Niki Kiepek

Dalhousie University | Dal · School of Occupational Therapy

https://www.caot.ca/store/detail.aspx?id=PUB-ML83 Occupational Therapists bring a unique skill set and knowledge base to help clients overcome substance use issues and attain their goals for optimal health and well-being. In this book, contemporary theories of substance use and addictions are critically examined. Therapeutic approaches are presen...

This critical analysis of occupational science examines the figured world of occupation. Figured worlds are ‘typical’ representations of a particular construct based on taken-for-granted theories and stories developed through experi- ence and ‘‘guided, shaped, and normed’’ though social interactions (Gee, 2011, p. 76). Drawing on theoretical articl...

Objective. The question addressed in this paper is: ‘‘Are activities that are classified as ‘addictions’ and ‘impulse-control disorders’ occupations?’’ Background. Current conceptualisations of occupation focus on positive contributions to health and well-being. We suggest that occupations are neither inherently healthy nor unhealthy but are associ...

Objectives: This research explored drug use from the perspectives of individuals who recreationally used one or more substances on a daily basis and had never attended addiction-related counselling or a mutual support group. The purpose of the research was to identify the ways that narrative accounts were discursively structured to enact, confirm,...

We present a 1-year program evaluation of the Medical Withdrawal Support Service (MWSS) provided at the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre. The centre's service area includes 4 rural municipalities and 28 First Nations communities. The program involves inpatient detoxification for opioid dependence with the use of buprenorphine-naloxone. Data...

This paper explores Canadian professionals’ engagement in licit, illicit, and pharmaceutical substance use, their perspectives on what constitutes professional misconduct and conduct unbecoming in relation to substance use, and the dilemmas they face around self-disclosure in the context of professional regulation and social expectations. The study...

People who use substances (PWUS) (e.g. inject substances) are at risk of many harms. Various services help reduce risks including drug treatment programs such as withdrawal management and opioid agonist treatment. Much of the research on PWUS’ experiences of treatment programs is set in large urban centers creating a knowledge gap of experiences in...

Introduction We draw on activity theory of concepts to examine ‘meaning of occupation’ and ‘substance use’ beyond preconceived notions of inherent positive or negative experiences. Objective To explore nuanced meanings of substance use and associated occupations. Method An online survey and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from...

In this reflection essay, the authors explore how meaning is represented in occupational therapy literature. A review of occupational therapy and occupational science literature uncovers framings of meaning, meaningful, and meaningfulness that are almost exclusively ‘positive’. Positioning of occupations as inherently ‘positive’ and assuming univer...

Introduction This study was undertaken to explore the use of substances by professionals in Canada. A non-problem-focussed approach informed study design, with participants recruited outside treatment programs or professional monitoring programs and data collection including indicators of ‘positive’ or desired effects. Methods Participants were 19...

The purpose of this exploratory pilot study was to determine the feasibility of delivering mental health practice simulations for occupational therapy learners, and whether different debriefing approaches yielded performance differences over successive simulations. Five clinical preceptors and nine first year MScOT students participated in this mix...

INTRODUCTION This article presents demographic and care factors related to persons who are substance-involved and require inpatient administration of intravenous antibiotics. PURPOSE This study was conducted to explore healthcare responses to support substance-involved inpatients, through exploration of documented client outcomes, healthcare provi...

As scholars engaged in processes of knowledge production and knowledge sharing, occupational scientists are afforded a degree of social privilege, authority, and legitimacy and are therefore accountable for the ways in which constructs of occupation are produced. As the concept of ‘occupation’ broadens to encompass a wider range of lived experience...

Date Presented 03/27/20 Nova Scotia, Canada, established its first problem-solving court in 2009 in response to an over-representation of people with mental illness in prisons. This research project examines the ideological foundations of the Nova Scotian problem-solving court programs. Findings indicate that the ideological foundations of these pr...

The purpose of this document is to provide Patient-Oriented Research (POR) Best Practice Recommendations for researchers undertaking research in Northwestern Ontario. The goal is to contribute to building a sustainable, accessible, and equitable process, which can support clients and community stakeholders to be fully engaged in the creation of kno...

Introduction Substance use, as an occupation, is typically portrayed as problematic and the target of occupational therapy intervention and remediation. At the same time, psychoactive substances may be used to enhance mood, cognition, occupational performance, and/or experience, a perspective that is largely absent from occupation scholarship. Obj...

Introduction. Attending to the nuanced meanings of non-sanctioned occupations holds the potential to better grasp the influences of occupational contexts at multiple levels. We examined the recreational use of methamphetamine (meth) by gay men, attending to potential benefits without undermining potential risks for harm. Our intention was to broade...

The Philippine War on Drugs policies of “neutralization” of drug-related activity has resulted in the deaths of over 9,000 people suspected of drug-related crime. These measures are claimed to be necessary for the sake of productivity, peace, and order. Drawing on concepts of occupational justice, this paper examines distinct historical, social, an...

This commentary invites discussion about implicit and explicit factors that impede research about substance use from a nuanced perspective that recognises potential benefits and advantages. It is argued that explicit efforts to engage in scholarship beyond those informed by theoretical and philosophical assumptions that substance use is inherently...

This article provides an overview of the historical and contemporary positioning of occupational science and its relevance to practicing occupational therapists. Occupational science is intended to provide a complex understanding of humans as occupational beings and to develop theories and concepts relevant to understanding human occupation and th...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the prevalence and patterns of substance use among Canadian social workers. With legalisation of can professional regulatory bodies are pressed to consider implications of substance use for their members. Design/methodology/approach An online survey collected data about demographics and substance u...

Occupational science has made tremendous strides in establishing a theoretical and empirical knowledge base grounded in the study of occupation. Yet given its origins in occupational therapy, a health profession aimed at enhancing health and well-being through engagement in meaningful and purposeful occupation, there has been sustained focus on the...

Occupational science has made tremendous strides in establishing a theoretical and empirical knowledge base grounded in the study of occupation. Yet given its origins in occupational therapy, a health profession aimed at enhancing health and well-being through engagement in meaningful and purposeful occupation, there has been sustained focus on the...

This paper introduces occupational therapists to ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and outlines factors that guide the process of designing a project. EMA methodology is a research methodology that uses electronic devices and specially designed software, or Apps, to collect real-time data. This methodology may enhance the ecological validity of...

Processes of professional socialization influence types of substances used, patterns of use, and estimation of normalization. This project explores psychoactive substance use among professionals and students in professional programs in Canada, rationales for use, strategies to manage use and potential consequences, and factors within professional e...

Purpose: This pilot study was designed to deliberately examine the enhancement effects and experiences of substances used among professionals and students in professional programs. Methods: A mixed methods design was implemented, involving ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and interviews. The analysis presents interpretations about the perceive...

Processes of professional socialization influence types of substances used, patterns of use, and estimation of normalization. This project explores psychoactive substance use among professionals and students in professional programs in Canada, rationales for use, strategies to manage use and potential consequences, and factors within professional e...

Background and aims: This literature review investigates the scope of information regarding self-reported substance use by professionals and students in professional programs, with a focus on anticipated and actual effects of substances. Methods: A review of English, peer-reviewed journals and professional journals was conducted. Articles were inc...

The abuse of oxycodone in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, has escalated at alarming rates raising concerns that opiate use has reached epidemic proportions, particularly among the First Nations communities. The authors were involved in establishing Ontario's first rural inpatient medical withdrawal unit to serve patients seeking abstinence. The devel...

Literature indicates that addressing interactions between substance use and compulsive behaviours can improve outcomes for chemical addiction counselling, mental health and physical health. This paper presents the results of a survey that explored (a) how frequently interactions between problematic sexual behaviour and substance use are presented b...