The occupational therapy philosophy advocates that everyone has a right to participate in activities regardless of limitations. Occupational therapists take a holistic approach and see clients as whole people rather than just diagnoses. Therapists help clients regain or maintain participation in meaningful activities through evidence-based, occupation-based interventions to address skills and client factors. Occupational therapists also advocate for clients and the profession to overcome sociopolitical and environmental barriers impacting occupational participation.
The occupational therapy philosophy advocates that everyone has a right to participate in activities regardless of limitations. Occupational therapists take a holistic approach and see clients as whole people rather than just diagnoses. Therapists help clients regain or maintain participation in meaningful activities through evidence-based, occupation-based interventions to address skills and client factors. Occupational therapists also advocate for clients and the profession to overcome sociopolitical and environmental barriers impacting occupational participation.
The occupational therapy philosophy advocates that everyone has a right to participate in activities regardless of limitations. Occupational therapists take a holistic approach and see clients as whole people rather than just diagnoses. Therapists help clients regain or maintain participation in meaningful activities through evidence-based, occupation-based interventions to address skills and client factors. Occupational therapists also advocate for clients and the profession to overcome sociopolitical and environmental barriers impacting occupational participation.
The occupational therapy philosophy advocates that everyone has a right to participate in activities regardless of limitations. Occupational therapists take a holistic approach and see clients as whole people rather than just diagnoses. Therapists help clients regain or maintain participation in meaningful activities through evidence-based, occupation-based interventions to address skills and client factors. Occupational therapists also advocate for clients and the profession to overcome sociopolitical and environmental barriers impacting occupational participation.
I believe that the occupational therapy profession advocates that everyone has a
natural right to participate in any of life’s activities regardless of age, disability, condition
or injury. I appreciate that occupational therapy takes into account the person as a
whole. Clients are not a set of medical diagnoses, they have passions, history, culture,
things they like to do and things that they desire to do again. An occupational therapist
assists individuals in regaining or maintaining participation in desired or necessary
activities to preserve maximum independence and identity which are necessary for
psychological and social well being. One way occupational therapists can do this is by
following the OT process to work with persons. This involves providing evidenced based
and occupation based interventions that address a variety of performance skills and
client factors. Performance skills such as motor, processing, or social interaction skills.
Client factors such as strength, range of motion, mental and sensory functions to name
a few. Occupational therapists can also work with groups and populations to ultimately
meet the same outcome of improving occupational performance.
Sometimes there are sociopolitical and environmental factors that impact our
client’s occupational participation and it is our responsibility to advocate for them and for
appropriate services. Whether it is access to an inclusive playground or access to
durable medical equipment, occupational therapists help bridge these gaps. We help
our clients enhance their occupational participation and live as independently as
possible. This is directly linked to their personal health, overall wellbeing and quality of
life. Therefore, it is crucial to advocate for our clients and for our profession at all times. For the safety of my future clients, it is my responsibility as a future occupational
therapist to keep being a lifelong learner and keep up with evidence based research for
my practice. It is also my responsibility to address any areas that may inhibit our clients’
opportunities to participate in society (AOTA, 2020). In fact, an occupational therapist
should “exhibit attitudes and actions consistent with occupational justice: full inclusion in
everyday meaningful occupations for persons, groups, or populations” (Scott et al.,
2017). Therefore it is an important responsibility to be able to provide resources for our
clients as well as to advocate for our clients appropriately.
In addition, it is also important to be a member of the American Occupational
Therapy Association. This association has the resources and tools necessary to assist
you through your occupational therapy career. Similarly the California Board of
Occupational Therapy will assist you with resources, updates on evidence based
research, political changes that affect occupational therapy services. These
organizations help you become a better advocate of your profession. Overall, it is
important to maintain a membership to these organizations for your personal and
professional growth in the occupational therapy field.
References
AOTA (2020) Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics. Am J Occup Ther
