Roxanne Pitt
occupational Therapy
Finds joy when others are able to approach and perform their lives to their absolute protentional
Roxanne recognises that occupational therapy (OT), and its practises, play a crucial role in the various functions of daily life. It is for this reason that Roxanne is passionate about the function of occupational therapy in bringing meaning and zeal to daily life and in the workplace.
Roxanne completed her Bachelors of Science in Occupational Therapy at The University of Cape Town, South Africa, and graduated in 2016.
Roxanne views occupational therapy as a proactive tool, and thus believes that in giving others access to occupational therapy tools, they can improve their everyday lives.
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy is a profession within the healthcare sector that seeks to develop and maintain meaningful occupations for individuals and groups.
Meaningful occupations change over different stages in life; for a young child a meaningful occupation may be playing, for a teenager, it could be learning, for a young adult this could be joining the workplace and for the elderly, a meaningful occupation may be participating in leisure activities.
What is Roxanne’s focus in occupational therapy?
There are multiple disciplines within occupational therapy. Roxanne’s focus lies within the workplace. Her focus centers on creating healthy and accessible spaces within the workplace for all members of society. One of Roxanne’s primary beliefs is that occupational therapy practices should be deployed proactively, not just reactively. In this vein, Roxanne recognises that occupational therapy practises and tools play a key role in cultivating healthy workspaces. She, therefore, views occupational therapy as a proactive tool that can be used to achieve this and further sees that occupational therapy can improve employer and employee wellbeing in the workplace.
Since Roxanne’s view of occupational therapy as a proactive service aims to benefit both the employer and employee through its practises, she aims to inform the workforce about the role of occupational therapy in wellness. Roxanne wants all to have access to this information.
Where does Occupational Therapy fit into our lives at work?
The development and maintenance of meaningful occupations for individuals and groups forms a crucial part of sustaining our physical and mental health. The physical and mental health of a person can be understood as their “wellbeing”. Occupational therapists help others maintain their wellbeing by analysing three factors that impact one’s wellbeing. These are the person – the employee or employer – the environment – the workplace – and the actual occupation.
Why is Occupational Therapy important in the work place?
By analysing how the person, the environment, and the occupation triangulate, occupational therapists ensure that these factors do not hinder individuals or groups in fully participating in their work. When occupational therapists look at how these three factors function as a unit, they are able to identify, address or help avoid unhealthy participation in work, which in turn may lead to physical and/or mental health consequences.
What are Roxanne's expertise the workplace?
Roxanne’s experience in vocational rehabilitation has equipped her with evidence-based knowledge to address and educate employers and employees on:
- Creating spaces for healthy and productive work
- Conducting accessibility audits
- Reintegrating people with disabilities into the workplace
- Assessing and implementing workspace modification (ergonomic and accessibility)
- Injury management (medical case management)
- Compiling, implementing and facilitating occupational therapy return-to-work programmes
- Facilitating job-hardening
- Conducting job fit analysis/assessments
- Functional capacity evaluation (FCEs)
- Medico legal FCEs
- Workplace wellness programmes