Occupational & Recreational Therapy

During 2000, the Department of Occupational Therapy and Recreation Therapy Research Division continued to provide treatment to the patients of the Schizophrenia Research Unit (SRU), the General Clinical Research Unit (GCRU), and the Children's Day Unit (CDU). Patricia Smith, Senior Recreation Therapist, and Ilana Picker, OTR/L, Senior Occupational Therapist, continued to provide service on the GCRU and Johanna Willemin, CTRS, Senior Recreation Therapist, continued to provide service to the SRU. Renee Bednarz, CTRS, Senior Recreation Therapist, left the Institute, after two years of service to patients on the SRU and GCRU. Suzanne Headley, CTRS, Recreation Therapist, joined the department briefly, splitting her time between the two in-patient research units, including service on the weekend. The department added two other staff members during the year. Lori Zozzaro, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, was assigned to the SRU and CDU. Melissa Menders, Recreation Therapist, split her time between the two in-patient research units, including service on Sundays. Several students of both disciplines were trained during the year, including several occupational therapy clerkship students, an occupational therapy fieldwork student from New York University, and recreation therapy fieldwork students from the University of Connecticut, Radford University, and Arizona State University. Department members also supervised volunteers assigned to the three research units. These volunteers implemented patient groups such as Art Therapy, Gardening, Newsletter, Movement Group, Creative Writing, and Computer Skills. Eve Vagg, one of the Institute's photographers, volunteered her time to co-lead several Photography groups with department members. Department members continued to take advantage of the resources in the new building. Ms. Willemin again coordinated planting efforts in the Patients' Garden. Ms. Menders joined Ms. Smith in providing supervised exercise sessions in the exercise area in the gym. Ms. Picker used the Crafts Room for a papermaking workshop. Ms. Smith, Ms. Menders, Ms. Zozzaro, and Ms. Picker all provided individual and small group instruction on the computers in the Patient and Family Library and Resource Center. Patients learned word processing skills or used the internet to access information about vocational, social, and living arrangements for discharge, or to access their e-mail. All department members regularly brought patients to the library to look for resources on mental health topics and/or leisure reading. The department sponsored several special events, including trips to Yankee Stadium, the U.S. Open Tennis Center, and the Continental Airlines Arena for sporting events. Several concerts presented by musicians sponsored by the American Theater Wing were also featured. The department was administered by Matt Gold, CTRS.

Recreation Therapy is the provision of treatment, leisure education, and recreational services, to help persons with psychiatric illness to restore and rehabilitate functioning, to improve health and well-being, and to develop, maintain and express their most independent leisure lifestyle. Occupational Therapy utilizes selected educational, vocational, and rehabilitative activities to help individuals reach the highest functional level possible in their life roles, become self-reliant, and build a balanced lifestyle of work and leisure. Department members' responsibilities included assessing patients' levels of functioning, planning and implementing a variety of activities, charting patients' progress, participating in team meetings, maintaining their own level of professional preparedness, and contributing to the education and training of the many students, volunteers, and new practitioners who come to the Institute. The major focus of these treatment modalities was activity groups, but individual attention, in the form of educational, vocational, and leisure counseling was also provided. The program on the General Clinical Research Unit continued to offer activities designed for the two major diagnostic groups. Goal Setting, Self-Esteem Group, Cooking Group, Lunch/Shopping Group, Creative Writing, Crafts, Travel Group, Coffee Klatch, Leisure Education, and individual exercise planning was offered to patients with eating disorders. Patients with depression attended Goal Setting, Easy Eating, Supervised Exercise, Wellness Group, Computer Skills, Dear Gabby, Art Therapy, and Work Skills Group. On the Schizophrenia Research Unit, groups included Start-Up and Stretch, News and Views, Gardening, Newsletter, Crafts, Easy Eating, Baking, TGIF, Computer Skills, and Stress Management. Groups on the Children's Day Unit included Movement Group, Task Group, Photography, and Team Building.