122 – You Are Not Client Centred

Are you client-centered? Are you sure? Does your initial reaction to a situation indicate that you are too? After coming across a little video of a man learning to use his new prosthesis with no supports outside on the grass. He falls multiples times but gets back up and keeps trying. Unfortunately, the original video has been removed so I can’t show you all but I still wanted to share with you my reflections on the reaction to this video. Look after yourself, look after others, and always keep Occupied Brock@brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com If you want even more valuable content join <> for bonus podcast episodes, resources, mentorship and much much more! Transcript Brock Cook 0:00Good day and welcome to another episode. Before we get started, I just want to say a massive thanks to all of the the patrons that are supporting occupied on occupied plus over@patreon.com, forward slash occupied. Plus, you guys are amazing. I’ve had a couple of supervision slash mentorship sessions that I’ve jumped into in the last couple of days. And I’m just overwhelmed by the quality of clinician that is out there at the moment, this profession I can safely say is in very safe hands, going forward so warms my heart and makes me so happy to get to know you guys, and even happier that you are open and willing to support this podcast this projects, get the extra resources not always stoked when I get your reflections on those extra resources be that episodes or assessments or reflections that I put out. Yeah, it’s overwhelming. If you are interested in joining those amazing people pop on over to patreon.com forward slash occupied plus there is a tier for your budget for your wants for your needs. There is something there for you. pop on over and have a look and just see what you might be able to get out of it. That always amazes me when you come across things that make you reflect on your own practice, no matter how small the things usually are. This episode is about one of those things so I’m very keen to hear your opinions, whether or not you have reflected and can relate, etc. So hit me up in the comments send me a DM send me an email, let me know. Get a My name is Brock Cook and welcome to occupied. In this podcast we’re aiming to put the occupation in occupational therapy. We explore the people topics, theories and underpinnings that make this profession so incredible. If you’re new here, you can find all of our previous episodes and resources at occupied podcast.com. But for now, let’s roll the episode. So, picture this if you will. You rock up to Starbucks and order your favorite pumpkin spice macchiato. Chai whatever drink and the person behind the counter guys. Oh, that’s a lot of sugar. I’m gonna give you an Americano instead. Because it’s better for you. Would you be super stoked about that? Either they right? Does that matter? Let’s level look at it. So technically, is an Americano, better than one of your super sugary pumpkin spice whatever’s they’re not wrong? Does that make it better for you? Well, objectively on paper with nothing else taking into account. It is a healthier drink than the other one. Taking into account the context of your diet being eaten around that how you exercise your current physical status. Yeah, it gets a little bit more complex. But for the most part, on average, most people would probably agree much lower in galleries like 10 calories versus 2000. Probably a relatively easy decision as to which drink was healthy physically. Now, mentally, on that day, you are just really fighting to get your teeth around some pumpkin spice. Because apparently at this time of year, that’s the thing to do. That person has made the decision for you that no, this is going to be better for you. You’re not having that you’re having this instead. How does that make you feel? You’re thinking about this drink all day, hanging for it. You’ve planned out a time where you can go and get it you’re going to sit down you’re going to enjoy it. How does it make you feel having someone else tell you not gonna do it this way. I want you to have a reflect on that. Positive if you need I’ll get to the point behind in a second, but I really want you to work out how you would feel in that situation. For me, I am quite consciously aware that I am not the best one being told what to do. I’ve always been that way. I don’t know whether it was growing up listening to punk rock, or captaining sports teams or, you know, just always wanting to be in some kind of leadership position as a kid. I don’t know what it is. But I’ve never been particularly fond of just being told flat what to do. Now if I’m told what to do and I get a good explanation and then I kind of agree with it. Or for it, no worries at all too easy let’s go ahead let’s do that plan. But just being told not I know what’s better that for you than you know what’s better for you. The that doesn’t fly. I suspect that there’s probably quite a few of you listening to this that may lean towards that maybe not to that extreme. But being able to make your own decisions and not have the made by someone else for you, is probably something that a lot of you find quite important. I would imagine I would love to hear from you if you disagree, or if you agree with this. But here’s the point that I want to get to. I was scrolling through Facebook as you do one of my not so favorite pastimes but something I definitely still do. And I came across this video this video was posted in a Facebook group. It was a video of a sort of, from what look like a middle aged man who had lost part of his leg and seem to be learning again, there was no context to this video. It was just the video seems to be learning how to walk again with a prosthesis. He was walking on like a grassy area there seemed to be some kind of therapist or doctor or someone with him someone in scrubs in the sort of background, but he was trying to independently mobilize using this prosthesis. He was for the first few clips anyway like making it one or two steps and then falling over on the grass. And the video was in continually like it was short clips of him continually trying to walk independently without any aids other than the prosthesis obviously without any support from other people without any walking rails treadmills, any of that stuff. To me initially the video was kind of nonchalant it wasn’t anything that I was like oh wow, look at that. That’s amazing. I’m like okay, that’s cool. I’ve seen similar videos in the past. I’ve seen videos of pulled together people may or may not know of him if you haven’t definitely look him up. He is an ex Navy Diver clearance diver from Australia who was attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour lost one leg and one arm and yeah, and I’ve read his books and followed his story for a long time but I’ve seen him do a very similar video about himself when he got a new prosthesis I think it was a running processes as opposed to just his everyday walking what he calls his walking leg and him trying to get used to that and doing a very similar thing trying failing trying failing trying failing trying failing trying failing until eventually he got it the thing so like I said that video to me when I first watched it I’m like cool. Yep, that’s pretty cool. But it wasn’t anything dramatic. And then I found the comments. Again, this is in an OT group so I am presuming majority of these comments are coming from either OTS or ot students the comments for the vast majority of them were trashing the the health service whatever service that may have been that that person was involved in for not implementing all of these supports walking rails Why was there no one hanging on to him? You know, why are we letting him fall over what if he gets hurts all of these kinds of things which on face value, again, objectively without any other context. Potentially valid arguments. But there was one thing missing from all of these replies. So I being me, couldn’t help myself but point out this one thing that was missing. And that was the fact that what if that was that person’s preferred way of learning? What if that was how they wanted to do it? What if they didn’t want to be that person who relied on grading things right down to walking hanging onto two rails which don’t know about you, but I’ve never done that in my life. in everyday life, I’ve never gone all of two rails and grabbed onto them and walked hanging onto two rails. Understand completely, I’m not saying that they don’t have their place. But I need people to be a little bit more open minded when they’re looking at these things. Here’s the reply that I put into the group. So I write honestly, if you’re thinking of the operational issues before thinking of the client, you’re doing it wrong. If I was in the situation, and the therapist wanted to put all of those restrictions on how I learned how to use my prosthetics, I’d probably tell them to get effort as well. I don’t think therapists recognize how disenfranchising it is having your choices and wishes ignored, because a process of processing quotes. Now, this is assuming that it is his choice, and he wants to learn on the grass with minimal supports. I’m not saying it’s the safest or most efficient method, but it’s his method. Don’t shut down every idea just because your initial reaction is in quotes. That’s not how I do it. Because you’re not right, there is no absolute truth. Now, I want to unpack that a little bit. And I did a little Episode A while ago,