My Why: What is Occupational Therapy and Why I Want to be an OT

 If I were trying to explain to a 6 year old child, who has been referred for OT services, what occupational therapy is, I would say… 

    Occupational therapy is therapy that helps people be able to do things on their own. Occupational therapy allows for people to be able to take part in activities they like to do or things that make them happy. If you like riding your bike, or jumping rope, an occupational therapist will help you be able to do those things all by yourself. Occupational therapists also will help you be able to do things that you have to do each day like showering or brushing your teeth. An occupational therapist will look at what matters to you and help you achieve it or be able to do it by yourself. Some things that may seem really hard, like opening a jar of peanut butter or staying inside the lines when coloring, can be made easier with the help of occupational therapy. In occupational therapy, you get a say in what you would like to work on or get better at. Occupational therapist can work in a school, in a clinic or place that you go to for therapy, or a hospital. 

My why…

    I want to be an occupational therapist because I enjoy helping people. I feel I am a very altruistic person and this profession claims altruism as one of its main principles. I could not imagine not being able to do the things I enjoy doing, or even things I need to do, because of a condition or injury. I would be devastated. Occupational therapy allows me to help people get back to doing activities they enjoy. It allows me to help people be able to do things they want and need to do. 

    I like how with occupational therapy, you get to meet so many different people with many different interests and values. I like how with each client, the therapy session is different. There is a freedom within occupational therapy that allows you to be creative and come up with things to do with your clients. You are not always doing the same thing over and over again. You are constantly doing things differently and coming up with different activities because occupational therapy is personalized to the clients wants and needs. Occupational therapy is a client-centered or person-centered form of therapy. Occupational therapists take a holistic approach that looks at the whole patient, not just what needs to be fixed. As an occupational therapist, your main focus is the client and what is important to them. With therapy that is personalized to each specific client, you get to know the client and form a relationship with them. I value human relationships and enjoy forming new relationships with other people.