Presence

Greetings from St Louis! Sunny and 70 degrees....

On Thursday, the preconference institutes were a happening...I had a brief opportunity to visit the Institute on Complementary Therapies, Occupational Therapy and Evidence Based Practice with Guy McCormack, Judy Parker, Meryl Picard and Frank Stein. The attendees came from through the US and represented diverse practice and practice venues.

Several common themes were expressed by attendees concerning what they were hoping to gain from the session. One common theme was that attendees were seeking 'care for the caregiver' skills. As we, Occupational Therapists, age in our own practice of our profession, we are learning to reflect inward about our own occupational balance and well being. Some of the practice venues where we work are more demanding in terms of our time and work intensity than they once were. It was expressed that having tools to help oneself remain balanced can be a terrific asset.

Some attendees were self-described 'newbies' and seeing to learn more about a diversity of practice opportunities. Several participants mentioned they were seeking information they could apply to current programming in their workplaces that could be used to improve client experience and satisfaction with OT services. Finally, several participants were seasoned participants, each representing diverse prior experience and a mixed skill set for some CAMmodalities-from Chi Gong to Tai Chi, to Yoga, to energy therapies. Some of those present expressed they were managing their own painful and life conditions and had been helped by modalities they had consumed in the past and continue to utilize.

The energy was wonderful in the room. I wish I could've stayed for the entire institute. I did ask attendees to write in about their experiences and to add some photos, if possible...so stay tuned!

From lovely sunny St Louis in spring!

Ann Burkhardt