“Backward chaining” and “Just right challenge” are words I hear regularly at the School of Occupational Therapy, where another year of teaching starts shortly. As Occupational Therapists, we use both of these principles all the time as we help people work on physical, emotional and cognitive deficits through purposeful activity. “Backward chaining” is a concept …
A Tangible Success
The “IKEA effect” is alive and well in my household. I talk and listen for a living. Clients will tell me ways in which their therapy sessions change their lives in ways which I find awesome and humbling. However, there isn’t always a lot of tangible signs that I have made a difference when I …
A Thought
“Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit”. Peter Ustinov (b. 1921), British actor, writer, director. Christian Science Monitor (Boston, 9 Dec. 1958).
High school—A retrospective redo of memories
The high school reunion is over…but what fun we had. Highlights from my perspective: Major belly laughs. The things we did, the fun we had—from the perspective that the distance of years creates, the antics of youth seem quite silly indeed. There were practical jokes that even now seemed truly clever, but much of it …
Being Aware of Beauty
Sometimes the focus on the destination has us missing the beauty of the present: Joshua Bell is a renowned American violinist. His concerts regularly sell out because of the public’s desire to hear his music. He is playing on a violin worth millions of dollars. And… only a few stopped to listen. When I saw …
The memories of high school
Tomorrow is my high school reunion. Hard to believe all those years have gone by since high school. I was asked to pray a blessing for the meal, and so this morning during my run, I thought about the ways in which my life was blessed in my high school experience. A few stood out: …
An effective strategy for gangs.
David Kennedy, a researcher in New York has a simple plan to reduce gang crime by 50%. WOW! And it’s not putting people in jail. That doesn’t work. He was interviewed by CBC this morning. The plan, in a nutshell, is this: Reps from the local gangs are invited to a meeting (it’s not hard …
When God closes a door, He opens a window
Maria’s line from the Sound of Music has often intrigued me, sometimes frustrated me in its seeming naivete, and sometimes has me humbled with it’s truth. I was running along today listening to a podcast describing a couple’s adventure on a tandem bike. They biked hundred of miles across the country. He was blind, but …
Holding the complexities of life
I often learn more by watching, observation, and experience, than by hearing a principle being taught. This week I’ve watched and learned about the incredible ability to hold life’s experience in balance and tension. I’ve admired people as, several times this week, I’ve witnessed individuals being able to hold both tragedy, struggle, joy and delight …
Therapy as a Biological Treatment
I was reading on the Psychology Today website about a recent study that measured the effectiveness of therapy with clients. PET (positive emission tomography) scans can differentiate the alterations in brain function between clients struggling with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and control subjects, who do not have OCD. Scientists measured the changes in PET scans …