My name is Alyssa and I am in the second year of my master’s program in occupational therapy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I was born and raised in Illinois and have been enjoying the warmer North Carolina weather! When I’m not studying, I enjoy volunteering at the local animal shelter, running, hiking, and traveling. I’m always up for anything active and outdoors. I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others every day during my career. I hope to work with children with special needs at an elementary school, but we will see where my post-grad journey takes me!

Essay: Therapeutic Use of Self

When someone experiences a traumatic event or is diagnosed with a life-altering condition, their world and the world of their family and friends is forever changed. The roles, habits, and routines that provided structure and meaning to life suddenly are altered. For some, this may be a temporary stage, a bump in the road, and life will return to normal soon enough. For others, they will need to learn how to live a different way and negotiate the fears that come along with having every plan and dream they ever had for their self or their family stripped away.

In my occupational therapy courses, we talk a lot about a technique called "therapeutic use of self." For occupational therapists, this means that when working with a patient, we are compassionate practitioners who make a conscious effort to use our own unique personality, insights, and perceptions as part of the therapeutic process. Therapeutic use of self is a concept that is not static - it is dynamic and flexible, always changing to accommodate what the patient needs at that specific time. Whether that be providing encouragement for someone to keep trying, taking extra time to stay up-to-date on the latest research, recognizing and celebrating steps towards reaching a goal, or simply providing a listening ear, this technique has and will continue to make the most difference in the lives of the people I work with.

Even as a novice occupational therapist in training, I have witnessed the power of therapeutic use of self in changing the lives of people. During my fieldwork training in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), I was observing the therapist as she interacted with the mother of an infant who had undergone surgery for a significant heart condition and was recovering more slowly than the doctors initially thought she would. The mother of the child only spoke Spanish, and the therapist only spoke English. In what already was a challenging situation with the child’s medical condition became even more challenging with the language barrier. The therapist was quick to realize that she would need to work hard to earn the trust of the understandably worried mother before she could work on rehabilitating her daughter. What I saw next was excellent therapeutic use of self. The therapist placed a hand on the mother’s shoulder, offered her a warm smile, and gently touched the cross hanging from the infant’s crib. In this instance, which lasted less than 30 seconds, the therapist recognized what the mother needed, met her where she was at, acknowledged what was important to her, and gained her trust to start working with the infant. Therapeutic use of self enabled the therapist to being building a relationship with the mother and earn the mother’s respect, and it happened despite the language barrier. In such a high-stress and anxiety-ridden place as the PICU is, being someone to feel safe around and trust can be the most calming and comforting thing that a therapist can provide a patient or patient’s family. When people feel confident in those that are working with them or their loved ones, outcomes will be better for all.

While therapeutic use of self may seem like an easy thing to do, it is actually quite challenging. Each patient I will work with will have their own unique strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, history, dreams, and desires. In a situation where I am just meeting someone for the first time, I will need to be confident in who I am and what my abilities are, and begin building a sense of trust and relationship with the patient. People going through challenging times look for support to keep them persevering. For some, I will be just another person to add to that support list. For others, I might be the only person on their team. The power of therapeutic use of self, therefore, cannot be underestimated. I will not be perfect at this upon graduating; I will probably still not be perfect at it 30 years into practice. I can, however, keep trying to be the best therapist possible for the people I work with - and that is what makes the difference.