Karina Rosinzonsky, OTR/L 
I have been working for Occupational Therapy Training Program since 2001 in many different capacities but my favorite project was always the summer sessions at Ida B. Wells High School. It was always great to see the many gains and successes that students achieved in just four short intensive weeks. To this day, it still makes me very proud of all the work that I and the many other wonderful occupational therapists, occupational therapy interns and volunteers did when I hear inspirational news, such as my most recent experience:

Back in summer of 2003, I was supervising a wonderful intern, Sherri* who led an OTTP summer class at Ida B Wells for 17 students. I recently bumped into one of those students while having my car fixed in San Francisco. We looked at each other closely but it wasn’t until we heard each others names that we instantly recognized one another. Sam* is still together with his girlfriend Polly,* who also attended the class. He works for a mechanic while she attends medical school to be a surgeon. She has about 4 years to go (including residency). Sam told me that he remembers OTTP very well and believes it was what inspired him and made him think differently about his life. I wish him, his girlfriend and all our past and current participants all the very best.

* - names have been changed to protect confidentiality.
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Cathy Nañez, MS, OTR/L


OTTP, being a community-based organization, provides services at a variety of locations.  One site in particular, called Log Cabin Ranch, is a facility for males between the ages of 14-18, who are detained for a minimum of 8 months as a result of being involved with the juvenile justice system. Yesterday, while I was working with a youth at Log Cabin Ranch, he asked:  “Cathy, why do you bother to come work with us up here?”  As I thought for a moment, I reflected on a similar question asked by a friend about what, in life, inspires me to do my best work.  And I turned to this young man and I said:  “Do you really want to know?  I come to work with you and the other youth here because I feel as if it’s part of my life’s purpose.  I see young men who have been exposed to so much trauma, violence, drugs, and unfortunate circumstances in their young life that I wonder how can they believe that there’s anything more to life than what they witness within their neighborhoods, their city of San Francisco, or even the state of California for that matter.  I come to work with the residents of Log Cabin Ranch because it’s an opportunity to equip them with the skills they will need in order to be a more productive member of society and have a better quality of life.  I try to convince them, that by identifying their strengths, skills, and interests, and then building upon those things, the possibilities for their future are limitless.  I believe that the past experiences of each of the young men here, were far more challenging to overcome, than choosing a more successful path in life from this point on.  And I point out, that although it may be difficult, it most certainly is doable.  I have hope that at least one life will be impacted in a way that motivates that youth to choose the life they really want versus being satisfied with what has been dealt to them so far.”  And this young man was looking at me so intently; I wondered if he was trying to assess my sincerity.  After a few seconds he said:  “Well, I’m glad that you come up here to work with us.”  And I responded:  “Thanks, because so am I.”

Cathy Nañez, MS, OTR/L

OTTP-SF

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AT-RISK: WHAT DOES IT MEAN, AND WHO DOES IT APPLY TO?

At the Occupational Therapy Training Program in San Francisco (OTTP-SF), my current place of employment, at-risk youth is the primary population we are providing services to.  In my opinion, this population consists of, but is not limited to, youth which are performing low in school, participating in criminal activity, experiencing teen pregnancy, involved with gangs, and may lack positive role models in their lives.  Many of these youth lack the knowledge and understanding of who they really are, or more importantly, who they can become.  Many do not possess the confidence, encouragement, and motivation to view their lives in any other way than how it currently is and what they see in their immediate environment. 
I believe that this provides a window of opportunity for OTTP-SF to provide therapeutic services via social work and occupational therapy interventions, to teach skills and strategies to youth which will enable them to cope with everyday life stressors.  By identifying youth strengths and skills and then building upon those, I hope to empower the youth to take control of their lives by making better decisions, improving their performance at school, at home, and in the community, and then for these youth to experience the feelings associated with being responsible for those positive changes and results.  With that being said, couldn’t these “at-risk” youth also be referred to as “high-potential”?

Cathy Nanez, MS, OTR/L

This is the first installment of the OTTP-SF blog.  Please look forward to more additions from various clinicians, diverse points of view, and interesting topics.

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    This blog is a collection of the perspectives of the occupational therapists, social workers, and marriage and family therapists that collaborate to provide services to at-risk youth on a daily basis. They are excited to share their perspectives and the experiences that inspire them to pursue this exciting line of work. 

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