‘Life: my favourite occupation’. Dirk Benedict.

OT Tribes = a group of people or an OT community that shares similar values or interests, regardless of their area of practice or specialism.

OT Trends = a general direction in which something is developing or changing in the OT world 

As part of my day-to-day job in a busy OT community post, I am supposed to do extensive reading of relevant articles, books, policies, best practice guidelines, as well as attending training, preparing reflections, participating in appropriate audits, creating training sessions and resources, keeping an up-to-date CPD portfolio, and a big long etc.

As a result, I spend most of my working life feeling guilty, overwhelmed and unable to balance the professional expectations of my role and the little time I have available to keep up to date with the latest literature, resources and evidence.

Additionally, it does not help that some articles and professional materials are filled with jargon, repetition and obscure concepts that do not translate well to real clinical settings. There are often little clues as to actual applications and some of the examples feel too far removed from everyday practice.

I came up with the idea of this page with the purpose of sharing resources, insights, articles, discussions and other trends that currently affect the OT community and that can guide us through day to day practice, without making the whole process cumbersome, time-consuming and packed with abstract terminology.

Like most of my colleagues, the type of ‘OT’ practice I believe in and advocate for is client-centred, occupation-based and supported by the best possible evidence available. My specialism is paediatrics, but I have found that these principles are applicable to every OT field, so I am hoping that most content will be relevant to a range of OT professionals, from novices to experienced, regardless of specialism or ‘tribe’.

I aim to share valuable resources I have created, come across or found helpful for clients and professionals in a variety of services I have worked in. I am keen to find collaborators from as many countries as possible and to be part of interesting discussions about the latest trends and evidence affecting our profession. Feel free to keep in touch with any comments and contributions.

After all these years of practice, I continue to feel proud and privileged to be part of the occupational therapy community or Tribe, and I am still passionate about this job that skills people up for Daily Living in the most challenging circumstances and against all odds.

I am still learning, from my colleagues, from my clients and from Life, in its many facets and journeys.