We hope you can join us at our creative arts programs in our bright and open space, we have some wonderful art materials for you to try! Tomorrow we’ll reveal more about our programs, but for now, here is a sneak peak….
Our Occupational Therapist extraordinaire, Kristin Beare is back again answering more questions you may not even know you had!
Q: I’m still unsure as to what an Occupational Therapist (OT) does. Will he/she help me find employment?
A: One of the most common misconceptions about Occupational Therapy is that it exclusively focuses on helping people find jobs. It is true that occupational therapy can play an important role in returning to work after injury or illness, however to an OT “occupation” refers to much more than just your chosen career. Occupation encompasses everything that you do in your day-to-day life. For example, you may have occupations as a parent or spouse, a student, a hockey player, or an amateur home cook. Our occupations are what define us and the ability to participate in them in meaningful ways is essential to our well-being.
Q: So, how can an OT help me?
A: OTs are interested in the interactions between the person, their environments, and their occupations, across the lifespan. Our aim is to help our clients:
Unfortunately, there are sometimes barriers that make these things difficult to do on your own. Some of these barriers may include: an onset, progression, or relapse of illness or disability, changes in physical or cognitive functioning as a result of normal aging, environmental factors, social isolation, or economic status.
An OT can help you address these barriers, through interventions that focus on:
Occupational therapy is client-driven, meaning that you are an active participant in all aspects of therapy. Your OT will be there to collaborate, empathize, instruct, problem-solve, encourage, and advocate for you.
Q: What can I expect during my initial consultation with an OT?
A: During the initial consultation with your OT, she will want to get to know as much about you as possible and will ask you a series of questions about your current occupational performance and areas of strengths and of concern, covering all areas of function: self-care (e.g. personal care, mobility, dressing), productivity (i.e. work, school, homemaking, volunteering), and leisure.
Therapy goals will also be set out collaboratively between you and your OT during this initial session. Based upon your goals and unique situation, an appropriate treatment plan will be determined. This may include regular or semi-regular sessions, functional assessment(s), an in-home assessment, or outings within the community.
If you are struggling engaging in any of the meaningful occupations of your daily life, I would love to hear from you and discuss how Occupational Therapy may help you live a more independent, productive, and satisfying life! Contact us today!
We often get asked the question, “What is an Occupational Therapist?” We asked Kristin the same question, and she said she’d like to let everyone know! This is the first post in a two part series on what an OT is. Enjoy!
A day in the life of a community-based Occupational Therapist
Hi everyone, this is Kristin. I am excited and very honoured to be part of the team at Alongside You as an Occupational Therapist. Coming on board with Alongside You is a unique opportunity for me to not only establish valuable connections and roots within the community, but also provide services that are accessible to those who may fall outside of the traditional occupational therapy umbrella (e.g. hospital-based, Home Care, long-term care facilities etc.).
To give you an idea of the type of services I may be able to provide, here is a glance at what a typical day might look like for me…
(these are hypothetical scenarios and do not represent current or past clients)
9:00am – Get to the office. Check work emails. Prepare for the day’s clients. Prep time may include gathering necessary assessment forms, putting together handouts, looking up directions to a client’s home, or picking up equipment from a vendor to trial with a client.
11:00am – Initial consultation with a new client. She has been in a motor vehicle accident that has left her with chronic back pain. Because of this, she is having difficulty managing some of her daily activities, is sleeping poorly, and is discouraged because she has not been able to keep up with her gardening. After gathering information about her current daily routines and habits, I complete a brief functional screen to get a sense of her physical abilities and level of discomfort. Together, we decide that we will focus on activity modification, positioning, and energy conservation as our goals for the next two sessions to help restore her ability to participate in her daily activities.
1:00pm – Follow-up treatment session with a client who is struggling with re-defining his roles and occupations after an injury forced him into early retirement. We complete an interest checklist together and he identifies giving back to his community as an important part of his self-identity. We discuss various ways he may be able to do this and I provide him with information on local volunteer resources. He has some anxiety around meeting new people, so we plan to meet for our next session at the rec centre to meet the volunteer coordinator together.
3:00pm – Home assessment. An elderly couple has concerns regarding their ability to continue living in their home safely. Being in the actual home environment allows me to visualize barriers and potential hazards and provide appropriate recommendations for modifications or equipment that allow for greater safety and independence within the home. I will return next week with some equipment for them to trial.
4:30pm – Make sure all of my paperwork and documentation is complete from today’s appointments. Write up the equipment recommendations for my home assessment earlier today and call vendors to arrange an equipment trial. Send an email to the volunteer coordinator to schedule a visit next week. Return any missed calls or emails and pack up and head home!
Stay tuned for Part Two where Kristin will answer a number of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)! If after reading this you think she might be able to help you, please give her a call at (604) 283-7827 or email her through our contact form. She’d love to hear from you!
Join our Registered Dietitian for a four part workshop to help you learn more about your food cravings and learn how to manage them in your daily life! Often we know what we should be eating, but implementing these changes can be the most challenging part. This workshop will help you identify your personal eating triggers and what strategies will work for you to be more in control of your cravings!
Date and Time: Thursday October 8th, 15th, 21st, 29th from 7:00pm-8:30pm
Location: Alongside You – Suite 203 – 4840 Delta Street, Ladner, BC V4K 2T6
Cost: $115+GST (per person for all 4 workshops, includes a workbook for you to keep)
Registration: Please contact Katie Huston, RD at our office by phone at (604) 283-7827 or by email at katie@alongsideyou.ca.
You may be able to claim a portion of the cost on your extended medical coverage if available. Please contact your extended health provider to inquire about your coverage for the services of a Registered Dietician.
You’re invited to our Grand Opening Open House!
We are happy to announce the opening of Alongside You, a new, innovative integrated health clinic in the heart of Ladner. We offer counselling, group therapy, occupational therapy, registered dietitian services, and creative arts programs.
We are excited to invite everyone to come see our new space, meet the Directors, Andrew and Meg, as well as many of the associates! South Delta has been so welcoming and embraced us already and we would like to return the favour!
Come visit, tour the office, and hear about what we’re up to. We’ll be happy to explain any of our services to you and chat about how they may be beneficial in your life. We’d love to meet you, and hear your ideas for how we might meet the needs of the community we’re in.
We’ll have coffee and tea, and some goodies to share. We look forward to welcoming you!
Saturday September 19, 2015
1:00pm – 5:00pm
Suite 203 – 4840 Delta Street in Ladner!
Man Therapy
Men are a special breed. We like to think we can fix everything, overcome anything, and do it all on our own. Well, if my personal life, or professional experience are any indication – we *may* be kidding ourselves. Man Therapy is an innovative, “manly” approach to mental health that is geared towards men who may think therapy is for anyone but them. I’m not too proud to admit that I’ve been through therapy, and have needed it at times in my life. I’ve definitely been too proud at times to seek help, or to let others know when I’m struggling, and therapy has helped me immensely in this.
Whatever the case may be, whatever you think about therapy, check out this website. It’s for men, by men. Oh, and it’s also for women who have to deal with men. It’s Man Therapy, and it’s good stuff.
Your fellow man,
Andrew
PS – If you would like to give therapy a chance, I’d love to have a chat with you. Give me a call – 604-283-7827
We’re excited to announce that our doors will be open this coming Monday, August 10th! Andrew is now taking appointments Monday-Wednesday and you can call our offices to book or book online through our Online booking!
We’ve still got work to do, so it’s a “soft” open, but we’ll have some events coming in September once our space is fully operational!
We’re pleased to announce our Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Group Therapy Program At Alongside You. Do you know someone who struggles with:
● Borderline Personality Disorder
● Depression
● Anxiety
● Chaotic relationships
● Emotional storms
● Substance misuse
● Anger management difficulties
We are pleased to announce that we are offering a Dialectical Behaviour Therapy group that is open to anyone struggling with the above issues. Research has shown DBT to be particularly effective with anyone struggling with emotional difficulties, regardless of official diagnosis. Originally developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, DBT has been successfully used to help patients move from being stuck in unregulated mood and thoughts forward into a life worth living. Unlike some other programs, patients do nothave to have an official diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder to be able to participate.
For more details about DBT and our groups, please visit the DBT page on our website. We would love to talk to you if you believe that you would benefit from our group therapy services.
Please call us at (604) 283-7827 if you are interested in signing up, or if you just have questions about what our DBT Group is about!
You may be able to claim a portion of the cost on your extended medical coverage if you have it available. To find out, please call your insurance provider. You will be provided a receipt for submission to your insurance company.
We’re ecstatic to announce that we have secured our new location in Ladner. We’re at 203-4840 Delta Street, in the beautiful building you see in the picture above! We’re on target to open our doors August 1st, 2015 and we’re in the midst of renovations as we speak.
What you need to know!
We are excited to bring on our associates starting this Fall. Currently, Andrew is available Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays with the following schedule:
Monday – 5pm-10pm at his current office at Cedar Park Centre – 5300 44th Ave, Ladner BC V4K 1C7
Thursday and Friday – 9am-5pm at his office at Cedar Springs Counselling – 11295 Mellis Drive, Richmond, BC V6X 1L8
Once our new offices are open, Andrew will be available Monday-Wednesday including Monday evenings.
We’ll be posting more information in the coming days, and there is much more exciting news to come including more about our other associates and their services, and our Creative Arts program which is something we are incredibly excited about.
Stay tuned!
If you’d like us to keep you up to date on what we’re doing, please use the form below so we can make sure you have the latest information!