Based on the video recording of myself, the debriefing, and some good self-reflection, I think the SIM encounter, overall, went well, but there was definitely some things I could have done better. I know I felt I was empathetic at points and listened to what the parent had to ask me and I tried to better help her understand what it was I was talking about, but I feel like I could have incorporated more about Libby's interests and how to tie those into the sensory schedule I made up for her. Instead of choosing activities based on what I thought she would like, I could have looked at the background info on Libby more and chosen the activities based on what she already likes to do in her free time. Besides that, if there was something that I could have done differently, I definitely would have taken more time to really have a good one on one conversation with the parent. Having only 10 minutes was tough, especially with knowing everything we needed to touch base on in the SIM encounter, I felt myself almost rushing through some of the information. So much so, I inwardly feared that even though it seemed like the parent was understanding what I was saying, she was only doing so to appease me. I feel like if I had just taken more time to really talk with her and slow down the rate of information I was giving her, I feel it could have gone better.
Reflecting on some empathetic listening skills I really tried to incorporate in my encounter, there are some very specific examples of how an OT can give empathic listening to a client/caregiver. One of those examples is eye contact. One of the biggest signs that someone is paying attention to what you are saying is eye contact. By looking directly at the person speaking, you are indicating to them that you are listening to what they have to say and see that their voice and opinions are heard without fault. Another example is that of nodding and repeating what was said to you, as the OT, by the client/caregiver. By doing this, you are showing that you actually heard what they told you and show them that they are being listened to and therefore, cared for.
I know trying to get the information out and across to the client/caregiver is important, but I want to be able to really strive to do better in conversing with them instead when it comes to future encounters or even when I start practicing on my own. Get to know them on a more personal level and not just throw almost foreign information to them in the hopes that they get it. By approaching it that way, I feel I might gain trust and rapport with them a lot easier than if I was just only there providing information and seeing how they go about processing that. I did really like this SIM encounter and I think I'm gaining more confidence in myself as a future OT practitioner after completing this assignment.
