Therapy for More Than Just the Patient: A Look into Carolynn Talley’s Profession

The hustle and bustle of being in an elementary school is a forgotten memory to most; single file lines and endless chatter flood the hallways.

Carolynn Talley isn’t a stranger to this feeling. Talley, an occupational therapist for Charlotte Mecklenburg School System, treats students at public schools throughout the greater Charlotte region.

An East Carolina University graduate and Charlotte, N.C., native, Talley has been working in the field of occupational therapy for a little over 20 years. Improving the handwriting, scissor skills, computer skills, self-care skills and sensory skills of students are her main goals within her profession.
Planet Blacksburg recently sat down and talked with Talley about what exactly her job encompasses.

Q: Did you always know you wanted to be an occupational therapist?
Talley: I didn’t always know. I was actually going into nursing at a two-year college and applying to nursing school when I suddenly decided I didn’t want to be a nurse anymore. I talked to my psychology professor and she suggested the field of occupational therapy based upon my character traits. I began observing various occupational therapists in different fields of work before deciding to apply to occupational therapy school.

Q: Where did you apply to occupational therapy school?
Talley: Virginia Commonwealth University, East Carolina University, and the Medical School of South Carolina.

Q: Which school did you choose and did you have any other training before entering the professional field?
Talley: I chose to attend East Carolina, and in addition to attending a four-year college, I did a nine-month internship in various occupational therapy settings. The settings ranged from rehabilitation hospitals and psychiatric hospitals, to children’s hospitals.

Q: What positions have you held as an occupational therapist?
Talley: The first job I had was at a rehabilitation hospital where I held various positions. I was a staff occupational therapist, education coordinator within the occupational therapy department, spinal cord injury coordinator, and I was selected to design an occupational therapy program at a new acute-care hospital satellite. At that job, I worked with hand-therapy patients, acute-care patients, children, and various outpatients. I did a lot of marketing for that program, helping it grow from two days to five days a week and from a staff of one employee to four employees. The second job I held was at a nursing home where I was the director of occupational therapy. My third and current job is in the school system where I am a staff occupational therapist.

Q: Which has been your favorite job?
Talley: Working for the school system has been my favorite because I love working with children. I like to see their faces when they accomplish something they weren’t able to do before.

Q: What prompted your career change?
Talley: The first reason was the nursing home was downsizing and I was the only occupational therapist left there. They were going to have me travel between cities to serve patients in various satellite nursing homes. Secondly, I have always loved children and wanted a job where I not only worked with children but a job that allowed me to be at home more with my own children.

Q: What do you like best and worst about your job?
Talley: The worst part is definitely all of the documentation that has to be done. The best part is the interaction I have with the students and the ability to see them make progress in their classroom skills.

Q: How do you make exercises fun for you patients?
Talley: A child’s work is play. Basically if I wanted to work on upper-body strength, I would make suggestions to parents to have their children play on the monkey bars, do tug-a-war, or participate in a class such as tae-kwon-do.

Q: What does your typical workday involve?
Talley: When I first get to the schools, I talk to various teachers to consult with them about the students I serve. The rest of my day is direct student treatment; at the end of the day I do documentation on what I did with each student and determine what strategies need to be put in place for the students.

Q: How many patients do you handle at a time?
Talley: I serve anywhere from 35-45 students at a time. Some are seen once a week, twice a week, and some are consulted once or twice a month. When I do consults, I may not see the students but just consult with their teachers or parents to create helpful strategies for the student.

Q: What are the skills necessary for your job?
Talley: Good communication skills are the most important. Also, good interpersonal skills…basically being able to work with and relate to all kinds of people.

Q: What type of patient do you find it is most difficult to work with?
Talley: Autistic children. Autistic children have a lot of sensory problems; they aren’t able to make sense of the sensory information coming into their brain and it results in various behaviors within the classroom setting. Occupational therapists try to help organize that information.

Q: How do you handle conflicts within your job?
Talley: I think it all boils back to good communication skills. Keeping parents and teachers informed in the program I am implementing, as well as informing them of the purpose of why I am doing what I am doing. I provide not only oral, but written communication.

Q: What do you think the biggest challenge is for occupational therapists?
Talley: I think time management is a big challenge because you have to balance paperwork and work with the students. There is so much more demand on what documentation needs to be done that sometimes you don’t feel you give students all the time they need.

Q: The science of occupational therapy has proven that participation in daily activities maintains health. What activities would you suggest/advise doing?
Talley: All people should participate in self care, school related tasks/education, leisure activities, household work and work activities, as they all promote physical and mental health.

Q: There are studies linking community occupational therapy sessions to dementia in the elderly. This is thought to be a successful form of care giving. What is your opinion on this, based on your experience in the field?
Talley: I feel that occupational therapy improves the quality of life for dementia patients and their caregivers. The most significant problems associated with dementia are the loss of independence and participation in social activities. Occupational therapy can help to improve the ability of people with dementia to perform daily activities and this can reduce the pressure on their caregivers. Various aids and strategies are used to compensate for the cognitive decline. By occupational therapy being involved with a patient with dementia, I feel this helps give the caregivers a sense of competence and ability to handle the behavioral problems they may encounter.