Simone Allen, MS, OTR/L: OT in Domestic Violence Programs

In this post, we will be learning about the role of Occupational Therapy in Domestic Violence Programs, an Uncommon OT practice setting for Occupational Therapy practitioners. You will hear from the professional experiences of Simone Allen,born on the island of Jamaica. Simone migrated to the United States as a young child. She has always had an interest in the health professions, dreaming of becoming a pediatrician. Having witnessed multiple family members become nurses, she initially thought she would follow suit, until her aunt encouraged her to look into another field. Her interest in occupational therapy piqued as an undergrad, after first hearing about the profession from a fellow classmate. From there, Simone began her research, which led to volunteering at a sensory clinic in New York City. A few years after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English, she entered the Occupational Therapy Graduate Program at Mercy College, where she earned a Master of Science degree. Since graduating, Simone has worked in a variety of settings, including early intervention, school, hospital, and home care, working with individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Her interest in and eventual love for mental health developed during a level I observation, which led to a request to continue her level II training at the same facility. Simone worked on an in-patient psychiatric unit for over six years, developing her skills and supervising a number of both level I and II occupational therapy interns. Simone was also the Clinical Fieldwork Coordinator for Beth Israel’s Department of Psychiatry’s Occupational Therapy Program for a number of years, which ultimately led to her first teaching experience as an adjunct faculty member at New York University, where she co-taught the mental health lab course for one semester. In late 2019, Simone became the Occupational Therapy Program Manager at Barrier Free Living, Inc., where she consults to oversee OT programming throughout the agency and supervises OT interns from across the country in providing support and education to survivors of domestic/intimate partner violence and individuals with a variety of disabilities and support staff. One of her greatest passions is mentoring fieldwork students in developing and honing the skills that they will utilize with their clientele, despite the setting they will work in as entry-level practitioners. Simone’s current interests include pelvic floor trainings for occupational therapists, as well as utilizing her OT training to become a future doula! 

Q & A with Simone:

Please tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Simone Allen, and I have been an Occupational Therapy practitioner for over 12 years. Most of my OT experience has been within the psychosocial realm--I worked on an inpatient psychiatric unit at a hospital in New York City for over six years; I've also dabbled in early intervention (E/I) and home care. I also worked as the Clinical Fieldwork Coordinator for the Department of Psychiatry for a few years, while simultaneously supervising level I and II OT interns. I was an adjunct faculty member for one semester, teaching a mental health lab course. But my heart is in working with students in the field! I was led my current role, as the OT Program Manager at Barrier Free Living, Inc., via my previous supervisor. In this role, I oversee the OT department at three program sites, consulting with staff to provide OT services to consumers, and also developing OT programming that is carried out by OT student interns.

 What motivated you to contribute to this series? 

I met and briefly worked with Patricia Motus while she was transitioning out of Barrier Free Living! We immediately hit it off and have stayed in touch with each other, despite now living on two different coasts! I also wanted to help highlight the fact that OT is multifaceted, and we aren’t only found in hospitals, schools, and nursing homes.

Please describe the UncommonOT work that you do and the setting in which you work, the population you serve and the needs that you address. 

I currently work as the OT Program Manager at Barrier Free Living, Inc. In this role, I oversee OT programming at two residential programs and one community-based settings, serving survivors of domestic violence and individuals with various disabilities. The OT department assists individuals who are referred in all aspects of their lives—from learning various technological skills to parenting skills, preparing to enter/re-enter the workplace, adapting everyday tasks so that they can successfully be completed. You name it, OT is there to help! In addition, the department provides in-services on OT’s role in assisting the consumers that are served by the agency, and provides ongoing education on why OT services are relevant.

What drew you to this type of OT work? 

This opportunity literally fell into my lap! I was informed about the position by my former supervisor, Mary Petti-Weber, when my contract was ending because she thought I'd be a great fit due to my experience in clinical and supervisory roles. At the time, I had no knowledge of OT’s working with DV survivors, and wasn’t very familiar with trauma-informed care or working in a community-based setting, so I had to do my research!

How did you get there? 

I applied to the position on the site, and also emailed my resumé and letter of interest to HR. I received a voicemail from Patricia about a week or so afterwards, and the rest is history!

Please describe a typical day or OT session at your setting? 

Pre- or post-COVID (lol)? Pre-COVID, I spent one day per week at each program site. This included direct supervision of OT interns, meetings with staff/program directors, co-facilitating groups, and reviewing documentation. These days, my days have merged, as we are offering hybrid programming. I am still onsite three days per wk, but with greater flexibility due to virtual OT offerings and remote supervision. There is also outreach with additional programs and interactions with schools/academic fieldwork coordinators. This includes site visits and guest speaking opportunities.

Can you talk about some recent highs (successes) and lows (challenges) of your current role? 

One high is that OT is able to offer a weekly self-care group virtually! This group began as a level II intern's "baby" last summer, and has continued throughout the pandemic! We have been able to offer the group to consumers at all three programs, and have gotten great feedback about how beneficial the group has been, even as we return to a level of "normalcy." The group has also helped foster peer support (one factor that has been highlighted consistently). Another “high” is that I was recently featured on a panel of OT fieldwork educators (FWEs) by the Metropolitan Occupational Therapy Education Council to discuss the challenges of providing OT services and fieldwork supervision during the COVID-19 pandemic. My brief three-minute spiel led to being contacting about guest speaker opportunities! Along with the current roster of OT interns, we will be presenting to incoming students at Kean University next week. The biggest challenge for me has been finding that just-right fit for some of the interns, though I can now say things have been getting better. Having interns onsite twice a week and some not having access to much-needed tools has been another challenge, but we, as OTs do, adapt! I anticipate staffing presence onsite will be increasing, which will have a huge impact on OT programming (for the better).

How do you continue to learn in order to stay on top of things within your role? 

I take A LOT of self-paced continuing education courses related to trauma and trauma-informed care, mostly via PESI, but also via the agency and suggestions from staff/other OTs. I also utilize OT Potential, which recently collaborated with MedBridge to offer CE courses. In addition, I'm a member of various OT associations--the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), the NYS Occupational Therapy Association (NYSOTA), the NYS Black Occupational Therapy Caucus (NYSBOTC), the Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD), the NY Mental Health Task Force, and a few OT-related Facebook groups (e.g., Trauma Informed Occupational Therapists, Telehealth for Occupational Therapy, Non-Clinical Networking for Rehab Professionals). In addition, I recently started a monthly journal club with the OT interns, where we discuss articles that are relevant to the agency and people we serve (this is our second month, and we will be discussing occupational justice for transgender and gender non-conforming people). I'd like to add that there is free access to AJOT, OT Practice, and other publications included in my AOTA membership, which also allows me to learn about evidence-based practice, new assessment tools, and different approaches that can be utilized within OT programming, and to foster my own professional growth.

Anything you can share about the typical salary and compensation, How OT is funded? 

I work as an independent contractor with the agency, which is a nonprofit organization, so I am paid a flat rate for a set number of weekly hours set forth in the contract.  

Any career advice for our followers and listeners on how to get started in this setting? 

Any OT who wants to get started in this setting should definitely have experience! I wouldn't necessarily say this would be the starting point for an entry-level practitioner, but completing a fieldwork experience in a setting like this may lead to other opportunities. I would also suggest either shadowing an OT or even volunteering in a shelter to foster relationships with individuals and develop program management. For the more seasoned OT practitioner: NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK! You never know what may lead you to that next step in your professional career, even if that means your role isn’t necessarily “OT,” the skills you learned, and your professional experience will allow you to encompass the heart of OT!

What’s a common myth or misconception about your job you’d like to call out? 

OT is a holistic profession, so we look at the individual as a whole, and we break down every aspect of every task. Because of that, people often wonder, “what exactly do you do?” Though we support individuals in finding work or reentering the workplace, we don't help you find a job (that “occupational” portion of our title). I'm guilty of this misconception, because when I first learned about my classmate moving on to an OT program for grad school, I thought that's what she'd be doing! But I did my research, spoke to professionals, and volunteered to gain a better understanding that OT’s do EVERYTHING! Which is also what makes it difficult to narrow down exactly what we do! We also don't focus on the upper body while PT focuses on the lower body.

How do we find you, follow you, be in touch with you, and promote your unique work? 

The best place to find me and make a connection is LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallenotr/)!

RESOURCE LIST:

Barrier Free Living www.bflnyc.org

PESI www.pesi.com

Montreal Occupational Therapy Assessment www.mocatest.org

Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Training https://catalog.pesi.com/sales/bh_c_001376evg_treatingcomplextrauma_organic-127314

Certified Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider (CMHIMP) Training Course: Nutritional and Integrative medicine https://catalog.pesi.com/sales/bh_c_afc001278evg_16_nimcert_012320_organic-113913

As always, I welcome any feedback from all of you or if you are interested on being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at transitionsot@gmail.com or DM via Instagram @transitionsot

We hope you will continue to LISTEN, FOLLOW & SHARE

The Uncommon OT Series Podcast with all your friends and colleagues!

Full Q & A only available here at:

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/the-uncommon-ot-series

Happy Listening Everyone!

All views are mine and guests own.

Be a Patron to support The Uncommon OT Series Podcast project via Patreon.