OTA Students Practice Leading Therapeutic Groups

Occupational Therapy Assistant students at the Jacksonville campus are simulating running a group for patients that suffer from fine motor coordination and social skills deficits using a team building activity. In this particular activity called “Tower of Cups”, the student therapist led their classmates through the process of building a 4-level tower using a makeshift yarn/rubber band gripping device. The key to successfully completing the activity is good communication and the group making synchronized movements. Groups and the dynamics behind them are important for the student learner to understand as groups are a great therapeutic tool used in various treatment environments. Groups provide great feedback to patients in the real world environment and understanding how individuals operate within a group is crucial to running them.