I'm a Basic Grade OT, working for Newham Community NHS Trust on their rotation scheme. I came down to London from Manchester three years ago to study on the post-grad OT course - from multi-cultural to very multi-cultural!! Whitechapel, where I studied, was amazing when I first came down. Although it was the tip of the iceberg in preparing me for work in Newham!
I'm working in a very densely populated area, which creates many problems. In Newham this is compounded by a multi-lingual, multi-faith and multi-cultural population. We work very closely with the team of advocates, who provide a translation service for clients and also receive a high level of training and resources from the Trust. This enables us to understand and empathise with the clients for whom we seek to provide a service. I've learnt an immeasurable amount from my clients of all religions and ethnic backgrounds. Because of my position, I am unable to speak openly about my faith, but find that clients are open to conversation and are interested in what I have to say about my beliefs in return for my listening to and respecting their beliefs.
Most of our obvious contact with clients' faith is in purely practical arrangements, such as no home visits to Muslim families on Friday afternoons as the men are all at prayer. Taxis are also hard to book at this time, as many of our taxi drivers are Muslim. Telephone arrangements for visits and appointments can also be hazardous as many clients do not have a good grasp of English and do not understand the words 'Occupational Therapy'.
However, for all its difficulties and challenges to my faith, I believe that my work here allows me to be very spiritually aware at all times. It has allowed to me to have a close look at other religions, particularly Islam and Sikhism, in terms of the impact on my clients' daily lives. It allows me to see and understand very clearly that my God is a God who loves and can touch anybody, regardless of background, religious upbringing, culture. - He is relevant.
Suzanne Buckley, OT
Article orginally printed in Interact, Autumn 2000 - Multicultural Therapy
