Practice Empathy

My first experience shadowing was observing a variety of occupational therapists in an outpatient setting. As someone who had just changed her major from music, unfortunately, the interactions I witnessed were not helping me in convincing me that occupational therapy was something meaningful that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Oftentimes, I would see therapists place their patients on the arm bike or have them perform tasks that were not engaging to the client. Meanwhile, they step out to the side with coworkers and chat or look at their phones as opposed to interacting with the client. It was disheartening to see individuals who have devoted their lives to "helping others" be so aloof toward their relationship with the client(s).

Since then I have had more positive experiences which inspired me to continue to pursue occupational therapy. Through observation and academic lectures, I have learned that a strong, positive relationship between the occupational therapist and the client is crucial within the field. In the field of occupational therapy, the holistic approach aims to consider all parts of a person, including physical, mental, and emotional. Having a strong capacity for empathy and active listening is encompassed within this approach and necessary to be incorporated into practice. With this, understanding how to interact, connect with, and collaborate with a client is of utmost importance in order to be conducive toward the therapeutic process. 

- Pam ♡