Interpersonal Traits. My two interpersonal traits are empathy, motivation and being a good listener. 

I think that a key to being a good Occupational therapist is my ability to meet the clients where they are at on that particular day (aka. Having empathy). For me, that means being flexible to change my plans based on how my client is feeling emotionally and how their bodies are feeling as well.  By having any empathic nature, I will be able to build a strong rapport with my clients which will support their overall healing journey.  How does Empathy translate in with my peers or co-workers? I think that by me displaying empathy to my peers and co-workers it shows my level of caring and understanding to their emotional and physical well-being. 

My other interpersonal trait is motivation. I would consider myself a motivator. I truly believe in the potential of Others. I think my "motivator" personality will translate nicely into my practice as an OT. I will be my client's biggest cheerleader! As their motivator I have the ability to break their goals into smaller, manageable steps and we will definitely celebrate the small victories along the way! How does being a motivator impact my relationship with my co-workers and peers? As the motivator I can bring the positive energy to the team (co-workers, peers) and it use positive enforcement to build a stronger, more passionate, collaborative OT team. 

My third interpersonal trait I have is my being a good listener. I think that being a good listener is critical to being an effect OT. By really hearing what your clients are saying you are making them feel like they are being heard and valued. How does this translate into the interactions you have with your co-workers and peers? I think that having the ability to actively listen to what your coworkers and or peers are saying allows you to put aside your bias so you can fully understand the message they are trying to convey. 

Values: Two of my core values are integrity and authenticity. 

I know that what I say is my word. I know that my value and what I bring to the OT table matters. I also know that how I show up (integrity) is very important to me. Integrity to me means being committed to the task or to those I serve, like my OT clients.  It also means show up in a professional manner but at the same time having a caring and positive mentality for my OT clients.  I tend to think of integrity as principles of which my foundation is built on.  

Authenticity to me means showing up as my unique self.  This means not compromising on what I identify as or what my core believes are. That means that I will be sticking true to my values and having my personality come out. My clients will get to see the passion I have for being an OT because I truly want to support them to be successful as there regain their life back. In addition, I will be able to celebrate the uniqueness of my clients.