How do you deal with Professional Burnout?

GUEST BLOGGER: Emily A. Zeman, OTD, MS, OTR/L

Now more than ever is the time for us to invest in strategies to combat professional burnout and stress and take care of ourselves.  Healthy living and self-care are popular with not only millennials but also older generations of working health professionals.        

The question is: What are you doing for self-care and what else can you do to remain client-centered and compassionate at the same time?  It’s time to invest in yourself so you can keep doing what you are good at- taking care of others!

Tips

Personal: Self-awareness & Presence

  • Spend time with family & friends
  • Jump on the mindfulness train: Take up yoga, meditation, or prayer (Go with a buddy!) Check out tips on getting started here: Getting started with mindfulness
  • Add more recreation & time-off to your calendar
  • Exercise, especially out in nature! Here’s why!
  • Participate in support groups & engage in health self-talk
  • Laugh

Work: Professional Resilience & Enrichment

  • Maintain professional identity- attend conferences!
  • Ask questions – be curious!
  • Use humor
  • Seek case consultation & dialogue with peers
  • Eat lunch with colleagues or walk outside for breaks during the day (That nature thing again…)
  • Diversify work load & responsibilities
  • Set good boundaries with everyone It’s important!

 Moving Forward

 Questions to ask yourself:

  • How do I restore my energy when away from work?
  • What do I already do in terms of self-care?

There are many ways to incorporate a few strategies to avoid burnout and practice self-care- even one will get you started on the right track!  Try one a week and see which one fits you best.  You and your patients will both benefit.

References:

  1. Lawson, G. & Myers, J.E. (2011). Wellness, professional quality of life, and career-sustaining behaviors: What keeps us well?  Journal of Counseling & Development, 89(2), 163-171.
  2. Wicks, R.J. (2008).The Resilient Clinician. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

 

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Speaker Spotlight – Jessica Minahan

 

Jessica Minahan[/caption]

We are thrilled to announce that Jessica Minahan M.Ed, BCBA will be one of our keynote speakers at our Annual Therapies in the School Conference coming up in November.

Jessica is a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA), author, special educator, and consultant to schools internationally.  Since 2000 she has worked with students who struggle with mental health issues and challenging behavior in public school systems.  She specializes in training staff and creating behavior intervention plans for students who demonstrate explosive and unsafe behavior. She also works with students who have emotional and behavioral disabilities, anxiety disorders, or high-functioning Autism. Her particular interest is to serve these students by combining behavioral interventions with a comprehensive knowledge of best practices for those with complex mental health profiles and learning needs.

She is a blogger on The Huffington Post, the author of The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students, with Nancy Rappaport (Harvard Education Press, 2012), and author of The Behavior Code Companion: Strategies, Tools, and Interventions for Supporting Students with Anxiety-Related or Oppositional Behaviors (Harvard Education Press, 2014).

She holds a BS in Intensive Special Education from Boston University and a dual master’s degree in Special Education and Elementary Education from Wheelock College. She has a certificate of graduate study (CGS) in teaching children with Autism from the University of Albany and received her BCBA training from Northeastern University in Boston. She is sought-after internationally to speak on subjects ranging from effective interventions for students with anxiety to supporting hard-to-reach students in full-inclusion public school settings.

Jessica’s sessions are titled:

Reducing Anxiety in the classroom
With up to one in four children struggling with anxiety in this country, overwhelmed adults are in need of a new approach as well as an effective and easy-to-implement toolkit of strategies that work.
Through the use of case studies, humorous stories, and examples of common challenging situations, participants will learn easy to implement preventive tools, strategies, and interventions for reducing anxiety, increasing self-regulation, work engagement, and self-monitoring.

AND

Strategies to Reduce Anxiety and Related Problem Behaviors in the Classroom
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that one in four thirteen to eighteen year olds have had an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Without intervention, these children are at risk for poor performance, diminished learning, and social/behavior problems in school.
As a result of this workshop participants will be able to easily implement preventive tools, strategies, and interventions for increasing work engagement, initiation, persistence, and self-monitoring, as well as ways to reduce oppositional moments in students.

Find out more details here.  A full schedule will be posted shortly

Join our mailing list to ensure you receive up to the minute information

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Tips to encourage language and problem solving during play

Great blog submission from a member of our community: Brooke Andrews M.A. CCC-SLP.

Please share your thoughts below.

Speech therapy with young children can sometimes looks like “just playing.” That’s because play and language go together. In addition to play being the primary vehicle for learning in early childhood, let’s talk more about how play and language go hand in hand. A word is a symbol for the object it represents. Children’s play skills are intimately related to their understanding of symbols. If a child uses a towel as a “blanket” and playfully pretends to go to sleep, they are using that towel as a symbol for the blanket. Other examples include pretending a “block” is a phone or a “stick” is a car. This understanding of the use of symbols develops alongside the understanding that words are symbols for objects and ideas. Between 18-24 months, children produce simple sentences. As children learn more about the world, they discover more about the relationships between items, places, and people. Using word combinations give toddlers a way to express these relationships (ex: “sock on,” “more crackers,” etc.) As children combine more words, more complex relationships are reflected through their play. For example, a child may feed their baby doll, burp her, put her pajamas on, then put her to bed. During pretend play, children will often “take on the roll” of a character. Researchers have found that during play, toddlers duplicate the way adults talk to babies and the way babies talk to adults. When toddlers play the role of the “mommy,” they increase their pitch and talk in shorter sentences. They also talk more and ask more questions. Similarly, when toddlers pretend to be the “baby,” they talk less and use high pitched voices. This ability to use language to stand for make-believe relationships is another sign of your toddler’s increasing language and play skills. Play and language are interconnected. Children’s pretend play is often the origin of their earliest “narratives” (Golinkoff & Pasek, 1999). Engaging in pretend play with your child gives them the model and structure for telling a story. These stories help them develop early literacy skills. Remember to follow your child’s lead and become a “partner” instead of a “director” during play. Here are some tips to follow when engaging in pretend play with your little one • Balance your turns- Don’t make all the suggestions or do all the talking. Balance turns with your child. • Create “problems” during play – Pretend the tea for your tea party is “too hot” and encourage your child to come up with a solution (blow on it, pretend to throw ice cubes in the cup “clink!”). Good stories have conflicts that need a resolution. Practice early versions of this during pretend play. • Wait – Before offering a suggestion for what to do. Give your child a chance to come up with an idea on their own. • Expand your child’s play – You can “partner” with your child by expanding on the play scene they are interested in. • Have fun- Use funny voices and fun noises. Kids are already doing this. Join in the play and don’t be afraid to get silly! Next time you are having a tea party with your little one, keep in mind all that they are learning about language, literacy, and problem-solving. All while having fun and getting to spend time with you! References:
Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (1999). How babies talk: The Magic and Mystery of Language in the First Three Years of Life. New York: Plume. “Play with Language and Speech.” In Child Discourse, edited by S. Ervin-Tripp and C. Mitchell Kernan , 24-47. New York: Academic Press, 1997.
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NEW e-Learning Program – Pediatric Toe Walking Series Now Available Online

Toe Walking Online SeriesWe are thrilled to announce the launch of our new pediatric toe walking online course series.

Enhance your differential diagnosis skills to guide more effective treatments; learn new tools to address the sensory and motor aspects that underlie toe-walking, and recognize red flags to help determine the appropriate professional for referral.

International expert Liesa Persaud, PT, DPT, PCS, CKTP
teaches the series through case studies, demonstrations, extensive directed lab practice and lecture

Utilizing the ACT (Assessment Criteria for Toe Walking)
and Outcomes and Footwear Modification to Improve Outcomes
$79

 The Role of Vision and Reflexes
$99

 Red Flags for Referral and Intervention Strategies
$99

Register for the complete online series for $229
OR  
Register for individual sessions
Includes downloadable handouts & access for an entire year

Recommended for healthcare professionals who have a basic knowledge of the following areas: 
biomechanics of normal gait, characteristics of equinus gait (toe walking), and kinesiology of the lower extremity.
Recommended for those who have taken the two day course from Liesa Persaud and want to supplement your learning.

Please visit our FAQ Page and CEU Page  for more information 

 Education Resources online courses are the next best thing to attending live:

  • Engaging CEU’s on demand
  • Learn at your convenience – access the courses for a full year
  • Advance your skills
  • Expand your knowledge
  • Learn from leading experts

The team at Education Resources is also excited to announce the launch of our 
PEDIATRIC GAIT DISCUSSION GROUP
a venue for therapists to discuss any clinical challenges or tips with other colleagues

We continue to strive to meet your needs as you develop your skills to meet the ever changing demands of health care and education. We welcome your suggestions for future online courses.  info@educationresourcesinc.com

Please Click Here to Join Our Mailing List

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Therapies in the School 2017 with Zones of Regulation Pre-Conference

 

We listened to your input – thank you!

We are excited to share with you the now completed outline for our popular annual school based conference, coming to Massachusetts in November:

THERAPIES in the SCHOOL 2017
November 16-17, 2017
Framingham, MA

We hope to see you at this year’s conference. Limited Availability so Reserve Early!

and 
RETURNING THIS YEAR
we are thrilled to bring you an optional Pre-Conference: 

The Zones of Regulation®
A Framework to Foster Self-Regulation and Emotional Control
Wednesday November 15, 2017
Framingham, MA

LAST YEAR’S THIS PRE- CONFERENCE WAS A SELL OUT!
Please register early to avoid disappointment

Register for Therapies in the School (2 days) and the pre-conference
and receive a saving of $65

The Zones of Regulation® preconference presentation provides teachers, therapists and parents with hands-on knowledge on the nature of self-regulation and strategies for improving self-regulation and emotional control in individuals of all ages
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR PRELIMINARY OUTLINE, PRICING AND REGISTRATION DETAILS

This year’s conference focuses on collaborative approaches to supporting instruction in the classroom with related services, the functional but struggling child, how to support fine motor skills, and what is realistic for the moderate to severely involved child. In addition, the conference will highlight mindfulness, movement and music, therapeutic implications of our current knowledge of how the brain works, motor issues in ASD, and visual processing as it affects learning. 
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR PRELIMINARY OUTLINE, PRICING AND REGISTRATION DETAILS

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