This Occupational Therapy (OT) Month, we’re celebrating the occupational therapists at IWK Health who help children and youth build the skills, confidence and independence they need to participate in everyday life. From supporting development to helping children navigate challenges at home, at school and in their communities, our OTs make a meaningful difference for patients and families every day. Thank you for all you do!
For Jenna Bower, occupational therapy is about understanding the whole person and helping them participate in the parts of life that matter most to them.
Jenna is a Clinical Therapist with the IWK AMBIT (Adaptive Mentalization Based Integrative Treatment) program, where she provides psychotherapy to children, youth and families within a community-based Tier 4 service. She works with young people with complex and high-acuity needs, often alongside multiple professionals, systems and supports.
Being community-based allows Jenna and her team to meet young people and families where they are in their journey and ask a simple but important question: How can we be helpful?
As the only OT on her team of four clinicians, Jenna brings a distinct occupational and functional perspective to collaborative care. She considers how a young person’s mental health and life experiences are affecting their ability to participate in everyday activities and roles—from relationships and school to routines and other things that are meaningful to them.
For young people who may not yet be ready to engage in formal psychotherapy, Jenna says OT can offer another pathway into support: starting with meaningful, occupation-based goals and building toward the life they want to live.
Jenna also wants people to know that occupational therapists can play an important role in mental health, including providing psychotherapy. OT’s holistic, occupation-based approach can help teams understand not only how someone is doing, but how their mental health is affecting their participation in life—and how therapy can help them move toward the things that matter.
“What I love about being an OT is how broad the profession is,” Jenna says. “There are so many different populations, settings and areas of practice where OT can make a difference.”