Occupational Therapy: Influencing an Individual with Love and Care - Admission/Application Essay Example

Personal ment – Occupational Therapy Every human being is beautiful, internally and externally. Every baby that takes birth in this world is devoid of any negativity or hatred. It is merely a play of circumstances in one’s life that marks different strokes of love or hate and influences the course of the individual’s actions. Every disability or impairment in a human being is an outcome of some unknown reason that is kept hidden by its creator. Therefore, every human is beautiful and worth loving. Love and care are the most worthy emotions of a human being since they include the power to change the lives of others. I believe that any occupational therapist cannot term his training or qualifications to be complete if the realization of the power of these two emotions is not possessed by the individual. In some instances, the power that lies with an occupational therapist is even greater than that present in the hands of a doctor since the medical treatments are only directed towards the healing of the physical aspects, rather than influencing an individual with love and care. My desire is not to remain as a mere service provider to my client, rather earn the place of a friend in his life by providing genuine love and care. This belief on love and desire to become a friend to the client developed upon locating the following research finding. As a result of a study, individuals dispense dopamine in a specific part of the brain upon looking at the picture of their loved one or a dear friend. Dopamine is considered to be related to the emotions of being motivated and achieving greater rewards in life etc. Therefore, love and care can influence positive changes in the life of an individual and possibly make life better for him. The mundane corporate life never attracted me. Even as a teenager, I had realized that my career choice would give me the power to make a difference in another human’s life. Medicine is also a noble profession; however it gets limited by the extent of available diagnosis and absence of power of nurture by a human heart. Occupational therapy can transform itself to varied forms depending on the special needs of the client, whether an aid to an elderly or a person with disability, a motivator to a depression struck individual or a teacher to an autistic child etc. Every individual behaves differently to scenarios and needs to be managed accordingly. Presence of mind and experience of different techniques can help one react to situations such that the client feels comfortable and does not feel threatened upon revealing his real issues. Human beings possess energy among themselves which can be transferred to other people and their environment. Negative energies are usually related to emotions like fear and anger while positive energies are linked with love, kindness and care. The transfer of positive energies to the recipient influences him in a positive manner and motivates him to achieve greater goals in life. I hold his belief dearly and aspire to practice occupational therapy with the intention of transferring positive energy to my clients. My professional experience encompasses direct contact with individuals who required occupational therapy as I served as a translator (for around 18 months) between the locals of Saudi Arabia and international occupational therapists. Personal contact with the clients and the opportunity to observe the practices and techniques of a professional occupational therapist provided valuable exposure regarding the practical modes of dealing with clients in the face of their unique needs. The relevance of theoretical knowledge cannot be undermined; however, the experience that has been gained from real life situations during my time as a translator in the respective field has made me comprehend the relevance of this field at a new level. One of the clients who pondered in my head longer than others was an old lady who was left alone by her children and had difficulty performing her routine based tasks due to her overweight. This case involved physical as well as mental work from the occupational therapist since the individual required aid with her mobility and psychological counseling for her depression (due to loneliness). This experience made me realize the extent of stamina and strength that is expected to be present in an occupational therapist, after which I included exercise as a mandatory activity in my daily routine. Among the psychological techniques, the occupational therapist opted to patiently listening to the client to ensure identification of the crucial issues that needed to be addressed to make her overcome her depression of being alone in life. Different hobbies were arranged for the client, alongside contacting old friends who had lost touch with her over the years. Physical dependency was removed to a great extent by making her comfortable with few technological gadgets that are meant for elderly people. During my experience as a translator, I also acquired valuable knowledge about autism and strategies to keep the autistic children involved in productive activities. Fiona Nichole, an occupational therapist, wrote a book about a diverse range of activities that can help the autistic children maintain their focus and learn new things in an effective manner. I got the opportunity of translating the respective book in Arabic to serve as a guideline for the people of my region. Apart from the experience with clients, another valuable professional venture remains as the organization of the First Saudi Arabia Occupational Therapy Symposium. The lack of the awareness of occupational therapy in the region was felt by the government office “National Guard Health Affairs” and thus this venture was initiated. I was honored to be a part of the organizing committee since I was able to interact with foreign delegates who were experts in the respective field. After witnessing my commitment and management tactics in the organizing committee, the governing body appointed me as the in-charge of a team of volunteers who were supposed to be assigned to specific tasks and duties. As the cultural and religious beliefs of the Saudi Arabian region differ from the Western countries, the levels of diversity with which the occupational therapies can be practiced in the region were highlighted. This experience provided valuable global exposure and made me appreciate the level of commitment that occupational therapists promise to their field. I am known to be a people’s person among my friends and family. The reason for such status is that I communicate effectively with people and listen to them without being judgmental. I believe that my listening skills can help me provide effective service to my clients since it is the foremost method to gain the trust of any individual. The presence of listening skills in an occupational therapist can help the client become vocal about his reservations and issues in life without having the fear of being judged or ridiculed. In addition to listening skills, I consider my patience to be an effective quality that shall facilitate the improvement in my occupational therapies. The realization of the fact that almost every individual is in a certain situation or condition due to mostly uncontrollable circumstances of life, for example, old age, disability, depression etc provides the strength to cope with every need with patience and perseverance. Clients are usually victims of unfortunate instances of life therefore it is always expected for them to override reason through their statements and actions. The inclusion of love and care in my service tends to make me extremely close to my clients. It would not be wrong to state that they become cherished friends in my life. Their misery and state of helplessness ponders in my head even after I exit their premises. My weakness lies in the fact that it requires me some time to return to my personal routine and commitments. However, the realization of their helplessness also makes me count my blessings and makes me more determined in bringing about positivity in their existence. Among my favorite quotes is, “There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.” Upon developing an inclination towards the field of occupational therapy, I have developed an interest in reading about different cases and individuals that required occupational therapy. The diverse nature of practices and techniques that are adopted by the professionals to manage the clients tactfully to ensure comfort are no less than worthy of praise. As stated earlier, love and care are fundamental forces in the world that can change the course of things in an unimaginable manner therefore these should be coupled with other traits such as perseverance, patience, interpersonal and listening skills to ensure effectiveness of occupational therapy. The grant of my admission in your esteemed institution will be considered not as a mere inclusion in a program, rather as a privilege to learn about the respect field and an opportunity to contribute my share in the progress of the challenging field of occupational therapy. Word Count = 1, 489 Read More