Through taking this course, Culture and Ethics in OT, during the spring of 2023, I was able to broaden my understanding of what culture is for myself and others while expanding on my previous knowledge of what I learned from completing the CASC minor at Dominican. Taking this course provided me with the opportunity to reflect deeply on subjects covered while interacting with my classmates to further expand my point of view. During this course, I was able to immerse myself in materials related to cultural humility, implicit biases, systemic barriers resulting in racial injustice, imposter syndrome, and delve deeper into analyzing and deconstructing ethical dilemmas. Through taking this course, I was even presented with the chance to interview a close friend of mine utilizing motivational interviewing techniques and active listening to diversify my perspective of what culture means to another individual through first-hand experiences and narrative accounts. 

This semester, I feel that I have been able to become more aware of my own implicit biases, critically conscious of diverse cultures, open to other perspectives, and practice concepts of cultural humility. This course made me come to the realization that things are always changing and new resources and materials are always becoming available for us to view and reflect on. It allowed me to take the time to further develop my knowledge and see how I have changed as a human being. One area that I feel that I have been able to broaden my perspective on the most is implicit bias. In the area of implicit bias, I have come to realize how susceptible we are all to it and how invaluable it is for us to remain conscious of our responses to others and how we interact with people. In my level I fieldwork experiences, I have found myself applying these concepts of cultural humility in order to tune into my own implicit biases and gain a better understanding of clients, their experiences, and values. According to Wells et al. (2016), it is extremely important that we reflect on our willingness to engage with others and become self aware within our plans for change. Self-awareness is seen as one of the “most difficult characteristics to attain”, so it is important that we reflect constantly and remain conscious of the fact that we are all life long learners (Wells et al., 2016, p. 166). As I continue to grow and graduate from Dominican, I hope to proceed with expanding my knowledge base on these topics and continue to apply what I have learned within my future OT practice. I plan to develop and improve my knowledge by gathering information about diverse populations while submerging myself in interactions with people from diverse backgrounds to broaden my perspective of various cultures and identifying overlap in cultures through critical self-reflection (Wells et al., 2016). 

Within the OT profession, it is important that we promote inclusivity and a sense of belonging for all of our clients. Hitch et al. (2014) emphasize how “belonging is a sense of connectedness to other people, places, cultures, communities, and times. It is the context within which occupations occur, and a person may experience multiple belongings at the same time” (p. 242). With relationships with other people, places, groups being essential to belonging, it is important that we center our interventions and interactions with our clients around this (Hitch et al., 2014). We can encourage group sessions with multiple clients in order for them to establish connections with one another and gain a sense of belonging, especially since research shows that belonging often occurs in group settings (Hitch et al., 2014). At the same time, we can also conduct interventions in areas outside of a clinical setting by going on outings with our clients to areas that have value and meaning to them when appropriate. This can allow for them to feel more comfort and a sense of community while engaging in OT intervention. As healthcare practitioners in the OT profession, it is important that we recognize the diverse and unique cultures behind each of our clients and how we can open the door to discovering a sense of belonging within our interactions and interventions with our clients. Healthcare services that involve cultural humility, enlightened consciousness, and cross cultural exchange can allow for better services for our clients and support them in achieving a higher sense of wellbeing. As a future OT, I hope to incorporate my own therapeutic use of self and collaborative work with my clients and colleagues into my practice in order to foster a heightened sense of community between individuals with various cultural identities and values.