Occupational Therapy Intervention to Foster Goal Setting Skills for Homeless Mothers

Abstract

SUMMARY Occupational therapy intervention was provided to two mothers living in a homeless shelter to foster goal setting skills and the ability to develop a systematic method to meet those goals. The Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) was used as the theoretical framework to guide intervention. Both mothers were able to establish personal goals and work towards meeting those goals but the outcomes varied. The difference in outcomes between the two mothers is described using MOHO with analysis of how occupational therapy services can be used with homeless mothers.

Occupational needs and priorities of women experiencing homelessness

“…While occupational therapists in the United States have started to develop interventions to respond to the occupational needs of women experiencing homelessness, there is a lack of comparable knowledge in Canada (Roy et al, 2017). Occupational therapy interventions explored with this group have included assessment of and intervention on independent living and employment skills, goal setting and scaling, time-use interventions, support in developing family routines, and community development initiatives (see Gorde et al, 2004;Gutman et al, 2004;Helfrich, Aviles, Badiani, Walens, & Sabol, 2006;Helfrich & Rivera, 2006;Ray, 2006;Schultz-Krohn, 2009;Schultz-Krohn, Drnek, & Powell, 2006;VanLeit et al, 2006). Most of these studies have been descriptive, although evaluative research on independent-living skills training shows preliminary short-term positive results on goal attainment and skills mastery (Gutman et al, 2004;.…”

Time Use of Women with Children Living in an Emergency Homeless Shelter for Survivors of Domestic Violence

“…Women experiencing domestic violence who have children not only have to recover their own lives and mental health, but they also are a major influence on the time use and routines of their children who are living with them in an emergency shelter. Previous studies (Schultz-Krohn et al, 2006;VanLeit et al, 2006) have indicated that the ability to manage time and to parent effectively are significant problems for women with children living in a shelter. If occupational therapists are to assist clients in reorganizing their lives (Yerxa, 1998), they must have a strong understanding of these daily routines and the time involved with parenting to provide holistic services that can give clients a sense of control, selfefficacy, and a foundation for learning or integrating their past knowledge of practical living skills.…”

“…VanLeit, Starret, and Crowe (2006) found that women with children who are homeless and living in a domestic violence shelter ranked the following occupational performance goals and concerns as most important: finances, employment, education, transportation, housing, time for self, personal appearance, home management, and parenting. Two descriptive studies of occupational therapy intervention programs with this population were found to be challenging to implement but, ultimately, successful (Helfrich, Aviles, Badiani, Walens, & Sabol, 2006;Schultz-Krohn, Drnek, & Powell, 2006). Throughout the literature discussed, thus far, authors have emphasized that women with children living in a homeless shelter need assistance with time management and successfully engaging in everyday occupations.…”

Occupational therapy upper limb splinting practice for clients with acquired brain injuries: A cross-sectional study from South Africa

“…The Bobath concept was founded on a reflex-hierarchical perspective which has since evolved into a system theory which defines the Bobath concept as a problem solving approach for restoring movement and participation (Schultz-Krohn and McLaughlin-Gray, 2018), while the Motor Relearning Programme is based on system theory, and is task oriented (Langhammer and Stanghelle, 2000). While the Bobath (NDT) approach is one of the more popular approaches, recent systematic reviews and a randomised controlled study found that the Bobath approach is not superior to other approaches for clients with ABI (Langhammer and Stanghelle, 2000;Rao, 2016), and that the motor relearning programme yields greater improvement in motor function than using the Bobath concept (Langhammer and Stanghelle, 2000).…”