Skip to main content

Locus of Control

     Locus of control is how a person perceives the cause of their situations in life, and can be on a continuum between internal and external. I received 13 points out of a total of 23 points on the worksheet. I fell in about the middle of the scale between internal locus of control and external locus of control. After scoring this, it did not surprise me on how I fell within the scale. I had a hard time with many questions deciding which one I agreed with more. I believe that there is a mix of things we can control and things we cannot. Some things are just bound to happen, no matter how hard you work to avoid it.


     I found this topic and how it related to the client/therapist interaction very interesting. I appreciated how the article posted for our reference discussed how as therapists we can encourage an external or internal locus of control towards our treatment of clients. I also believe it is important to encourage an internal locus of control with our clients. As therapists, we are unable to be with the clients at all times or provide treatment to them forever. If a client experiences an injury or disease that impacts his/her daily life for years to come, they need to have the skills and resources necessary to have a quality of life. We do not want our clients to solely rely on us to regain function. The amount of time we have with clients for treatment on a weekly basis makes it difficult to make the progress the clients want. They can work on things on their own or with the assistance of a caregiver. By teaching them the techniques and skills to allow them to help themselves, we are encouraging an internal locus of control. I will keep this concept in mind when I am working with clients in the future.

Comments

Post a Comment


Logan and I on our first day of OT school.

Popular posts from this blog

Parkinson's and Deep Brain Stimulation

   I watched a TED Talk called “Parkinson’s, depression and the switch that might turn them off” by neurosurgeon Andres Lozano. I chose to watched this because I was unfamiliar with deep brain stimulation until we discussed it in class. I wanted to further my knowledge on this subject and the diagnoses that it can be effectively used. Neurosurgery has been around for 7000 years. Originally, people with psychiatric and neurological problems were thought to be possessed by evil spirits. In order to release the spirit, they thought they needed to cut a hole in the skull.    As we have learned, different parts of the brain control different functions. If there is a dysfunction in a specific area of the brain, there are specific functions that will be impaired. Dr. Lozano became interested in this and how deep brain stimulation can help people with various disorders. Deep brain stimulation is achieved by cutting a hole in the skull to reach an area of the brain with ...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Self-Portrait of a Leader

My thoughts on drawing my self-portrait in regards to leadership have changed a little bit since starting OT school. Below I have posted the most recent drawing on the left and the one completed at the beginning of OT school on the right. There are many things that have remained the same; however, there were differences in my 2 drawings. The first major difference is I believe it is important to have a mix of creativity and organization in leadership, and before I thought organization was most important. Additionally, this time I added earrings to symbolize seeing myself as a leader, but I believe this often depends on the situation and if a strong leader is not already present in the group/setting.
Post a Comment
Read more

Therapeutic Relationship

Therapeutic relationships are very important to establish as an occupational therapist. It allows for a deeper connection to be formed, which develops from many factors including trust and empathy. By planning how an interaction with a client will go, including the resources and activities you have planned for their session, it allows for less anxiety and more organization to happen before the interaction. If you let the client know you are invested in their improvement by exemplifying these characteristics, it is likely that the therapeutic outcome with be more positive. As my time as a rehab tech, I saw first hand how vital this relationship can be. When a client doesn't feel confident or sure about therapy and how it will help them, a therapist can let them know with body language and words how they plan to improve their quality of life. Although I know there is always room for improvement, I think I have a good amount of empathy already established. As my time at UTHSC, I kno...
Post a Comment
Read more

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

Translate