Resilience, Desert life and being Uncle Elie (Lessons learnt practicing occupational therapy for over a decade).

What is unique about desert life? What are the unique personal and professional qualities that separates good therapists from the rest and personally myself as a therapist? Has living and practicing in the desert metropolis of Dubai shaped me as a person or my professional practice? Those are the pertinent questions I have been found trying to answer while on a short sabbatical enjoying desert hospitality lying on a beach with my family.

I have practiced occupational therapy(OT) for over a decade and a majority of those years have been in Dubai, U.A.E(United Arab Emirates). Places like people tend to grow in you and overtime to a small or larger percentage define a person or his/her professional self. I can safely assume that the desert life has grown in/on me both ways.

What are the unique features of deserts and/or UAE in general that have gradually shaped me as a therapist? Is it the extremes of temperatures, having the hottest temperatures during the day and the coldest during the night? Is it the giant dunes that rival the Statue of Liberty in size? Is it the variety of plants with special adaptations like the cacti or the date palms that have the longest roots penetrating through rocks to reach water? Is it the camels that can go for weeks without water or the Falcons with excellent hunting skills? Is it  daily driving past the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa or the first ever seven star hotel in the world, Burj Al Arab? Is it the mixture of cultures and daily interaction with over 100 nationalities from all over the world? Is it the world class infrastructure that allows easy accessibility of services, places  and commodities?

On the professional side, what qualities do parents and/ or families  look for in a therapist that ultimately make them settle on one from a pool of equally or more qualified therapists?What professional qualities have I personally acquired by practicing in the desert that would make me stand out from multiple therapists ?Have the uniqueness of the desert metropolis rubbed on me positively professionally?

As a practicing occupational therapist for a long time and now a father to a toddler , if I were ever to be in a position to source for a therapist for my child and/or if I am to guide a family seeking the services of one ,the following are the qualities (which I believe are my own unique qualities )which I would I recommend.

I have come to understand that children come as a package, they come from a family with other siblings and parents. You can never treat the child alone and not be involved with the family.

I purpose to keep it simple with families when it comes to treatment plans and home programs. Although theory, literature and medical jargons are part of the key competencies of a therapist, these will always be secondary to good rapport and making sure that at every point of the treatment both therapist and family are on the same page.

Therapists with children(parent therapists) are always better placed to understand other parents challenges and are always more practical when advising on home programs since they play similar parenting roles back home. No offence  to single or therapists without children. I have worked with excellent ones and was in a similar position for a long time before having my toddler son. One fact that I have learnt being a dad therapist is to be more practical when giving home programs because I get to try them out some with my son before advising the same with my client families. 

As much as clinical therapy is more convenient ,look for a therapist willing to go past the clinic walls and makes it a priority to make collaborations with everyone involved with in your childs care. Children live in the community, they go to school, live at home, interact with other children in playgrounds etc. I have over time learnt to make strategic collaborations with school staff, other therapists working with the family, siblings and I usually request parents to let the nanny tag along for the sessions for better carryover of skills at home. 

Last but not least I always insist on accessibility and a personal touch to therapy. I usually joke with my client families that I am the most accessible and personal therapist they will ever come across and come to think of, that might be the truth. Probably where the 'Uncle' in Uncle Elie came from and has stuck throughout my practice.

In summary I know it is difficult for families to find the ideal therapist or medic for their children or family member and am sure these qualities and/or competencies they look for will vary between families. It is a fact however that some of these qualities will always remain universal. It is however debatable whether the location in which a therapist or medic practices shapes their professional practice.

I hope that my experiences working as an occupational therapist for over a decade, the majority of those years spent in and shaped in the desert, will better help a family make a informed choice on the ideal therapist/medic for their child/family member in the future.

What other qualities would you look for in a therapist/medic?