Maintaining Our Health through Occupation

Sue Parkinson is known in the occupational therapy profession for her contributions to the Model Of Human Occupation (MOHO), most notably the assessments, the Model Of Human Occupation Screening Tool (MOHOST) and the Model Of Human Occupation Exploratory Level Outcome Ratings (MOHO-ExpLOR), as well as the textbook, A Guide to the Formulation of Plans and Goals in Occupational Therapy, and the twin intervention handbooks, Recovery Through Activity and Discovery Through Activity. The Maintaining Our Health through Occupation programme was informed by her experiences as a Practice Development Adviser, supporting occupational therapists in mental health settings to consolidate their occupation-centred practice.

• Part 1 1. Introduction 2. Facilitation 3. Evaluation Part 2 1. Following our values 2. Developing our roles 3. Establishing our routines 4. Pursuing our interests 5. Protecting our physical environment 6. Strengthening our social connections 7. Boosting our confidence

'I have been facilitating groups for many years but have never before seen such successful outcomes – such positivity, optimism and confidence. The enthusiasm and focus shown by the people who attended Maintaining Our Health through Occupation was both encouraging and refreshing, leading me to believe that this programme can make a big difference and has the potential to be life-changing.' — Richard Love, Peer Support Worker'Our Maintaining Our Health through Occupation group acted as a springboard for connection and growth, and people spoke about leaving the group with "a spark" and a renewed sense of purpose and motivation. So much so that I am now profoundly convinced about the importance of groups in the recovery process. Co-facilitating was a huge learning curve and a chance for personal growth that will stay with me in my journey to become an occupational therapist.' — Wiktoria Zawada, Occupational Therapy Student'Maintaining Our Health through Occupation provides a vitally important intervention focusing on equipping people in their onward recovery journey – an intervention which counteracts the tendency for assessment to dominate so many occupational therapy pathways. The programme presents occupational therapy services with an opportunity to enrich and enhance their clinical offer, while unifying their practice and maximising the potential to demonstrate the unique value and effectiveness of our profession.' — Diana Ramsey, Professional Lead for Allied Health Professionals'Maintaining Our Health through Occupation is a great resource for occupational therapists. It would work well with a variety of client groups and using it with students would enable them to reflect on the relationship between occupation and health – both for themselves personally and when working with people clinically. It also explains the Model Of Human Occupation in a practical applied way and could be used by students to support their experiential learning of group facilitation.' — Laura Di Bona, Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy