What to Expect in Your First Occupational Therapy Visit
Before You Book Your Visit
Curious about what an occupational therapy assessment entails? Book a free discovery call with owner & Occupational Therapist, Cassi Starc. In this free 15-minute phone call, we will discuss your concerns and determine:
If OT is for you, and
If one of our occupational therapists is the right fit.
If OT is not the right treatment for you at the time, we will refer you to the right professional, whether it be your doctor, a vestibular physiotherapist, or something else!
If our therapists are not the right fit for you, we will provide you with the correct search terms and/or local competent therapists in the practice area you are requiring. For example, our therapists do not provide therapy to toddlers and children at this time.
If it seems like you would benefit from OT and would be a good fit to work with one of our therapists, we will get you booked in for an initial assessment.
If you have been directly referred to me through an insurance agency, like Veterans Affairs Canada, WorkSafeBC, Long Term Disability, or ICBC - your therapist will reach out to you to book your initial assessment which is already approved for direct billing to your funder. Typically, when someone is directly referred there is already a process in place at the funder level prior to the referral to determine that you would benefit from OT and that we would be suitable to provide the type of care you need. However, you always have the right to ask questions before booking, and proceeding with occupational therapy assessment or treatment is completely up to you. Consent to participate can be withdrawn at any time.
Your First Visit is in the Books - What Happens Next?
Our assessments and treatments are available via telehealth, in clinic, in your home, or at your work depending on your needs
Our comprehensive one-hour assessment is dedicated to fully understanding you & your specific context. We will focus on the here & now - the symptoms that are going on for you and how they get in the way of what you need or want to do. OTs are unique in that we focus on not just YOU, but the environment and the occupation itself.
Here’s a breakdown of what we will cover in a typical assessment:
Symptom Exploration: In this phase, we engage in an in-depth discussion about the severity, frequency, and potential triggers of your symptoms. Our goal is to guide focused treatment that targets your unique needs. Don’t worry if you’re not sure how to answer these questions - we can send you home with a symptom tracker worksheet if we need more information. This approach ensures that the solutions we provide are tailored specifically to fit your life, avoiding the inefficiencies of generic handouts that may not address your individual concerns.
Daily Function Analysis: Our analysis goes beyond the surface by examining how everyday tasks present challenges for you—from showering to grocery shopping. These insights enable us to develop strategies to help YOU effectively perform the activities you need or desire to do, even as you're in the process of recovery. We believe that you don't need to wait until you feel completely better to start integrating back into daily life. Instead we look not just at the symptoms, but also at the environment and the task components involved in what you need & want to do. This gives us additional opportunities to modify and adapt so that you can get back to your life sooner!
Specific Assessments: This can include outcome measures and performance based assessments. An outcome measure is an evidence based questionnaire about certain symptoms and how much they interfere with your life. We use this to get a “baseline” of how severe symptoms are right now, and then we will use it again in 8-12 weeks to see if what we have been doing is working. A performance based assessment might be something like a functional cognitive assessment, a visual/vestibular screen, or a range of motion & strength test. These sort of assessments involve you actively demonstrating a certain action with therapist observation. The specific assessments will depend on your specific concerns. Participation is always optional. Your therapist will review the rationale for each assessment, and results will be shared with you & discussed in the context of your functional goals.
Goal Setting: At the end of your appointment, your therapist will give you an idea of how occupational therapy may be of benefit. Your therapist will provide a list of therapy approaches & tools that may be of help. In this collaborative discussion, you have the opportunity to decline anything you have already tried or are not interested in. You also have the opportunity to let your therapist know your priorities! For example, maybe there is a laundry list of options - and you know working on sleep is most important to you first. At the end of your appointment, you will leave with a clear idea of how OT can help, and where you are going to start in your first treatment session.
We pride ourselves on providing compassionate, evidence-based, and trauma-informed care.
Wishing you the best of luck on your recovery journey,
The Flourish Team