Professor of Physical Therapy Education and department chair and program director for the Department of Physical Therapy Education Charity Johansson helps shape DPT graduates into not only highly skilled professionals but compassionate and empathetic providers.
When I entered Elon’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program in 2007, I expected to be taught hands-on skills by some of the best in this field. An online search for “What do physical therapists do?” finds that physical therapists help injured or ill people improve movement and manage pain. That answer fit my expectations going into the program.
It took only one class of my physical therapy career to drastically alter that and significantly shape the clinician I am and continue to strive to be. Dr. Charity Johansson’s Psychosocial Aspects of Healthcare is the first class in a DPT student’s career because it is the cornerstone of what is expected of an Elon DPT graduate: to be a compassionate, humble practitioner in this service-driven profession.
Charity led important discussions about biases in health care and the importance of client-first language instead of labeling language. Of equal importance, she facilitated invaluable guiding activities and reflections that encouraged us to practice empathy. She provided a safe learning environment that allowed us to realize that we could be in the vulnerable position of becoming patients ourselves. That insistence that DPT students see people who are so often marginalized through a lens of humanity is quite possibly the best lesson I learned from her. We cannot adequately assist clients in the reduction of pain and improvement of mobility if we cannot engage in relationship-centered care.
I am also fortunate that Charity’s mentorship has continued throughout my career, as I had the opportunity to return to Elon’s Department of Physical Therapy Education in 2018 as a core faculty member. Her kind, humble demeanor continues to shape my work. As an educator, physical therapist and colleague, Charity has continued to help me identify my strengths while still challenging me to step outside of my comfort zone. It is this combination of kindness and reverence juxtaposed with an endless pursuit of excellence that makes her so unique.
Crystal Ramsey G’09 is an associate professor of physical therapy education at Elon. A board-certified neurologic clinical specialist, she has more than 14 years of clinical experience working with individuals who have neuromuscular injuries or disorders.