Jovin’s journey shows how social service professionals can impact diverse lives in different settings throughout their careers. After working with adults and seniors for 15 years, she now works with children, continuing to make a difference as an Occupational Therapist.

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Across ages and needs

Jovin, who is an Occupational Therapist, had always been interested in working with different groups of the population. “I was previously working with adults and seniors in a mental health setting. A friend of mine who was working at Fei Yue told me that they were looking for a pediatric Occupational Therapist and I immediately applied for the position. It is really meaningful to be able to work across different settings,” she shares. While transitioning into a completely different setting came with a steep learning curve, Jovin felt that one should never be afraid to try and gaining new knowledge and skills would ultimately help her improve lives. “Always be open-minded and curious to learn,” she adds. 

Adapting, collaborating & impacting

At Fei Yue’s Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children Centre in Upper Thomson, Jovin works with children with special needs from the ages of three to six. “A typical day consists of assessments, interventions, classroom observations and team meetings. This involves collaborating with a transdisciplinary team of teachers and allied health professionals like speech-language therapists and psychologists. In addition, I coach parents on how to work with their children at home,” she elaborates. She recalls working with a child who had poor motor skills and was afraid to play at the playground or use the staircase without holding on to the railings. To enable her to work on the child’s motor skills, his teacher specially set aside time. His parents cooperated as well, attempting all the strategies suggested by Jovin. Within six months, he was confident enough to climb up and down the staircase and play at the playground too. “Seeing the progress of a child and that of the parents learning the skills to support their child at home – gives me a real sense of achievement. It motivates me to help the children I work with to reach their fullest potential,” she adds. Given how different each client is, Jovin strongly believes that one has to be adaptive in this line of work. “My strategies, actions and sometimes even personality are based on the requirements of the situation or child, enabling me to support the child and parents to the best of my ability,” she reveals.

Going forward, Jovin plans to pursue specialised certification programmes and eventually take on the role of a clinical supervisor, guiding Occupational Therapists who are fresh graduates. 

A role in Occupational Therapy is one of many in social service. To find out more, read about a career in therapy..