My OT journey

I learned that therapeutic relationship is an essential part of being an effective occupational therapist. I already knew the certain characteristics that go into a successful therapeutic relationship such as - empathy and active listening but what I didn't realize was all the other factors that also go into it. The things you say and don't say and how you act are all also important factors. During my observations, internship, and work experience I was able to see a lot of good examples of therapeutic relationships. For example, in my internship the occupational therapist that I worked with did a good balance of not sharing too much of her personal life but just enough to make her clients feel comfortable working with her. To me, a therapeutic relationship is one of the most important things in OT because without one, it's hard to be an effective practitioner.

My main takeaway from Dr. Keisling's presentation was that although society, as a whole, has overcome and progressed there is still so much to be done in the disability civil rights fight. It is amazing to look back at the past and see how far we've come but it's exciting to be in the present learning, and fighting alongside the change makers. Another take away from his presentation is that it only takes one brave voice to make a difference. For example, Ed Roberts and his mother fought for his right and everyone else's among the backlash and criticism. I think everyone should listen to his presentation because learning all about the terrible hate that our friends with special needs once faced brought up so many emotions in me - anger and sadness among them and makes me want to ensure no one ever goes through that oppression again. This session overlapped with the materials we learned during the era presentations quite a bit. For example, Dr. Keisling talked about th