Student’s Animal Antiks place occupational therapy in a farm setting

Alpacas and donkeys combined with the ‘science’ of occupational therapy to support a farm-based educational charity, thanks to a University of Northampton (UON) student.

Occupational therapy is an allied healthcare profession that helps people enjoy everyday activities (‘occupations’), perhaps after a period of illness, if they have cognitive challenges, or as they age.

Occupational therapists work with people to develop strategies to help them maintain their independence and overall wellbeing, whether it’s dressing themselves in the morning or taking part in leisure activities.

Someone who is nearly on her way to becoming an ‘OT’ is Emma Davies. Now in the final year of her Degree Apprenticeship route into Occupational Therapy, Emma has recently enjoyed a novel placement at a local animal/therapy charity.

Animal Antiks – based in Buckinghamshire – is a working farm and charity that supports mostly young people who have additional educational and social support needs, for instance, children and young people who find school and college settings challenging.

They also provide adult social care therapeutic support as an alternative to traditional day-care settings, and student Emma Davies was recently there for twelve weeks, on a Role-Emerging placement that’s part of the Occupational Therapy degree.

Role-Emerging placements see students in novel settings where ‘OTs’ aren’t usually found and this experience ticked all the boxes for Emma. She introduces her story: “I’m on the degree apprenticeship route and currently work for the NHS in Buckinghamshire. Most of my work is with older adults in the community, assessing them at home, trying to keep them safe and reduce the risk of them going into hospital.

“I love being outdoors, though. Being surrounded by nature and animals is something I enjoy, so the placement opportunity with Animal Antiks was something I could not pass up! I even got to work with Alpacas, a sort of woolly camel that originates in Peru. Although they are not very affectionate, they had great personalities, mischievous at times, and certainly provided great entertainment and talking points during the wellbeing walks. The donkeys were my favourite though, they loved to have a cuddle, and were always so pleased to greet me each morning!

“Farms and animal centres are up and coming as alternative learning and therapy settings, and they do great work supporting children and adults with animals, but with the objectives pretty much the same as more traditional places and already grounded in occupational therapy principles.

“My placement involved me looking at how their established activities could be adapted or graded to meet the levels of ability of the hugely diverse needs of the different learners at the farm. This non-traditional setting allowed me to explore how occupational therapy can support young people in a more natural, community-based environment.

“Working alongside learners with a range of needs, including anxiety, communication difficulties, and disengagement from mainstream education, I supported the farm’s ‘Personal Progress Group’ by designing meaningful activities incorporating animal care and team-based challenges, which I carefully adapted and graded to ensure everyone could take part, regardless of ability.

“I saw first-hand how being in nature and around animals had a profound impact on learner’s wellbeing and quality of life. It was incredibly fulfilling to be part of a setting that provided such a strong sense of community, purpose, and belonging. I’m proud to have contributed to that during my placement on the farm and have experienced the powerful role occupational therapy can play beyond traditional clinical settings.”

Sarah Kettlety, CEO of Animal Antiks, adds: “Emma fitted straight into the Animal Antiks team when she joined us for her placement and her input was invaluable.

“She spent time getting to understand our students and their individual needs and was so passionate about developing sessions for our Personal Progress Qualification for our Special Educational Needs learners.

“Emma’s friendly approach worked so well in our setting, and it was amazing to see the learners connect with her. She complimented our existing team and has shown us how important occupational therapy can be as part of these young people’s journey. Seeing the learners gain confidence and life skills from Emma’s sessions has been inspiring.

“It helped that she is such an animal lover. Animals never judge and can be great confidants and because of this, many of our learners have formed attachments to the animals at the farm. Being able to integrate the animals within the sessions kept the learners engaged with the activities.

“We wish Emma every success with her chosen career. I’m certain that she will have a positive impact, wherever she works.”

Find out more about Occupational Therapy programmes at University of Northampton.