Therapeutic Relationships

Having a good therapeutic relationship is important in the field of occupational therapy because it helps the client connect with us with a balance of someone who is there to help them but not superior to them.  I use the active listening technique many times in my own conversations so that not only I, but the person I am speaking with has a clear understanding of what is being discussed.  This is important to use because it is easy to use terminology that other people do not understand without even realizing it. Showing empathy to the client is also an important thing to use when building a therapeutic relationship because it helps builds trust and lets the client know that you care about them and helps them open up more to you.

Knowledge Check 3/14/19

My main take away from Dr. Keisling's presentation today was the progress we have made as a society to include people with disabilities in our daily lives.  From the pictures he shared with us today and the stories that were told, it is horrific to think about how we use to treat people with disabilities.  I have a clear understanding now as to why we need to know this history so that it never happens again.  "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" - George Santayana.

I believe that covering this material will have a big impact on not only myself, but all of us as we become OT practitioners.  We have a new generation of people who have grown up without ever knowing what it is like to be discriminated against, but we still have the ones that were.  Understanding this history will help us be better OT practitioners and helping us strive to continue making sure that no one is treated differently again.

The OTPF

The OTPF is the practice framework in which all occupational therapist follow.  It states the visions of the profession and is used as a guide for the basic concepts for occupational therapy.  This is important for us to learn about because it gives us a foundation to work from.  It lays down the ground level of occupational therapy and lets us build from it.  It also gives the profession structure and serves as a guideline for all levels of occupational therapists.

Knowledge Check 2/19/19

A role that I have is that I am a race car driver.  As the driver, my occupations include making sure there are no mechanical issues when driving the car and fixing them when they occur.  This can include any maintenance to the car from washing it to changing an engine.  Some activities that would fall under this could be changing the oil, checking air pressure or weighing the car.  A task that is involved in this could be removing the seat cover or the tires before I wash it. 

OT Remaining True

One thing that has stayed true for most of the duration of the the OT profession is the approach that it takes for a client.  For the majority of time, occupational therapy has taken a holistic approach when treating clients.  It looks at the person as a whole and their lifestyle rather than just the issue or what is wrong with them.  By doing this, it makes the profession stand out and gives identity to occupational therapy.

Why I chose to be an Occupational Therapist.

The main reason I chose to be an occupational therapist is because I have two children in my family that were born with disabilities and I loved watching their OT's work with them.