wasn't extremely cheap - $70-something - but wasn't $200-something like my A&P textbook, either. And (fingers crossed) maybe they'll use it in whatever program I end up attending.

 

[OT2Be2013]

Lizzo, it's a fantastic resource. I've yet to meet an OT who hasn't used it, and it has been a staple in our curriculum since day 1. I think self-studying will definitely give you an advantage come interview time.