Occupational Therapy’s Role in Human Trafficking Survivor Restoration
Jeff Steckler, OTD, OTR/L | September 23 | 3:15-4:15 pm
Topic: Healthcare, Direct Service | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Occupational therapy (OT) interventions provide a means of empowering human trafficking survivors through the integration of OT process, theories, and models of practice while enabling survivors to understand and process through the intrinsic and extrinsic barriers of achieving increased overall well-being and occupational performance (Cerny, 2016). OT practitioners provide client-centered interventions that concentrate on the value of active participation and engagement in healthy occupations. Interventions provided to survivors take place in many settings, including community-based programs, community clinics, hospitals, mental health centers, rehabilitation centers, and schools. The purpose of this program is to integrate the holistic approach of providing occupation-based interventions, where we live, into the restoration process for human trafficking survivors. In order to integrate, OT and health care practitioners will be provided with education regarding assessments and interventions to be utilized. Skills learned during this session will equip participants to facilitate occupational justice/rights of survivors to access opportunities and resources to engage in their chosen and meaningful occupations and to create a new narrative by forming new habits, routines, and roles. Areas of restoration to be specifically addressed are conflict resolution, coping, budgeting, sleep restoration, time management, healthy leisure skills, meal planning and health and wellness.
Presentation Objectives:
· Identify appropriate assessments for human trafficking survivors in order to establish plans of appropriate intervention
· Identify the role of OT in addressing the needs of human trafficking survivors
· Provide insight and education to OT practitioners, social workers, case managers, counselors, and volunteer staff regarding human trafficking survivors