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The Therapeutic Relationship

In today's class, we learned about what a therapeutic relationship is and how we as future occupational therapists can maintain the best relationships with our clients as possible. A therapeutic relationship is simply an interaction between an OT practitioner and a client. The goal of this relationship is for the client to be the focus and to benefit from every interaction. According to our textbook, this relationship differs from others in that it is key for facilitating the healing and rehabilitation process. Every interaction between the OT and client should be purposeful and aimed toward achieving a common goal. 
An OT can develop trust in this relationship by being on time for appointments, being honest with the client, and avoiding making empty promises. Empathy is an important aspect of the therapeutic relationship, being defined as the ability to place oneself in another person’s position and understand the other’s experience. It is the emotional exchange between an OT and client to allow for more open communication, resulting in a better therapeutic relationship.The therapeutic use of self is another vital tool that a practitioner can use. This involves using ones knowledge, personality, insights, and judgments to benefit the interaction with the client. A therapist can use techniques such as humor, empowerment, redirection, and effective verbal and nonverbal communication to establish the most positive therapeutic relationship with every client. I think these skills are all achieved through natural interpersonal skills and experience, and I plan to implement all of them when I am a practicing occupational therapist. 

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