In this episode, we will be learning about the role of Occupational Therapy in Domestic Violence Programs, an Uncommon OT practice setting for Occupational Therapy practitioners.  You will hear from the professional experiences of Simone Allen, born on the island of Jamaica. Simone migrated to the United States as a young child. She has always had an interest in the health professions, dreaming of becoming a pediatrician. Having witnessed multiple family members become nurses, she initially thought she would follow suit, until her aunt encouraged her to look into another field. Her interest in occupational therapy piqued as an undergrad, after first hearing about the profession from a fellow classmate. From there, Simone began her research, which led to volunteering at a sensory clinic in New York City. A few years after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English, she entered the Occupational Therapy Graduate Program at Mercy College, where she earned a Master of Science degree. Since graduating, Simone has worked in a variety of settings, including early intervention, school, hospital, and home care, working with individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Her interest in and eventual love for mental health developed during a level I observation, which led to a request to continue her level II training at the same facility. Simone worked on an in-patient psychiatric unit for over six years, developing her skills and supervising a number of both level I and II occupational therapy interns. Simone was also the Clinical Fieldwork Coordinator for Beth Israel’s Department of Psychiatry’s Occupational Therapy Program for a number of years, which ultimately led to her first teaching experience as an adjunct faculty member at New York University, where she co-taught the mental health lab course for one semester. In late 2019, Simone became the Occupational Therapy Program Manager at Barrier Free Living, Inc., where she consults to oversee OT programming throughout the agency and supervises OT interns from across the country in providing support and education to survivors of domestic/intimate partner violence and individuals with a variety of disabilities and support staff. One of her greatest passions is mentoring fieldwork students in developing and honing the skills that they will utilize with their clientele, despite the setting they will work in as entry-level practitioners. Simone’s current interests include pelvic floor trainings for occupational therapists, as well as utilizing her OT training to become a future doula!

Show Key Points:

·      Simone gives us a glimpse of her background and what brought her to OT

·      Simone describes The Uncommon OT work that she does, the setting and population serves

·      Simone describes OT groups and a typical day on the job

·      Simone discusses salary, compensation, and career advice for interested listeners

·      Simone dispels some myths about the profession

·      Simone provides her contact and information on how she can be reached

RESOURCES:

Guest Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallenotr

Barrier Free Living www.bflnyc.org

PESI www.pesi.com

Montreal Occupational Therapy Assessment www.mocatest.org

As always, I welcome any feedback from all of you or if you are interested on being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at [email protected] or DM via Instagram @transitionsot

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