This dissertation explores Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) from the perspective of school-based occupational therapists (SB-OTs) to support students who may be negatively affected by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). TIC focuses on creating an interpersonal culture of safety and respect and is becoming more well known in healthcare and education. Using the Nominal Group Technique (NGT), experienced SB-OTs from across the US participated in focus groups to identify priorities for delivery of TIC in school-based practice. Additionally, the 5 NGT focus groups (n=24) identified facilitators and barriers to effective TIC in schools. Drawing from these findings, the Pediatric Remediation Outcomes: Trauma-Informed Principles (PRO-TIP) program is proposed. PRO-TIP centers on refining fine motor skills through school-based occupations, guided by occupational therapy (OT) theory, and caters to educators and SB-OTs. The program is designed to support students, educators, SB-OTs, and improve the wider workplace culture. By offering fundamental priorities on TIC aspects, this dissertation serves as a valuable resource for entry-level occupational therapists (OTs), researchers, school staff, and administrators seeking to embrace a trauma-informed approach. The framework for the PRO-TIP program emerges as a practical, evidence-based tool designed to be further developed and piloted in elementary-school settings. With original research and a novel program design, this dissertation began with the end in mind: to help young, misunderstood learners with trauma related behaviors change their life trajectory for the better. / Temple University. College of Public Health / Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

This thesis presents and discusses the results of research undertaken to explore the concept 'professional confidence'. The term 'confidence', is frequently to be found In previous research, yet this has not adequately been defined. The conceptions held by occupational therapists were not clear, and the events or circumstances that fostered professional confidence in occupational therapists have not been identified. Each of these aspects was identified as an area for research in the profession. Three studies were undertaken to gain greater insights and to add to the body of knowledge in terms of our understanding of 'professional confidence'. The studies included a concept analysis of the concept of 'professional confidence', a phenomenographic study of the conceptions of professional confidence that novice occupational therapists hold and finally, the sources or determinants of professional confidence beliefs in occupational therapy students were explored using an interpretative methodology. The research undertaken yielded antecedents and attributes or characteristics of professional confidence, and from these a definition was crafted. The conceptions or understanding of professional confidence held by the community service therapists, namely knowing, believing and being, were closely related to the attributes raised in the concept analysis, confirming the findings of the analysis. Final year occupational therapy students highlighted a number of determinants of professional confidence, including events, situations and circumstances within their control, the control of their clinical supervisors and/or the profession. These sources in turn had been confirmed as antecedents in the concept analysis. The research confirmed that professional identity, competence and professional confidence are inter-related and inter-dependent phenomena. Professional confidence involves a dynamic, maturing self-belief closely related to, and informed by both professional identity and competence. As such, equal attention should be given during the educational endeavour and initial employment opportunities, to the fostering of both professional identity and professional confidence while enhancing competencies. The recommendations provided within the research provide a rich source of information from which further research can be undertaken and interventions developed to assist students and novice practitioners to enhance their professional confidence. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2013.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe accurately the methods used by occupational therapy graduate students to develop self-awareness, a necessary foundation for the development of professional behaviors. Self-awareness, defined as a deep understanding of one's emotions, strengths, weaknesses, needs, and drives (Goleman, 1995), was identified in the literature as a component of or a prerequisite for the development of skills in leadership, multicultural competency, clinical reasoning, and continuing competence.Purposive sampling was used to identify student participants from a private university in the mid-west. Eleven participants completed the study. Evidence was gathered through semi-structured interviews; observations of classroom activities, professional meetings, and clinical settings; and examination of documents which included journal entries, class assignments, and professional development plans.Findings suggest that students' development of self-awareness is facilitated by a hierarchical sequence of activities which provide them with opportunities to describe features of their contexts, to recognize and define personal values and beliefs and those values and beliefs of others, and to define relationships. Reflection stimulated consideration of students' reactions in particular contexts and development of a new perspective. Students who appraised themselves realistically anticipated their responses in future events and made plans to alter undesired behaviors. Although the literature supported feedback as one way in which to facilitate self-awareness, students were reluctant to give candid feedback to peers and rarely sought feedback, unless required, for their own performance. Evaluations of behaviors, relationships, and belief systems were activities located at higher levels in the hierarchy requiring students to gain skills in recognition and description first in order to proceed to these levels.The findings point to the importance of self-awareness for personal and professional growth, and the need for educators to utilize a variety of strategies by which to facilitate self-awareness development. A revision of Fidler's checklist may provide a foundation for the development of a tool which could be a useful way in which to target behaviors necessary for development of self-awareness. / Department of Educational Leadership

Dubin's and Cohen's (1970) Empirical Motivational Model of Updating (EMMPU) guided the design of this research, leading to the examination of the relationships among lifelong learning characteristics, job satisfaction, and engagement in professional updating activities for occupational therapists. Occupational therapists completed the Characteristics of Lifelong Learners in the Professions Questionnaire (Livneh, 1986), the Index of Organizational Reactions (Smith, 1976), the Professional Activity Engagement Survey, and participated in qualitative interviews.Statistically, no relationships were found among job satisfaction, characteristics of lifelong learning, and engagement in professional updating activities. The qualitative data suggested that these relationships existed. Characteristics of lifelong learning significantly predicted 7% of the variation in time spent engaged in professional updating activities. There were significant differences found on characteristics of lifelong learning and engagement in professional updating activities among therapists with varying educational 1eve1s.Utilizing grounded theory methodology, a theory of Professional Learning Management emerged from the data, contributing to the understanding of professional updating that was not addressed by the EMMPU model. In the theory of Professional Learning Management, patient treatment interaction triggered the need for updating by occupational therapists. The patient interaction determined the specifics of the necessary learning in regards to the content, timing, context, and methods. Occupational Therapists were reliant upon off-the-job learning in order to provide quality patient care. There was a cyclical feedback loop between off-the-job learning and application of that learning on the job within the patient treatment situation.Unlike the EMMPU model, updating occurred under both positive and negative contexts. The high engagers in professional updating were able to learn in spite of the barriers restricting learning efforts. The barriers to learning were not managed as well by the medium and low engagers in professional updating activities. Regardless of level of updating, occupational therapists utilized a variety of updating methods in accordance with the way in which the learning needs were defined by the patient treatment situation.3 / Department of Educational Leadership

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Education, 1999. / Errata inserted facing title page. Bibliography: leaves 124-135.

Thesis (Ph. D.(Communication Pathology))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Summary in English and Afrikaans. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-156).

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2005. / Includes bibliography.

Little research has been done on how well prepared occupational therapists feel to perform the role of consultant. This study investigated the perceptions of occupational therapists acting as consultants in Florida schools, how much education/training they have received and how they perceive their consultation skills. Participants in the study were sent a questionnaire and measures of central tendency were calculated on each item. Crosstabulations using Fisher's exact test were completed to investigate any relationship between type of consultation model used and relationships with educators. A one way ANOVA was conducted to investigate any relationship between self-perceived consultant skills and age, amount of experience, and training. The results indicate that occupational therapists providing consultative services rate their abilities as more than adequate and believe formal training in consultation is only mildly important. No significant relationships were found between training and skills or model used and relationships with educators.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MOcc (Occupational Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Occupational Therapy / unrestricted

The absence of clearly defined competencies to guide the development of educational programs for occupational therapy and physical therapy fieldwork instructors provided the impetus for this research. A primary objective of the study was to identify the competency categories and the competencies which occupational therapy and physical therapy fieldwork instructors, and occupational therapy and physical therapy students perceived to be important in determining the effectiveness of a student's fieldwork experience. A review of the literature in occupational therapy, physical therapy, and related health professions identified a pool of fieldwork instructor competencies from which 105 competencies were selected for the study questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to 34 occupational therapy and 37 physical therapy students from the University of British Columbia, and to 59 occupational therapy and 76 physical therapy fieldwork instructors in British Columbia. A response rate of 87% was obtained. Respondents' ratings of importance of the competency categories and of the most important competencies were similar to previous research findings. Communication and supervisory behaviours were rated as most important in contributing to the effectiveness of a student's fieldwork experience. The majority of the competencies which were ranked as most important belonged to these two categories. Consistent with previous research, the professional competence category and the competencies which were assigned to it were deemed least important in contributing to the effectiveness of a student's fieldwork experience. Group differences in ratings of importance were tested using a factorial design. The two-way and three-way analyses of variance, a multivariate analysis of variance and subsequent multiple comparison tests revealed only one significant main effect. Physical therapy students' ratings of importance differed significantly from the occupational therapy and physical therapy fieldwork instructors (p< .05). While this significant difference was identified from the analysis, examination of the mean ratings of the competencies showed a consistent pattern of low, moderate or high ratings among all of the groups. Participants in the study confirmed that the competencies included in the questionnaire were important in contributing to the effectiveness of a student's fieldwork experience. However, the literature suggests that the most important outcome will be the use of the competencies to guide the development of standardized educational programs for occupational therapy and physical therapy fieldwork instructors. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate