What Is Occupational Therapy? Interview with Dr. MaKaya Banks

What exactly is occupational therapy, and how can it help improve everyday life?

In this interview, Marquis Walker, LCSW, sits down with Dr. MaKaya Banks, OTD, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist at Win Within Therapy Group, to discuss her journey into occupational therapy, the populations she serves, and the many ways OT helps individuals maintain independence and improve their quality of life.

Topics discussed include:

• What occupational therapy is and who it helps
• Common misconceptions about OT
• Working with athletes and upper extremity injuries
• Supporting older adults and maintaining independence
• Occupational therapy and postpartum care
• How success is measured in occupational therapy

Whether you're hearing about occupational therapy for the first time or looking to better understand the profession, this conversation offers valuable insight into one of healthcare's most versatile fields.

Win Within Therapy Group
Call us: (501) 653-9039
www.gowinwithin.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

So, allow me the opportunity to introduce someone who's dear to my heart, but someone who I feel will do really awesome work. First and foremost, start off playing uh basketball, um, trillion team, all the committees, all the things, graduate from Ryzen High School, graduate from UCA, graduate of Baylor, um, the doctoral program, occupational therapy. Allow me to introduce Dr. Mikaia Banks. So I'm I'm thankful to have her here today. First, fun fact, right? We took our ACT at the same time. I think I'm uh I was probably five grades ahead at the time. What what I was in 11th grade, you was in seventh grade or something like that. Something like that. Something like that. I score 13 on the ACT, she scores what like a 18, 19, something like that on the ACT? First first time taking it. So definitely she is the brains behind she's the brains, right? I'm I'm the athlete, she's the brains. But nevertheless, um, why OT? Why occupational therapy? What why that specific program?

SPEAKER_01 1:26

Well, I didn't originally start out wanting to do occupational therapy. Um, I actually started wanting to do athletic training. Um, but once I actually got into the program and I decided not to do that because of the of the time commitment and not, I'm not gonna say I didn't want to give up that much time to specifically sports and being gone 24-7, but at the time I had other things that I wanted to focus on as well. So I kind of pushed that to the side. And during COVID, I was working at a rehab clinic that kind of sparked my interest in OT because I was working closely with an occupational therapist there. And I understood and I saw how it affected people and how it changed people for the better and how it made them feel afterwards because it it occupational therapy looks at the it's it's we take a holistic approach to things so you look at every aspect of life, not just you know how they're moving, but you know, how are they going to move? Like we take the we take the whole situation, we we look at everything in as a whole and try to help that person.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

I got you. I got you. That's that's pretty dope. And you know, I'm almost sometimes I tell people, I wish that I would have just like went to the military and then waited till you went to school and just go to school and take the classes you take and did the things that you do, and I I think I would that was that's a win. That's a that's a W. That's a one-way ticket. One way to But neither less, um I'm I'm I'm curious. Um with OT occupational therapy, um, that's not something that a lot of people like know about or talk about. Most people talk about physical therapists, um, most people talk about they don't even talk about mental health for real. So what is it, what is it that people you feel that the the community, the people, what do you feel like they don't know about occupational therapy?

SPEAKER_01 3:33

Um, occupational therapy is very broad. Um, so we can address a lot of things as occupational therapists. So it's it's literally an everything because it's our way of life. Like occupational therapy is how like I'm gonna say it as like we address everything, everyday life activities, whether that's you riding, whether that's you going to work, whether that's you being able to ride your bike, whether that's being you want to do something that you enjoy, shopping, um eating, you know, bathing, those are all things that we address in its everyday life.

SPEAKER_00 4:12

So I got you. So, like for you, like to, you know, we all have our uh specific people that we like to work with, specific uh conditions that we like to address and stuff like that, right? Is there like a certain certain people or certain conditions that just pulls your attention more than others? I know you treat like a wide range of people, you've shared some of the information that you've gained through the program that you attended and stuff like that. Um is there something uniquely that you like to address?

SPEAKER_01 4:47

Um, I will say because I have a background in sports and working with athletes, my favorite is hands and upper extremities, um, shoulder, shoulder injuries, hand injuries, elbow injuries. Those are my favorite. And it's and it may be because I like to get creative and I can push those individuals a lot more because we can push and you can push an athlete that wants to get better a lot more. Um so I think that's probably my favorite and what I am drawn to, but I have recently, you know, gained a love for our seniors. So um being with people that are, you know, may have some, you know, cognitive functions that are, you know, impair cognitive impairments, I should say, um, or just need a little bit more help to keep their independence because that essentially is what OTE is. We want them to be as independent as possible. Um, what whatever it may look like, whether they are MPT or whether they um, you know, have to do things a different way than what they like a normal person, like you know, you would do. You you can wake up in the morning, you can get in the shower without having to hold on to the grab bars, but some an older person may need a grab bar, they may need to sit down while they take a shower. And so those are the things that I'll look at, you know, the home environment, how they get in and out of their vehicle, whatever helps them be as independent as possible throughout their life.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

Um, what would you deem as success for one of your clients? I know it's kind of uh you guys treat uh a wide range of people of all things, but what do you deem as success? Like for me, when a client leaves my office and they have that aha moment, what I call it aha moment, that that breakdown, they they you know, that they allow themselves to cry, stuff like that, and they decide within themselves that they're going to live their life better, they're going to continue to push themselves to be better. So, for you, what would you or how would you measure success outside of of course scales and stuff like that? How would you measure success with your clients?

SPEAKER_01 6:58

Um, their quality of life. Um, how do they feel like their life is of quality? Like they feel like they can go out and conquer the world with what they with they what God has given them or what they have. Um, like I said, not everybody's situation is exactly the same. Each individual, their therapy session may look a little different from me from the next persons. So I'd say quality of life, how they live their life, and if they feel comfortable and successful themselves and feel within themselves, you know, successful.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

I got you. So I'm I'm really curious. Uh so you mentioned athletes, um, and I've taken an interest into in I'm not a woman, of course, but I've taken an interest into uh postpartum. Um postpartum is of course when the woman you know had a baby and da-da-da, right? Um but uh from an OT perspective, uh what would it look like? Uh because my heart goes out to you know women that has women that have had babies, for one, their lives are never ever the same after that. Physically, mentally, um emotionally, um everything's the same. Us guys, I mean, don't get me wrong, we carry the baby differently, but I can just go to work, I can just leave the house. But not only from a physical place, but there's actual diagnoses of postpartum depression. So uh from an OT perspective, um, what are some things that you guys are able to support women that may be dealing with postpartum depression or just postpartum in in general?

SPEAKER_01 8:43

Like I said, we do the mental aspect, we do the physical aspect. Um for OT, we can literally address anything. So whether that be bringing a new baby home and having to adapt to a new environment, whether they have another baby or already have kids, you know, and they're having to bring this new baby in and you know, adjust their home life, whether that be a schedule that they need to follow or anything like that, pelvic health, um, you know, after your body changes after you have a baby. So is that something that they need to focus on, you know, to get back to, you know, their their previous body? Because not always you go back to the exact body they have, but you know, how can they be stronger to be able to take care of themselves and take care of their family? Or how can they adjust to just new this new life? This is like what else? Going back to work after they have a baby, lactation, because sometimes babies, yeah, you know, latching on lactin on to the breast and things like that, we can help with that. And sometimes we may have to focus in on the baby as well, the newborn, and making sure they're hitting their milestones as they as the mom is taking care of herself as well.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

So impressive, impressive. So exciting to have OT a part of when within, when within a part of OT. Thank you.