Today’s discussion stemmed from a number of observations of late. Seemed like too much of a coincidence that the topic came up multiple times in a very short space of time so I decided to put together my thoughts. I’m very aware that for some people this topic is quite sensitive. I do encourage you to have a listen with an open mind as I am sim ...…

Dr. Ellen Nicholson is the Head of Department at the Aukland University of Technology’s, Department of Occupational Science and Therapy and has had a vast and profound influence on my own career being the inspiration for Operation Occupation. We talked about everything from her journey into OT, the professions move back towards Occupation, and ...…

We’ve looked at values and how they may highlight a person’s occupational needs so the next logical progression is to have a look about what happens when someone changes the occupation that fills a need. That gap between occupations is a time that I feel OT’s can really have an incredible impact on peoples lives. Let’s explore the different typ ...…

We continue our chat about Sarah’s experiences overseas, what developed country OT’s could learn from these limited resource experiences, professional understanding of culture and OT’s use of diagnosis. Sarah Putt is pediatric OT and fellow podcaster! She currently runs her own practice but has practiced in more countries than I was able to cou ...…

Sarah Putt is pediatric OT and fellow podcaster! She currently runs her own practice but has practiced in more countries than I was able to count and has some amazing stories to go with it! As expected we discuss the amazing medium of podcasting and how OT’s can benefit and engage in it and she also introduces me to Hippotherapy and the occupat ...…

As requested! an expansion of Episode 009 – How Do Values Fit with OT Practice by having a chat about how I’ve used these concepts in practice. Looking at a very practical way of finding a person’s occupational needs which can then be used to guide the occupation based practice direction. Super keen to start the discussion an hear if other clin ...…

The 2nd half of our roundtable discussion with Michelle Perryman and Dr Jessie Wilson about the challenges of transitioning from a clinical OT role into an academic role. Between the three of us we are from 3 different countries, pre, during & post Phd, varying clinical backgrounds, and all have recently moved into academia. Keep occupied Brock ...…

A roundtable discussion with Michelle Perryman and Dr Jessie Wilson about the challenges of transitioning from a clinical OT role into an academic role. Between the three of us we are from 3 different countries, pre, during & post Phd, varying clinical backgrounds, and all have recently moved into academia. Being able to compare multiple experi ...…

Stephanie Healey graduated from the University of the Sunshine Coast and moved into her first OT position with the Department of Education in her home state. This position turns out to be quite unique in Australia and I wanted to learn all about it. Steph explained the types of intervention she does with her students, her journey into OT and he ...…

The one and only Dr Anita Hamilton has had a MASSIVE influence on my career and volunteered me for a number of amazing opportunities I would not otherwise have had the fortitude to tackle. Anita is an expert and leader in the space of OT’s utilising online technology and has been a massive proponent of the OT4OT group who founded and help facil ...…

Samantha Bowen is an Occupational Therapist from Perth Australia who found her passion in the aged care sector. Samantha started Acorn Network, an entrepreneurial venture aimed at promoting young leaders in the aged care sector by providing mentoring, support and growth services to individuals and companies. http://www.acorn-network.com.au/ Sam ...…

A rather spontaneous recording whilst getting some vitamin D, sitting outside, and relaxing. You know what they say, strike while the iron is hot, so whilst thinking about how I utilised values and values assessments within and occupation-based practice context it seemed like the perfect time to put my thoughts on record….and then send them out ...…

Dr Jessie Wilson is a former colleague of mine who now works at Western University in Canada. Her paediatric and mental health clinical background led her into her Ph.D. around an occupation based therapy project for young adults with autism. We discussed everything from previous episodes of Occupied, some of the marketing issues of the profess ...…

Goals…..we’ve all heard of them and all been advised that we should be using them both personally and clinically….but why and how are we using them? Do we have a good understanding of how they work? Hear me out and I’ll see if I can make you think When I say how do you write a goal I bet this is what you think of: Specific Measurable Attainable ...…

Melissa LaPointe is a friend I’ve known for a number of years and I’ve watched her entrepreneurial journey building from her original passion area, Occupational Therapy and Women’s Health. Now she is an online entrepreneur, a women’s health advocate, a coach, a leadership consultant and a community builder! We went into some detail around thera ...…

So in this episode, I explore some random reflections I’ve had after coming across the concept of “minimalism”. It started when I found a documentary on Netflix called Minimalism: A documentary about the important things which was the beginning of me diving down the minimalism rabbit hole. “Minimalism is a lifestyle that helps people question w ...…

This episode I delved into the world of the New Graduate Occupational Therapist!! I had the pleasure of sitting down with the one and only Dominic Lloyd-Randolfi to hear about his journey into Occupational Therapy including his involvement with www.NewgradOccupationalTherapy.com NewGradOT is an amazing blog resource for new graduates containing ...…

Every now and then a small thing happens during my day triggers some much more extensive thoughts/reflections (ironic right?). Discussing with my Occupational Therapy students about the importance of reflection got me thinking about my personal journey towards developing this SUPER IMPORTANT skill. I discuss a bit about my experience of finally ...…

Simone contacted me on Reddit following the release of Occupied episode 001 saying she wrote a blog called the Rocket OT and had created a visual that “demonstrates how regulation develops and is affected depending on environment/occupation”. After having a chat it was clear that Simone and myself were on similar wavelengths so how could I not ...…

Operation Occupation was a project that I undertook a few years ago and was a turning point in my career for my personal growth into the profession of OT. Below is a presentation that I gave to the OT’s in my district about the “Operation Occupation” project whilst it was in progress: Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT The post ...…

For the longest time I’ve wanted to start a podcast. The blend of technology, creative expression and Occupational Therapy has always appealed to me greatly. My vision for this is to be an online space where I can discuss concepts, new ideas, old ideas, talk to interesting OT’s, explore the dark depths of Occupation and generally have fun. If y ...…