Featured Members: Linda Olson, BS, MS, PhD

What's your educational background and why did you choose psychiatric rehabilitation as your field/profession?
I am an occupational therapist. I received my BS and MS in Occupational Therapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and my PhD in Health Related Sciences from Virginia Commonwealth University. As an occupational therapist I work with individuals to engage in daily activities that are meaningful to them. These activities may be caring for themselves or others, work, and/or leisure. We are very client-centered and believe everyone is capable of engaging in any activity they choose. The beauty of occupational therapy is we have the ability to break-down activities so we can work with the individual to develop the skills necessary to be successful in the task.
Part of our training is to do two extended fieldwork experiences to apply our skills in the clinic and develop entry-level competency. One of my fieldwork experiences was the a psychiatric rehabilitation program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. From my first day there I fell in love with the practice setting and individuals we provided services to. I also appreciated that everyone on staff was treated equally. There was no hierarchy. Everyone’s opinions mattered and were respected. During my time there I realized that the philosophy of psychiatric rehabilitation compliments that of occupational therapy and it’s a match made in heaven. I enjoyed this experience so much that after graduation I assumed a full-time position there. To this day I still tell everyone it was the best job I ever had or ever will have.

Tell us about the jobs you held before you were practicing psychiatric rehab and recovery.
So, my career has been the reverse of what many have probably experienced. I started working in psychiatric rehab and after six years had the opportunity to head up a work readiness program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). This program did not focus diagnoses but rather on the individual and performance issues they were experiencing. I thought it was a great extension of the work I had been doing at Northwestern. I loved the premise that we focused on the individual and not the diagnosis. Unfortunately, I was not prepared for the struggles that presented in trying to maintain and build this program and after a gallant effort the program closed after two or three years. 

I then moved to an inpatient program and found that I was frustrated because it was opposite everything I loved about psychiatric rehabilitation. There was clearly a hierarchy within the staff. It was hard to give input in team meetings and I didn’t feel like I was making a difference in the lives of the individuals I was working with. I realized I was still trying to apply the principles of occupational therapy and psychiatric rehab as if I was still working in an outpatient setting with no time restrictions. When I came to this realization, I changed my approach. I used the time I spent with individuals to get to know them and what their goals were. I worked with them to assess their current performance skills and ability to set and follow-through with goals, daily routines, etc. Following this assessment we would work together to identify strategies to use after discharge to achieve their goals. I would also collaborate with the social worker to identify a plan that would provide a balance of structure and autonomy to allow the individual to be as independent and successful as possible. Working at UIC provided the opportunity for me to get into academics by guest lecturing in the occupational therapy academic program. 

Tell us what's unique about your organization’s program?
We have a huge mental health component to our academic program compared to most other programs across the country. I believe this is essential because there is a psychosocial aspect to any illness or injury. Also, I selfishly want to introduce my students to mental health practice, especially psychiatric rehab in the hopes they will fall in love with it like I did almost 30 years ago. We definitely need more occupational therapists practicing in mental health and I firmly believe they should have more of a presence in psychiatric rehab. 

Something else unique about our program is the increased opportunities the students have for clinical experience. Every quarter the students are in our program, they have some type of clinical experience. We have partnered with many community agencies that allow our students to come in to develop and implement intervention groups. It has been a wonderful opportunity for our students to apply the principles of occupational therapy and discuss in class the similarities between the principles of occupational therapy and psychiatric rehab.What's the greatest challenge you face in your role?

The greatest challenge I face is related to working with other colleagues within the field of occupational therapy that are still operating under the assumptions of reductionistic models and don’t view individuals holistically.One other challenge has been trying to integrate more psychiatric rehab concepts in our inpatient units. One supervisor told me this wasn’t possible because we are inpatient and psychiatric rehab is meant for outpatient. Over the years I have continued to work with the staff to educate them on the principles of psychiatric rehab and how we can apply them in a variety of settings.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment in your role?
My greatest accomplishment is that I believe I have a made a difference in people’s lives, whether it be clients I work with or students in my program. My goal is to treat everyone with respect. One of the greatest compliments I ever received was when I was leaving Northwestern and the clients had a going away party for me. They said the thing they liked most about me was that I always said hi to them and I was never too busy to acknowledge them or spend time with them. That has stuck with me for almost 25 years as one of the most memorable times in my life. It definitely highlights how I was raised and my professional beliefs that everyone is equal and should be treated as a partner not a customer.

Interestingly, when I was leaving my first teaching position at UIC, the students said almost the identical thing. I always said hi to them, acknowledged their presence, and was never too busy to talk with them. It’s such a simple thing and something that I think should be practiced by everyone. After all, we all want to know we matter and have someone care about us.
 
What keeps you in this field, despite the challenges in #4?
Well, my love for the individuals I provide service to trumps (no pun intended) all of the challenges. I am passionate about serving individuals with mental illness and preparing others to provide this service. This principles are at the heart of our profession and we need to exemplify them through our work.

If you weren’t doing what you do, and making a living/salary were not a consideration, what would you be doing instead or what would you do in retirement?
Golfing. I love to golf and would have loved to have been a professional golfer. Unfortunately I started too late and don’t have the talent but it’s fun to dream. When I retire that will be my “occupation” of choice and hope to build healthy habits that leave plenty of time for fun on the golf course.