The Effects of Biofeedback-Assisted Relaxation in Stress Management Training with Traumatically Head Injured Adults

This study investigated the use of biofeedback as part of stress-management training program with head injured adults. The single cases examined were four males with head injuries of moderate severity who were in the post-acute stages of recovery. Treatment involved bi-weekly relaxation training, using EMG biofeedback in combination with deep breathing, autogenic training and/or imagery. Individual subject response to relaxation training was examined during treatment sessions, as was the frequency of stress-related symptomatology outside of sessions, and overall functional adaptation. While all subjects showed evidence of relaxation during treatment sessions, such factors as the nature of the functional disturbance and personal motivation appear to be related to the degree of carryover to the external environment

Exploring the Perspectives of Community Mentors in Occupational Therapy Education

Involving people with disabilities in the education of occupational therapy students is important for improving knowledge, skills, and attitudes that promote client-centered practice. At Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, community mentors with disabilities are involved in an occupational therapy course designed to enhance student understanding and empathy for the lived experience of disability. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the course required adjustment to adhere to health and safety precautions. We explored the perspectives of community mentors with disabilities who participated in the course during the pandemic to better understand how pandemic-related restrictions affected the mentoring experience, their relationships with students, and educational quality. Findings revealed that all participants considered their mentor role to be beneficial and positive, regardless of the chosen method of interaction (i.e., in-person or via digital technology). However, mentors with prior experience in this role identified differences in the relational aspects of the experience. Some mentors who had established mentoring patterns pre-pandemic quickly shifted into pre-COVID routines, despite the inherent risk, seemingly based on an internalized image of what the role should entail. Other mentors indicated acceptance of the altered patterns, and noted benefits associated with the use of technology. The findings confirm that ensuring mentor autonomy, providing training to mentors, and continuing to promote the benefits of such a course are crucial to support their role in shaping future occupational therapy practice

Unpacking the foundational dimensions of work integration social enterprise: the development of an assessment tool

Purpose The aim of this exploratory, mixed methods study was to develop and test a tool that identifies foundational dimensions of work integration social enterprises (WISEs) for use in empirical studies and enterprise self-assessment. Construction of the initial prototype was based upon a review of the literature and prior qualitative research by the authors. Design/methodology/approach A 20-item question pool with a four-point response scale was constructed to explore WISE business and employment practices and strategies for worker growth and development. Three sequential field tests were conducted with the prototype – the first with 5 Canadian WISEs, the second with 14 WISEs in the UK and the third with 6 Canadian WISEs involved in an outcome study in the mental health sector. Each field test included completion of the questionnaire by persons with managerial responsibility within the WISE and evaluative feedback captured through questions on the applicability and interpretability of the items. Findings Testing of the prototype instrument revealed the inherent diversity in the field and the difficulty in creating questions that both embrace that diversity and produce unidimensional variables definable along a spectrum. A number of challenges with question structure were identified and have been modified throughout the iterative testing process. Research limitations/implications This study identified central domains for inclusion in a multi-dimensional WISE assessment tool. Further testing will help further refine scaling and establish psychometric properties. Originality/value This measure will provide a descriptive profile of WISEs across sectors and identify WISE core dimensions for research and organizational development. </jats:sec

Using Hermeneutics to Understand Burnout and Coping Strategies Utilized by Occupational Therapists

This research article explores the use of the hermeneutic approach in understanding practice challenges for occupational therapists in the contemporary health care arena. It provides insights into factors that lead to therapist burnout and the strategies they utilize to maintain competent practice. In this mixed methods study, hermeneutics was chosen as the qualitative approach to help understand the meanings occupational therapists ascribe to stressful situations at work and how they cope with those situations. Data was collected by conducting focus groups and semi-structured interviews with seven participants. Demands on time, conflict, lack of respect and autonomy emerged as the main practice issues. Maintaining healthy boundaries, importance of workplace and home community, monitoring self for signs of burnout and focusing on satisfying aspects of work emerged as the major coping strategies employed by the participants

Social Enterprise as a Pathway to Work, Wellness, and Social Inclusion for Canadians with Mental Illnesses and/or Substance Use Disorders Social Enterprise as a Pathway to Work, Wellness and Social Inclusion for Canadians with Mental Illnesses and/or Substance-Use Disorders’

People with serious and persistent mental illnesses and/or substance use disorders are among the most economically and socially disenfranchised populations in Canada, and often present with long histories of labour market detachment and underemployment. Work engagement has the potential to improve social determinants of health while also harnessing productive capacity. This article re-ports on a five-year study examining the social, economic, and health impacts of Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) in the mental health sector in Ontario, Canada. The findings shed light on the population that works in WISEs, its levels of social and labour market integration, and or-ganizational features that influence worker outcomes. Results highlight both the importance of WISEs as a means of supporting employment, and challenges to organizational sustainability

Social Enterprise as a Pathway to Work, Wellness, and Social Inclusion for Canadians with Mental Illnesses and/or Substance Use Disorders Social Enterprise as a Pathway to Work, Wellness and Social Inclusion for Canadians with Mental Illnesses and/or Substance-Use Disorders’

People with serious and persistent mental illnesses and/or substance use disorders are among the most economically and socially disenfranchised populations in Canada, and often present with long histories of labour market detachment and underemployment. Work engagement has the potential to improve social determinants of health while also harnessing productive capacity. This article re-ports on a five-year study examining the social, economic, and health impacts of Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) in the mental health sector in Ontario, Canada. The findings shed light on the population that works in WISEs, its levels of social and labour market integration, and or-ganizational features that influence worker outcomes. Results highlight both the importance of WISEs as a means of supporting employment, and challenges to organizational sustainability

Evaluating the feasibility and potential impacts of a recovery-oriented psychosocial rehabilitation toolkit in a health care setting in Kenya: A mixed-methods study

OBJECTIVES: This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and potential impacts of delivering the Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) Toolkit for people with serious mental illness within a health care setting in Kenya. METHOD: This study used a convergent mixed-methods design. Participants were people with serious mental illness (n = 23), each with an accompanying family member, who were outpatients of a hospital or satellite clinic in semirural Kenya. The intervention consisted of 14 weekly group sessions of PSR cofacilitated by health care professionals and peers with mental illness. Quantitative data were collected from patients and family members using validated outcome measures before and after the intervention. Qualitative data were collected from focus groups with patients and family members, and individual interviews with facilitators, after the intervention. RESULTS: Quantitative findings indicated that patients experienced moderate improvement in illness management and, in contrast to qualitative findings, family members experienced moderate worsening in attitudes toward recovery. Qualitative findings revealed positive outcomes for both patients and family members, as reflected in greater feelings of hope and mobilization to reduce stigma. Factors that facilitated participation included: helpful and accessible learning materials; committed and involved stakeholders; and flexible solutions to promote continued involvement. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This pilot study found that delivery of the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Toolkit was feasible within a health care setting in Kenya and associated with overall positive outcomes among patients with serious mental illness. Further research on its effectiveness on a larger scale and using culturally validated measures is needed