Weave OT was founded by Tricia in 2023. Weaving has strong connections with occupational therapy, Celtic and Māori traditions.
Occupational Therapy is a profession that began to emerge in 1700 with emerging changes in how people with mental health challenges were treated. Occupational therapy centers on the philosophy that participation in meaningful and purposeful occupations are essential for human wellbeing, development and survival. People were supported to engage in arts and craft activities to provide opportunities to develop skills, feel productive and to promote relaxation. Weaving was one of these activities and became a cliché for Occupational Therapist's to be known as 'basket weavers' that many like to shake off. While participating in an activity such as basket weaving, a person is not only making a basket (end product), they are also integrating many aspects of their life (culture, values, experiences) and using their mind and body to complete the task. This involves spatial, rhythmic, memory, sensory, emotional, communicative, physical, mind and mood, awareness, integration and development. These are the skills that are promoted, developed and adapted through occupational therapy and child led play activities. It is an analogy of OT that I can identify with and apply to our modern world and context. As an Occupational Therapist, I am interested in supporting people to live a life that is meaningful to them by enabling and empowering them to participate in occupations that are purposeful and hold meaning for them. For a child, occupations are the things they need and want to do each day such as playing, feeding, self care, and learning. Underlying skills in emotional regulation, sensory processing and integration, cognitive, postural and motor abilities are important foundations that need to be interwoven for these occupations to become and feel successful. The strengths and capacities of the child are woven to enhance their development and to support them to develop further capacities and integration for learning and developmental growth. Looking at individual skills or strands in relation to each other and to the bigger picture including the child and families contexts, relationships, environment, experiences, culture and community. A loose or missing piece of a woven mat or woven web can impact it's overall strength and function, external factors such as the elements can also impact it's strength and structure. My job is to investigate what internal and external factors are impacting on a child or families development, learning, performance and wellbeing and then to adjust, strengthen, support, adapt, or accommodate either the activity, the person or the environment to enable them to be successful. These are the skills interwoven into my therapeutic practice. Weave OT is about understanding the relationship between the body and the mind and that these cannot be separated from each other. As an Irish woman, I have a strong cultural identity that I cannot be separated from. I strive to weave my work as an Irish Occupational Therapist into the New Zealand and Māori context of health and wellbeing and believe that a person's cultural identity is an integral part of their wellbeing. As a parent, I understand that the whole family network needs to be supported as each persons wellbeing influences the family's functioning and happiness. I therefore am looking at the weaving together of the family members in a way that feels right for them and incorporating their wider networks of supports and services. Through Weave OT you, your child and your family will work towards achieving physical, mental and sensory health outcomes that you can continue to enhance and weave into your life and developmental parenting journey. The logo is a Celtic tree of life showing the woven connection between routes and branches and so many interconnections. Occupational Therapy looks at the whole person but particularly what is happening below the surface, the roots of a problem and the environment and supports that are necessary for that tree to to be strong, grow and hopefully blossom. |