A Review of the Literature — Towards the end of 2022, I completed my final occupational therapy (OT) master’s placement at a large metropolitan hospital here in Sydney, Australia. During this placement, unforeseen circumstances led to an opportunity to undertake the following literature review on a topic I’m increasingly passionate about: the place of spirituality in occupational therapy practice. As such, there are context-specific recommendations included in the paper. Nevertheless, the implications can be generalised more broadly to various OT practice contexts (and I would suggest healthcare contexts in general).

Is there a future for institutionalised forms of spirituality? — I’ll begin this little piece with a caveat: if you find yourself ardently on either ‘side’ of the (supposed) religion vs secularism conversation, you may not likewhat I’m about to say. Why? Because, time-after-time, I hear people prosecute arguments without any nuance or acknowledgement that the impact and experience of…

What do we actually mean when we speak of God? — “Do you believe in God?” If I’m completely honest, I have a love-hate relationship with this question. Love because it’s a question that is deeply meaningful to me. Hate because I’m that guy who will respond with a kind of digression about how it all depends on how we define…

On the promise and pitfalls of goal-setting Goals, goals, goals. If you’ve ever read something related to personal development, engaged with a coach or therapist, and/or are required to have a continuing professional development plan of some sort for your job, you’re probably sick of hearing talk of setting goals. …

By Shane Fenwick — In 2019, I submitted a dissertation in partial fulfilment of a Master of Theology degree. Broadly speaking, it explored the intersection between (a Christian) spirituality and analytical psychology, specifically through the ‘representative figures’ of Thomas Merton and Carl Gustav Jung. It, also, included some elements of my own story as…

Or, more accurately, being found by it — As I ran through the familiar bushland of Manly Dam Reserve yesterday, I listened to a podcast conversation on ‘Finding Your True Calling’. It’s a conversation I’ve listened to before. A few years ago, as I was grappling with the question(s) of my vocation and purpose (in the midst of…

Preface: this piece (originally published at Ethos) is a summary of a sermon I preached several years ago in 2016. Whilst my own beliefs and views have evolved since then, I still believe that this magnificent yet oft misinterpreted book has much wisdom for us today, particularly as we face…

Several years ago, I undertook an exercise — inspired by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) — in clarifying the values I desire my actions to be guided by. It’s a relatively simple yet insightful exercise to do. …

What if death isn’t the enemy we perceive it to be? “Any matter directly or indirectly related to death is present in our daily life, even if we do not acknowledge it or pretend that it does not concerns us yet. …