OT Conversations that Matter: The Podcast

In episode 38 of OT Conversations that Matter: The Podcast, host Justine Jecker explores the intersection of occupational therapy and homelessness in collaboration with occupational therapists Becky Marval and Laurence Roy. Together, they discuss the multifaceted approach to acknowledging and addressing homelessness through meaningful occupation using humanistic approaches. From evaluating self-care skills to addressing environmental barriers, OTs empower individuals to regain daily living skills and prepare for housing transitions while providing vital support for mental health challenges, substance use, and social integration. Tune in to learn more about how OTs connect clients with community resources, vocational training, and social activities, fostering belonging and paving the way for a brighter future amidst adversity. 

In Episode 28 of OT Conversations that Matter: The Podcast. Host, Justine Jecker dives into the second part of our series on occupational therapy within Primary Care teams with OTs Rachel Degan from Saskatchewan and Lisa Diamond-Burchuk from Manitoba. Our aim with this series is to connect OTs from diverse regions, shedding light on how occupational therapy is shaping Primary Care nationwide. Our first episode featured insights from Ontario and British Columbia. In this episode, we center our focus on the heart of Canada, offering a comprehensive view of our profession's role within this landscape. Discover how occupational therapists contribute to preventive health, holistic care, and client empowerment, all aimed at addressing health issues upstream. Join us as we continue to explore the evolution of primary care occupational therapy skills.

For episode 25 host Justine Jecker is joined by occupational therapists (OTs) Dianna Fong-Lee and Heather Gillespie. Their discussion centers around Occupational Therapist Assistants (OTAs) and their vital roles within the profession. This episode continues the exploration initiated in the first OTA-focused podcast, episode 21, shedding light on the variety of ways OTAs are trained in Canada. Dianna and Heather, known for their work on OT and OTA collaboration, also contributed to the 2019 OTA/PTA Vision Project, advocating for enhancing the roles of OTAs and PTAs in the profession.

On Episode 24 of OT Conversations that Matter: The Podcast, host Justine Jecker delves into the topic of sustainable occupational therapy practice with guest occupational therapists Janet Craik and Ben Mortenson. This episode builds upon the insightful discussions from Episode 22, which considered the role of occupational therapy in the context of planetary health and climate change. The conversation explores "sustainable health equity" and how the well-being of our society is intricately intertwined with the health of our planet. Tune in today to discover actionable steps to foster a healthier future for both your community and the environment!

For episode 23 of OT Conversations that Matter: The Podcast, host Justine Jecker is joined by occupational therapist Jennifer Berg-Carnegie and Carol MacDonald. Together, they delve into the topic of 'traditional' versus 'non-traditional' occupational therapy and innovative practices. With their extensive backgrounds as entrepreneurs spanning several decades, Jennifer and Carol share their thoughts on the significance of embracing innovative approaches within the ever-evolving dynamics of the profession. Join us as we explore the exciting intersection of tradition and innovation in occupational therapy

In this episode, host Justine Jecker welcomes occupational therapist, Giovanna Boniface, and family physician, Myles Sergeant, to discuss the importance of planetary health and sustainable action in the face of climate change. As climate change impacts every person on the planet and their daily occupations, it is crucial for clinicians to understand the opportunities for engagement and action. With a focus on expanding knowledge, time, and resources towards sustainable action, the conversation explores how occupational therapy can contribute to a bottom-up approach in addressing climate change. Tune in to the first episode of a three-part series to learn more about how we can work towards a healthier planet and healthier individuals.

For episode 21 of OT Conversations that Matter: The Podcast, host Justine Jecker is joined by occupational therapist assistant (OTA) Debra Cooper, and occupational therapist (OT) Teresa Avvampato. Together they explore intra-professional collaboration and its links to building capacity in occupational therapy service delivery. They share with us their thoughts on strengthening OT & OTA relationship building and how the profession could better support the development of these relationships.

For our March episode host Justine Jecker, is joined by guest OTs Shiyen Shu and Gillian Barrie. Through discussing questions such as "could OTs have more of an impact around the world if they knew how to be better leaders?" and "how can we support leadership development for OT graduates, clinicians, and OT leaders?" they explore what it means to grow leadership in occupational therapy.

For episode 19 of OT Conversations that Matter: the Podcast, host Justine Jecker is joined by special guest Phillip Wendt, OT & President of CAOT. Together they explore the motivators to becoming an occupational therapy practitioner and the links that unify OTs everywhere. Phillip shares with us how his journey to becoming President of CAOT and his experience working with people with varying health conditions has shaped his views of the profession.

For episode 18 of OT Conversations that Matter: the Podcast, host Justine Jecker is joined by guest OT Monique Lizon to discuss reflective and reflexive practice. Monique, is completing a Master of Public Health with a Specialization in Indigenous and Northern Health at Lakehead University and is currently a Policy Analyst at CAOT; she shares with us her reflections and some lessons learned throughout her research journey which focused on the response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada Calls to Action by OT professional associations and regulatory bodies.

For episode 17, host Justine Jecker is joined by guest OTs, Naomi Hazlett and Melissa Croskery. Together they discuss neurodiversity's origin, its evolution since 2020, and the understanding and relationship OTs have with neurodiversity and neurodivergent clients. 

In this episode, host Justine Jecker is joined by occupational therapist Julie Entwistle to discuss leadership. While leadership is not a new topic in health care, or in occupational therapy, its recent prominence in national discourse led us to engage in discussions on specific styles of leadership and how those might be reflected in day-to-day practice. Julie is a fervent leader who has donned many hats throughout her career including that of clinician, business owner, regulator, and Board Director.

For OT Month, OT Conversations That Matter: the Podcast is releasing a special extended episode focusing on the new textbook Promoting Occupational Participation: Collaborative Relationship-Focused Occupational Therapy. For episode 15, our host Justine Jecker is joined by OTs Gayle Restall and Mary Egan, editors of the new textbook representing over three dozen authors.

Through answering questions from our members about the new book, this episode explores the fundamental purpose of occupational participation and the book’s emphasis that occupational therapy is focused on collaborative relationships with individuals, families, communities, and populations. Considered an evolutionary advancement in our thinking, the publication introduces three important developments: how OTs characterize relationships with clients, the primary aim of practice, and how the profession is responding to justice, equity, and rights for individuals and collectives. Justine, Mary and Gayle also explore the new framework, the Canadian Occupational Therapy Inter-Relational Practice Process (COTIPP), and further elaborate on the evolutions towards the CanMOP and COTIPP from the Enabling Occupation II textbook which focuses on the CMOP-E and CPPF.

Pour l'épisode 14 partie 2 de OT Conversations that Matter : Le podcast, Émilie Montour, Responsable de projet à l'ACE, anime notre tout premier épisode en français sur le thème de l'identité professionnelle. Émilie est en compagnie de Yasmine Frikha, une ergothérapeute canadienne d'origine française qui fait actuellement son doctorat sur le thème de l'identité professionnelle à l'Université Laval au Québec. Yasmine a été motivée à approfondir le concept d'identité professionnelle lorsqu'elle a constaté, à travers son expérience clinique au Québec, qu'il s'agissait d'un enjeu courant dans la profession. Au cours de cet épisode, Yasmine et Emilie explorent les nombreuses raisons qui poussent les cliniciens de notre profession à remettre en question leur identité professionnelle et ce qui pourrait aider les ergothérapeutes à surmonter certaines des difficultés qu'ils rencontrent.

For episode 14 of OT Conversations that Matter: The Podcast, our host Justine Jecker is joined by Yasmine Frikha, a Canadian OT originally from France who is currently doing her PhD work on the topic of professional identity at the University of Laval in Québec. Yasmine was motivated to dive deeper into the concept of professional identity when she recognized, through her clinical experience in Quebec, that it was a common practice issue. During this episode, Yasmine and Justine explore the many reasons that lead clinicians within our profession to question their professional identity and what could help day-to-day practicing OTs work through some of the struggles they experience.

In this episode, Emmanuelle Pichard-Jolicoeur, OT & CAOT Global Health Practice Network Co-Chair, and Deb Cameron, OT and founder of the International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation at the University of Toronto, join us to talk about the Global Health Practice Network, what it means to be a global health OT and how being a Global OT ties into the concepts of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Dr. Shirley Ha, neuro-rehabilitative optometrist (OD) and Fellow of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, and Pamela Chinchilla, vision therapist and former practising optometrist in Colombia, join us to talk about OTs working alongside vision specialists. We explore different ways OTs and ODs could successfully build interprofessional relationships to better support and inform each other's practises and ensure optimal client care.

Emilie Montour, CAOT Policy Analyst, and Holly Reid, OT and UBC PHD student, join us to talk about advocacy within the OT profession. We look at where advocacy is included in the new Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada (2021) and what these advocacy competency indicators may look like in practice. We also explore the relationship between advocacy, OTs and their clients, and social, economic, political, legal and institutional barriers to participation and occupation.

Joy-Ann Perry and Amie Tsang join us to talk about socially accountable mentorship and their work with Occupational Therapists for Equity Advancement (OTEA). OTEA is an independent network of Occupational Therapists from historically marginalized groups, founded by Black, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQ+ occupational therapists that collectively support the enhancement of inclusion, diversity, equity and access within occupational therapy in the Greater Toronto Area. This is a group that grew out of the University of Toronto, but we are not formally tied to university. Today’s episode will focus on discussing OTEA's creation, experiences, and programs that are being recognized by OT programs across Canada.

Today we are joined by Anna Braunizer and Tanelle Bolt. We will be talking about branching away from the medical model and toward thinking about occupations beyond basic self-care. As the pandemic continues to disrupt our way of life, we can reflect on how COVID has changed individual and societal level awareness of how spaces are designed and used. 

This episode features occupational therapists Jennifer Bertoni and Justine Jecker. To close the 2021 year, we will be talking about culturally appropriate interprofessional health care services for First Nations and Indigenous populations. Both of our speakers today have worked with First Nations populations in northwestern Ontario with communities identifying as Anishinabek peoples. They both have a focus on culturally safe health care practices and how interprofessional teams appropriately service the needs of those in First Nation communities. If you'd like to connect with Jen, she can be reached at j.bertoni@queensu.ca

In this episode we return to the discussion surrounding social accountability to explore common downfalls and the ever-growing opportunities for change. This is the first episode with a guest who isn’t an occupational therapist but who has been strongly tied to the world of occupational therapy over the past few years. Thank you to Samira Omar for joining us! 

This episode focuses on social accountability with considerations of how this contrasts social activism. Holly and Justine engage in a conversation about what it means to be accountable and who we are accountable to, what constitutes activism, and how disrupting and professionalism can co-exist. 

This episode we were joined by Justine Jecker and Melissa Croskery to discuss occupational therapists as change agents. This was examined in the context of where our profession came from over time, and where we can hope to be going over the next 100 years. We consider change agency in a generalist context and from the perspective of leadership, and discuss whether OT can exist without change agency. 

Welcome to Episode 4 of Conversations that Matter: the podcast. Today’s discussion will center on intersecting identities and compounding forms of discrimination. Justin Turner and Holly Reid, two occupational therapists, will engage in a conversation on double-discrimination related to queerness and race, as well as discuss how the historical context of occupational therapy has been either a support or barrier to accessing healthcare services.

Episode 3 is focused on how and why OTs can be involved in research. With us today we have Kathryn Lambert and Justine Jecker, who engage in a conversation about what OTs bring to the table when doing research, involving patients and clients as partners, and what message they have for OTs who want to engage in research but do not have the time or resources to enroll in in a 4-year PhD or longer. 

Caleigh and Holly return for a continued in depth conversation about Pride month topics, relevance to their personal and professional lives, and lessons learned from what it means to find a community. This unfiltered, raw conversation highlights what it means to find and express identity authentically, and how we can all support each other to feel validated and safe. 

The purpose of this week’s episode is to dive into topics related to occupational justice for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, the unique needs of queer and trans folks when accessing health care, and considerations on how we can become allies with these communities. We have two occupational therapists with us today, Caleigh and Holly, who will discuss 2SLGBTQIA+ identities, pride month and more!

In this first episode of the podcast series, Holly Reid and Justine Jecker introduce the vision and purpose of the podcast. They situate themselves and describe their journey as occupational therapists. Upcoming topics and ideas are discussed, along with identifying the need for this podcast series.