Dr. Mogammad Soeker (Occupational Therapy)
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| Position: | Senior Lecturer |
| Department: | Occupational Therapy |
| Faculty: | Community and Health Sciences |
| Qualifications: | Bsc Occupational Therapy (UWC) |
| MSc in Occupational Therapy, (UWC) | |
| PhD Occupational Therapy (UWC) | |
| My publications in this repository | |
| More about me: | here, and here |
| Tel: | 021 959 9339 |
| Fax: | 021 959 9359 |
| Email: | msoeker@uwc.ac.za |
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Item Not STRAIGHT forward for homosexuals: A look at the lived experiences of homosexual men, living in Cape Town, with regard to their worker roles.(IOS, 2015) Soeker, Mogammad Shaheed; Bonn, G.L.; de Vos, Z.; Gognozi, T.; Pape, C.; Ribaudo, S.The South African constitution protects the rights of gays; however in the workplace gays experience discrimination and marginalization. As a result of marginalization they struggle to reach their potential regarding career development and the fulfilment of their worker role. Objective: The study explored the experiences and perceptions of gay males with regard to acquiring and maintaining their worker roles. The study is phenomenological and qualitative in design. Eleven of these men participated in two focus groups. One male participated in two in-depth interviews and one interview was conducted with a key informant. Three themes emerged: 1)Being boxed in, 2) The glass ceiling, 3) This is where I can wear my feather boa. The study findings clearly depicted the many barriers experienced by homosexual men and how this negatively impacts on their worker role. Minimal facilitatory factors exist, to assist gay males in regard to their worker role. It was found that homo-prejudice still exists in South Africa and its workplaces and has a negative impact not only on gay men's worker role but also their well-being. This significantly highlights the great need for occupational therapy intervention in the lives of these gay men, and their workplaces.Item Adaptation to the worker role: The vocational experience of South African male ex offenders(OMICS International, 2014) Soeker, Mogammad ShaheedObjectives: The study is aimed at exploring, describing and understanding the experiences and perceptions of male ex-offenders with regard to adapting to their worker roles after they have been released from prison. Methods: The research methodology utilised was positioned in the qualitative research paradigm, specifically using the tradition of interpretivism. To gather data from the participants, focus groups and face to face interviews were conducted, consisting of broad questions followed by probes to gain an in-depth description of participants’ experiences and perceptions. Participants: Five males who were classified as being ex-offenders participated in the focus groups and one female (key informant) participated in two semi structured interviews. Results: Four themes emerged that reflected the vocational experience of male ex- offenders: 1) A sense of distrust, 2) A sense of support: Giving back to the community through learning and doing, 3) A change in lifestyle and 4) Working towards change through capacity building. For the purpose of this article, Theme 3- A change in lifestyle, will be discussed in depth as it explored the adaptive process that male ex- offenders experienced when adapting to their worker roles post release from prison. Conclusions: The findings of the study suggest that occupational therapy practitioners as well as correctional service personnel should utilise context specific vocational rehabilitation programmes that enhance the exoffender’s ability to find employment once they have been released from prison. Practitioners should be aware of both the internal and external adaptation strategies when planning vocational rehabilitation and community reintegration strategies.Item The influence of divorce on the occupations of primary school going children in the Western Cape, South Africa: The perspective of the child and a relevant counsellor(Nova Publishers, 2014) Soeker, Mogammad ShaheedThere have been a number of studies over the years that propose that divorce could create turmoil in children’s lives. Many theorists agree that divorce is a stressful life transition needing adjustment for both the parent and/or child. This study determined how divorce influence childrens` participation in scholastic and leisure activities. The study was positioned in the qualitative research paradigm, specifically using focus groups and face to face interviews to collect data. The participants consisted of one male and three females (aged 8-12 years) and one adult female (key informant). Four themes emerged viz. 1) Listening but not hearing, 2) Adapting by doing, 3) Helping hands and 4) In the ideal world. The findings of the study indicate that children could benefit from family centred treatment programmes and should be involved in counceling post divorce. The barriers or challenges include feelings of sadness and hopelessness, inability to communicate and express feelings to parents and a change in social interaction and leisure activities. The facilitatory factors included having closer family networks, having a parental figure at home to assist with occupational needs, having positive peers support groups and counseling as a form of support.Item Returning individuals with mild to moderate brain injury back to work: A systematic client centered approach(InTech publishers, 2014) Soeker, Mogammad ShaheedAn increase in the numbers of individuals who sustained brain injuries due to motor vehicle accidents, trauma induced by violence and substance abuse, has resulted in more disabled individuals becoming non-productive members in society and inactive in the workplace. Research in the field of brain injury rehabilitation internationally is limited, with the majority of research focusing on the medical model of intervention. In the medical model, the disabled or injured individual is regarded as having problems that require medicalbiological intervention mainly, with little or no attention given to the difficult process of reintegrating the disabled individual back into society, for example, in resuming their worker roles. The medical approach may result in feelings of disempowerment on behalf of the disabled with regard to the rehabilitation process. The lack of success of current rehabilitation interventions could be seen as a result of an inability to generalize outcomes of rehabilitation in a clinical setting to the skills needed to return to work or re-integrate into the community.Item Occupational therapy students’ perceptions of the challenges they experience in adapting to a psychiatric fieldwork placement.(International Research Journals, 2014) Soeker, Mogammad ShaheedBackground: Mental health in Occupational Therapy is experiencing a decline in preference for practice. Aim: This study explored occupational therapy students’ perceptions of the challenges they experience in psychiatric fieldwork. Methods: The researcher used a qualitative research design and collected data by means of focus groups with 8 final year occupational therapy students and 1 interview with a key informant. Findings: Five themes emerged: 1) Listening but not hearing, 2) Boxed thinking 3) Helping hands, 4) Losing the training wheels: Gaining independence and 5) An ideal psych programme. Implications: The barriers to learning identified in this study should be eliminated and the facilitators encouraged. The study highlighted that all theory be taught in the class lectures before the students enter their fieldwork placement. It was also recommended that multimedia sources such a video clips or recorded treatment sessions be used in formal lectures in order to familiarise students to the reality of psychiatry.