Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Scholarly Project
Degree Name
Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)
Department
Occupational Therapy
First Advisor
Anne Haskins
Keywords
Bloom's Taxonomy; Education, Continuing; Intentional Relationship Model (IRM); Occupational Therapy -- Education; Therapeutic Alliance; Therapeutic Use of Self
Abstract
Only half of occupational therapy students graduating from occupational therapy programs feel sufficiently trained in therapeutic use of self (Taylor, Lee, Kielhofner & Ketkar, 2009). There are also many healthcare trends that make forming the therapeutic relationship difficult (Moreno, Delgado, Leyva, Casanova & Montes, 2019). The purpose of this scholarly project was to enhance the knowledge and skills of occupational therapy practitioners and students regarding therapeutic use of self. A literature review was completed with information regarding therapeutic use of self, rapport, the Intentional Relationship Model (Taylor, 2008), empathy, cultural competence, healthcare barriers and trends, and current training available for occupational therapy practitioners regarding therapeutic use of self. It has been discovered that when occupational therapy practitioners build strong therapeutic relationships with clients, improved outcomes, adherence to treatment, and overall improved quality of life occurs (Folkens, Roberts & Haskins; 2019; Kornhaber, Walsh, Duff & Walker, 2016). The problem of the lack of knowledge and training regarding therapeutic use of self for occupational therapy practitioners was identified and a course was developed. A continuing education course was created using Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom et al., 1956) to write the objectives and using the theory of Andragogy (Knowles, 1985) to guide the teaching and learning methods. The Intentional Relationship Model (IRM) (Taylor, 2008) was used to guide the creation of the course content. The continuing education course was created to enhance client and practitioner satisfaction by increasing the education available regarding therapeutic use of self. It is important for the value of the occupational therapy profession to maintain the therapeutic relationship. The continuing education course offers opportunities and strategies to create the relationship in a way that is interactive, engaging, and effective.
Recommended Citation
Anderson, Jessica and Halbakken, Hannah, "Therapeutic Use of Self: Continuing Education for Occupational Therapy Practitioners and Students" (2020). Occupational Therapy Capstones. 431.
https://commons.und.edu/ot-grad/431