Humans of OT: Dr Daniela Castro De Jong

Humans of OT is series of profiles from some of OTA's members. They've shared their stories with us on topics such as how their OT career started, what they've achieved, what is most important to them about being an OTA member and more. Over the coming months we'll continue sharing these inspiring OT journeys. Profiled here is Dr Daniela Castro De Jong.

“I believe that as a profession we are stronger together. We are stronger if we belong.”

Could you tell us a bit about you and your work?

I was born and raised in Chile. I spent my childhood in a small town in the Atacama Desert (which is the driest place on earth, besides the Poles!). Living there I learnt how immense silence is, and how deep blue the sky can be. My childhood town is a city by design (just like Canberra). The town is shaped as a Roman helmet, which you can easily identify from an aerial view. Then we moved to Santiago, which is the capital city of the country.

Occupational therapy found me while I was in the process of finishing Year 12 in high school. I have been an occupational therapist for more than 25 years. I have worked as a clinician, a manager, a researcher and an academic in different areas of practice and countries.

Nowadays, after work you will find me around stories, from books to movies. You will also see me attending art classes from which I like to learn all sorts of techniques. More than having perfectly finished artefacts, I deeply value how immersive the creative process is. I am also an immigrant, which has become a key feature of who I am. This identity comes both from my family history and my own travelling and migration stories. I have the fortune (and the ongoing confusion) of calling home three different places in the world.

_{Daniela walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain}

What achievements in your life/career are you most proud of?

I am a proud pilgrim. Walking the Camino de Santiago twice, by crossing northern Spain by foot (750kms each time) changed my life in ways that I still cannot fully comprehend. It all started from something I read in a magazine about it.

I had no idea what I was getting into; I just got my backpack ready with some basic hiking equipment and found myself in Roncesvalles (near the Spanish and French border). From there, the humble act of walking for 30 days became the most important occupation of my life. I walked through valleys, mountains, and remote Spanish towns. I learnt what I am made of and how kindness and generosity can change the world. In the Camino, you do not have any objects to share (as this would be weight to carry in your backpack). You can only share who you are. And everyone is good at something you are not and vice versa. While geographically away, I am still in the Camino through those life-lasting friendships, books, movies, and by helping others to take the chance to stop everything for a moment and get their backpacks ready.

In my career, I have embraced different areas of practice and I have taken chances which have allowed me to keep learning. I am proud, humbled, and profoundly honoured by my work with communities. Another life changing experience. Another chance to be grateful. Another chance to be amazed by what can happen when your clients are the main stakeholders of their own therapeutic processes.

Who or what has inspired you the most in your OT career?

People. No doubt about it. The amazing people who welcomed me in a moment of their lives when things were not easy or complicated to them. And they welcomed the creative ideas that occupational therapy was bringing to their lives. It took me a while to understand that I was there just for a moment, so I needed to be mindful of the impact of my actions and the tremendous possibilities that everything we do might have.

And my colleagues. What a good profession to work with people who think alike to you, but at the same time in completely different ways! My colleagues around the world will never stop inspiring me. I have been fortunate enough to work in international arenas in this profession, and the feeling of belongingness is always there. It does not matter where are we from, we connect through who we are as a profession. The main highlight of this was my work as part of the organising committee for the World Federation of Occupational Therapists’ International Conference in Santiago (Chile) in 2010. That work started with our attendance at the one in Sydney in 2006, and I remember arriving at the venue and being absolutely amazed (and certainly speechless) by the feeling that everyone around me, thousands of people from all over the world, shared my passion for this profession. That trip and the people I met there are still a big source of inspiration for me.

How would you describe the importance of what the OT profession provides to clients and the community?

Occupational therapy can change the world (we just need to start believing that we can do that!). One game, one wheelchair, one conversation at a time. Facilitating someone’s (as person, a group, or a community) journey to do what matters to them is hard work, an honour, but also an opportunity to create more inclusive societies. I see occupational therapy as a bridge.

Learning about urban design recently challenged my own mindset about occupational therapy. Paraphrasing a movie from the 1980s (Field of Dreams, directed by Phil Alden Robinson), if we build it, they will come to play, work, socialise, pray, walk, etc. Our local contexts, from policies to public spaces should be our final and our primary aim. This also connects with my keen interest in culture, which is shaped by migration stories, my doctoral studies, and the ongoing development of the concept in the profession.

_{Daniela in Stockholm while undertaking doctoral studies}

If you could give your 18-year-old self some advice on building an OT career, what would it be?

Paraphrasing a common expression, trust in the process of occupational therapy. Back in the day, I thought that I would work in a mental health setting in a large hospital. It never happened, as I have never worked in a major clinical setting (besides of my final year placements). My clinical work took me to primary health care settings instead, and the idea of working with people in their communities, seeing them in context as members of a family changed the ways in which I understand health.

This profession will take you around the world (literally or metaphorically) if you are willing to go for the adventure. Along the way, you will have the chance to become part of an amazing community of practitioners, your tribe, your people. Commit, work hard, be generous with what you have learnt along the way, believe, create and be inquisitive, and never stop being amazed by the world and people. Go and learn everything you can and bring it back to occupational therapy. I know that I am talking to you from the future, but you will deeply enjoy learning about economics (so you could understand poverty and the impact on occupations), social ethics (so you could see how what happens in the policy level impact on your practice and your clients’ lives), and even a new language (so you could do your groceries independently when you decided to do your PhD in Sweden!).

It will be a rollercoaster; I can promise you that. Secure your seatbelt and go for the ride!

What are the benefits of belonging to OTA that are most important to you?

As an overseas trained occupational therapist, OTA is my go-to place to understand where the profession is in Australia, what matters to us, and our surrounding communities. It is also a place for connection and networking, which are crucial tools for the advancement of the profession. I have embraced many of the opportunities available for us as members, from the conferences to working in the Doing our Best project. The book allowed me to hear new and learn from the incredible stories about the occupations of everyday Australian navigating challenging times.

I have also become a member of working groups in topics I am passionate about: the local ACT Divisional Council and the Cultural Diversity action group team. I see both as opportunities to promote the advancement of the profession both in my region and nationally. In all these instances I deeply value the opportunity to work with the OTA team and colleagues across the country, from new graduates to retired colleagues, and in all areas of practice.

I believe that as a profession we are stronger together. We are stronger if we belong. We will make our profession better for the future generations of occupational therapists as others did it for us in the past. That is why OTA matters to me, by understanding our past and our present, we build the roads for our future.