MY CULTURE IMPACTS MY OCCUPATIONS?

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    Culture is defined as “the knowledge, beliefs, values, assumptions, perspectives, attitudes, norms, and customs that people acquire through membership in a particular society or group (Hammell, 2013). We have learned through our Foundations class, that there is an Occupational Therapy Practice Framework that provides structure for our occupational therapy practice. There are two main sections of the OTPF-4 which are domain and process. One part of the domain category is personal factors which include customs, beliefs, activity patterns, behavioral standards, and expectations accepted by the society or cultural group of which a person is a member (AOTA, 2020). 

    I have seen first-hand how someone’s culture can impact their occupations. I have a friend who is vegan, so when we go to eat, we must pick a place that has vegan options on the menu. As a woman who believes in Christianity, I grew up with biblical teaching, going to church on Sunday and Wednesday, and reading my bible and praying daily. Another time my culture has affected my routines is that every night I sit at the dinner table with my family and we talk about our day. I am very family oriented and I sometimes prioritize my family over school assignments.  Everyone has their own way of doing things based on how they were raised and what they believe in. By having some set beliefs established in your identity, it is easy for those beliefs to shape how you do your daily routine. 

    As a clinician, we can use our client’s culture by looking at the client in a holistic view that way they can begin to build a relationship with us and trust us. It is important for us to understand where our clients came from so, we can come up with interventions they would enjoy. Our profession is based on meaningful activities, so it is important for us to personalize all our interventions based on our clients. We as clinicians can do our own research about different cultures such as worship activities, common meals, common activities, and even appropriate clothing.

        In the article it mentions that cultural humility incorporates a commitment both to critical self-evaluation and to readdressing power imbalances between therapist and clients (Hammell, 2013). It is important to have humility because it is a life learning concept in the health care field. There will be a different person walking to therapy every time, not one person will be the same. Cultural competence is where people come up with a few generalizations about your culture and then associate you to that. It is not allowing yourself to say I do not know all about you culture, but I want to learn.  

    Overall, I have learned through the OTPF-4 and this article that culture plays a huge part in an individual’s identity. It is important that we recognize our own culture as well as cultures that are different from ours. As clinicians when we practice cultural humility we are providing a better relationship with our clients as well as building better relationships with clients. 

Sources 

 

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020, August 31). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process-fourth edition. American Occupational Therapy Association. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://research.aota.org/ajot/article/74/Supplement_2/7412410010p1/8382/Occupational-Therapy-Practice-Framework-Domain-and 

Hammell, K. R. (2013). Occupation, well-being, and culture: Theory and cultural humility . Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 80(4), 224–234. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008417413500465