Research Study, Ward, Mitchell, And Price

Occupational therapy (OT) is a profession grounded in evidence-based and science-driven therapy focused on improving overall quality of life for individuals by engaging individuals in meaningful occupations (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2014). OT has successfully shifted to a profession that requires OT practitioners to obtain a state license to practice (AOTA, n.d.). The shift requires OT practitioners to adhere to federal and state regulations surrounding the OT profession. Licensure laws and AOTA Code of Ethics (2015) identified the importance of requiring OT practitioners to become licensed professionals. Licensure is a necessary regulation and provides protection to clients who receive services by holding the OT practitioner accountable for services provided. OT practitioners and the OT profession as a whole are protected by licensure laws because it directly outlines the roles and responsibilities within each state. The AOTA Code of Ethics (2015) outlined lack of proper licensure is deemed unethical because the violator is breaking licensure laws and breaching the AOTA Code of Ethics.

As occupational therapy services diversified, serving a variety of clients in many different settings and with societal influences, the field began to evolve. During the 1990s occupational therapists began to shift away from reductionist medical model toward a more holistic client-centered approach. Services focused on enhancing individuals’ quality of life across the lifespan meaning before, during, and after therapeutic intervention. The profession began to better acknowledge the value of client education, injury and illness prevention, health screening, and health maintenance (Cole & Tufano, 2008). The field created more preventative initiatives, and focused services on improving quality of life and optimizing the independence of

The opportunity to attend the Inter-OT School Legislative Workshop offered insight into the future Occupational Therapy (OT) in the United States and how I— a future therapist can advocate for change and ensure the future and strength of the profession. Within the 3-hour event, I gained a tremendous amount of understanding of OT’s future, various funding sources from the federal government, projected demands of the field in the future, and further insight to the critical work of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and its Director of Health Policy & State Affairs, Chuck Willmarth, CAE.

Occupation based interventions benefits the clients but there are various barriers that many occupational therapists face when working in medically-oriented facilities. According to Colaianni and Provident (2010), one of the barriers of (OBI) is the dominance of the biomedical model in health care practice. The mechanistic paradigm that was derived from biomedical model has diverted the professional role of concentrating on health restoring measure to remediation of body functions and impairments. According to Gray (1998), biomedical model cure disease by eliminating symptoms, reducing impairment but occupational therapy results in impairment-based treatment where the impairment and body functions become the intervention outcome. It is difficult within the medical paradigm of care to incorporate health and wellness and to fit occupations such as cooking, playing, and other pleasurable activities, which resulted in the occupational therapist struggling with professional identity.

Bruce, M. A. & Borg, B. (1993). Psychosocial occupational therapy: Frames of reference for intervention. Thorofare, NJ: Slack.

The occupational therapy profession shares many objectives across the communities, clients, and families they serve. Some of these aims include: “Developing the field of occupational therapy and enhance the professions capabilities to meet the needs of the entire population, providing evidence on the efficacy of occupational therapy. This includes working with organizations and local communities, incorporating education, research, and practices as a complete whole. In addition, developing a team of professionals that innovates and adapts to the developing health needs of the population” (AOTA, 2013). This includes advocacy efforts with policymakers to ensure continued funding to provide care to individuals (AOTA, 2013). Occupational therapy is a distinctive profession that helps

Occupational therapy has been in the process of continued development since the 1900’s. With several contributors helping to build the groundwork for creating the awareness needed to bring occupational therapy into the field of health care. Continued research is contributing to the ongoing significance of how occupational therapy is a vital aspect in promoting increased independences in all aspects of healthcare. (Willard, Schell, 2014) With the incorporation of “Occupational Therapy Practice Framework Domain and Process (3rd ed.)” helps creates the foundation for occupational therapy clinicians as well as other health care providers in facilitating the core believe of occupational and the relationship of health and occupation. (AOTA 2014) Therefore, providing a uniform outline of the various aspects of each individual and how they are interconnected to create the foundation of each individual. With a greater understanding of the foundations of that induvial, the clinician can then facilitate the best therapeutic treatment plan for that individual to achieve their personal goals with unified foundations of care.

Occupational therapy was founded on the principle that participation in meaningful activity is important to the health of individuals. Mental health is very important to the well-being of an individual and those around them. 450 million people experience mental and neurological disorders around the world. These disorders are the leading 5-10 causes of disability worldwide. As services for individuals with mental illness have shifted from the hospital to the community, there has also been a shift in the philosophy of service delivery. In the past, there was an adherence to the medical model; now the focus is on incorporating the recovery model. (2) Occupational therapy’s focus that taking part in engaging and meaningful activities benefits the mental well-being of the individual.

A practitioner looking to maximize their career should define personal expectations and goals for the affiliation including the desired amount of supervision and style of supervision that would enhance attainment of goals and pair great with the individual’s learning style. Being able to independently seek and participate in opportunities for improving skills is a great way to advance in the field of occupational therapy. It is important during fieldwork to demonstrates consistent work behaviors including initiative, preparedness, and dependability. Every day of fieldwork should be given the best effort because this could potentially become a company that would want the OT practitioner as an employee. This requires the practitioner to consistently maintain professional behaviors in the workplace such as taking initiative, being prepared and dependable, and assuming a professional demeanor.

This link between occupation, health and well-being (i.e. the fact that people are occupational by nature and that engagement in meaningful occupation is essential to health) forms part of the core beliefs and values – the philosophy – of the occupational therapy (OT) profession (Kramer et al, 2003). OT has its foundations in both philosophy and science, but unlike other medical professions, it was the philosophy that came first

The Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) is a theoretical framework used by occupational therapists to help guide practice (Cotton, 2012). Moreover, the MOHO’s framework helps form a picture of the client by utilizing 4 concepts’ that include the clients’ motivation for occupation, the routine patterning of their occupations, the nature of their skilled performance, and the influence of the environment on their occupation (Forsyth et al., 2009). These 4 concepts’ influence the formation of an occupational Identity which is a key construct within the MOHO (Forsyth et al., 2009). Furthermore, an occupational identity is the cumulative sense of the clients’ identity based on the occupations they engage in, their personal experiences and who they want to become as an occupational being (Forsyth et al., 2009). The formation of clients’ occupational identity is based on a sustained pattern of occupational engagement, which is called occupational competence (Forsyth et al., 2009; Walder & Molineux, 2017a).

During my freshman seminar class, I was introduced to the field of OT. I enjoyed learning about the diverse roles that OTs engaged in with their patients and the variety of settings the field had to offer. As my interest begin to progress, I decided to join Pre-Occupational Therapy Club to network and learn more about the process of becoming an OT. In my opinion, one of the most enthralling aspects of OT is the ability to implement new and creative exercises that are geared towards specific disabilities and patients. As my knowledge and growth of OT continued to flourish and I opted to take an OT class to receive a more hands on experience.

This alarming and passion induced quote from Dr. Wendy Woods, represents not only the situation in 1998 but todays mindset as well. While I do not necessarily believe our profession with be “off the radar” I do understand the potential reduction or devalue of OT’s who are not able to verbalize or demonstrate their effectiveness. Although using purposeful activities that leave patients questioning their effectiveness is disappointing, performing meaningful occupations beyond basic activities of daily living (BADL’s) is challenging and often unrealistic in some settings. In contrast, settings that offer the opportunity to incorporate community integration activities, home care evaluations, and alternative treatments led (often used by self-employed

Occupational Therapy in Mental Health Occupational therapy practitioners play an important role in the field of mental health. The need of occupational therapy varies from the adolescent to adults. Occupational therapist want to reach the ultimate goal, to fully engage and participate in community activities. These activities include being able to obtain a job and maintain it, being able to attend school, and living life independently (Castaneda, 2013). Occupational therapist provides barriers to gain function through interventions that focus on increasing existing skills, creating opportunities, promoting wellness, and modifying or adapting the environment or activity (Castaneda, 2013) Occupational therapy practitioners have open settings

Occupational therapists work with clients to restore independence that has been lost or disrupted due to illness, injury, or disease. Occupational therapy practice involves assessing and determining an appropriate treatment approach based on the client’s disability and individual needs. There are various occupation-based models, each client-centered and grounded in theory, that guide the clinical treatment process. In addition, the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (3rd ed.; AOTA, 2014) denotes various frames of reference to guide therapists when choosing specific intervention strategies based on the client’s needs (Cole & Tufano, 2018). This paper focuses on the application of the Occupation Adaption model,