Mother becoming: Learning to read Mikala's signs

Abstract

Occupation-centered practices with infants and children necessarily involve parents. Although the importance of parent–therapist collaboration is recognized, there is little research demonstrating how collaboration is enacted. This article describes the therapy process between Erin, a NICU therapist, and Carmen and her infant, Mikala. These findings demonstrate how Erin, through the therapeutic strategies of scaffolding and narrative reinterpretation was able to facilitate the development of Carmen's competence and confidence in feeding Mikala, ultimately fostering their attachment and progress toward becoming a family. This article not only illustrates what was done—the procedural techniques—but how it was done through therapeutic use of self, a central aspect of occupation-based practice. These data strongly support understanding family patterns and perspectives through treating the infant as a developing occupational being within the context of co-occupations with the parents. The findings suggest that therapists must see parents as clients who must learn to nurture and manage their infant's ongoing medical and social needs as a member of the nuclear and human family. These findings provide therapists with an example on which to reflect on their own practices with infants and families and evidence-based theory through which to articulate and practice from an occupation-based approach.