As the Primary Children’s behavioral health day treatment program at Wasatch Canyons was preparing to reopen modified in-person services early this summer, many patients who were returning to the program had various anxieties about returning to campus. One patient’s family situation required them to take the bus to and from treatment, which was something they had extreme anxiety over because it was something they had never done on their own.
Occupational therapist Amy Rosello worked with this patient and their mother to discuss the options for bus routes and the amount of time it would take to get from the bus stop to Wasatch Canyons. The patient was still feeling hesitant about riding the bus alone and did not feel they could do it. Amy, along with the rest of the treatment team, felt that day treatment was the best option at the time and started to brainstorm next steps – they knew not coming to campus was not an option.
Ultimately the patient needed someone to model how to utilize public transportation and help them feel comfortable with taking the bus. Amy took it upon herself to ensure that this happened. After learning how to use the bus app and making a trip plan, the patient felt ready to give it a go. Amy and the patient met at the bus stop, rode the bus, and walked to campus together, completing the full route the patient would need to take every day to and from treatment. Over the course of a couple weeks, this practice during occupational therapy allowed the patient to learn the skills and gain the confidence needed to complete the route on their own and feel comfortable getting to and from treatment.
“As an occupational therapist, there’s nothing more functional and fun than going out into the community and teaching a patient skills in the actual setting,” Amy says. “Together we tackled a huge barrier for this patient and laid a foundation for a life-changing skill that they can use in the future to get to school, get to a store, and eventually, to get to a job.”
