The World Federation of Occupational Therapists (2010) has defined occupational therapy as a “client-centered health profession concerned with promoting health and well being through occupation” (p.1). I have defined occupational therapy as a process in which a therapist and a client form a therapeutic relationship in order to increase participation in meaningful and functional occupations. An occupation is any action that increases quality of life, supports self-maintenance, and supplements work and leisure activities. The World Federation of Occupational Therapists (2012) states that the focus of practice is maintaining a balance of person, occupation, and their environment in order to facilitate occupational performance. I have reached a similar conclusion that the focus of occupational therapy is to facilitate synergy between the client and their environment. The result of this synergy will be occupational performance. Occupational therapists are keen to the needs of the client as they relate to completing occupations within a given environment utilizing the client’s capabilities.
Tenets of Occupational Therapy
Person
Occupational therapy is a client-centered practice; therefore, the person is the first central tenet addressed in this paper. The person-environment-occupation (PEO) model views the person throughout their lifespan because a person’s roles are consistently changing. The person is made up of characteristics that affect the person, environment, and
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 MOHO is a client-centered holistic conceptual model for practice while the OTPF emphasizes a client-centered approach in data collection identifying what is important and meaningful to the client. The MOHO uses an open system approach to assess: Input, Person, Occupational Performance, and the Environment. In contrast, the OTPF considers how Client factors (MOHO Volitional subsystem), performance skills, performance patterns (MOHO Habituation subsystem) and contexts and environment (part of MOHO) impact occupational performance. Both MOHO and OTPF emphasize client-centered analysis. The MOHO has specific assessment tools while the OTPF indicates the occupational profile should include information that is similar to MOHO, regarding client values, interests, daily routines, patterns of engagement and feelings related to occupational function (AOTA, 2014, p. S13). Additionally, MOHO indicates data is collected and discussed with the client to help the client gain an understanding of their subsystems and how these impacts occupational performance (Cole & Tufano, 2014). The OTPF indicates data is collected to create an occupational profile through analysis of occupational performance skills. While both, MOHO and OTPF support interventions that are specific, meaningful, and focused on occupational performance. Also, the OTPF expands interventions to include therapist skills related to clinical reasoning, therapeutic use of self and activity analysis (AOTA, 2014). Both reflect practice guidelines appropriate for use across age spans and varying levels of need. I feel MOHO works well within the OTPF based on the open system, use of Volition, Habituations, and Mind-brain-body subsystems. Additionally, MOHO’s consideration of both physical and social environments aligns with the
Occupational Therapy and occupational science both incorporate the use of human occupation and are responsive to social movements (Pierce, 2003, p. 7)” Differences, however, derive in regards to the way the two fields operate, as either a basic or applied science. On the one hand, occupational science is an academic discipline that generates “knowledge about the form, function, and meaning of human occupations (Pierce, 2003, p. 6).” Occupational Therapy, on the other hand, uses the basic knowledge derived from occupational science to implement the occupations and activities in client-centered therapeutic treatments.
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
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
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,
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.
There we significant changes taking place in the field of occupational therapy during the mechanistic paradigm of the 1960’s. In the last few years of this decade, occupational therapy was beginning to divert back to its original, holistic focus. Occupation as a health-restoring measure, with emphasis on the person and environment, was becoming the focal point (Flick, 2015). Elizabeth Yerxa, a registered occupational therapist, emerged as a leader during this time with contributions to the philosophical foundation and values of the occupational therapy profession. In 1966, Yerxa received the honor of the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Award, and presented her lecture, “Authentic Occupational Therapy.” She was named an American Occupational Therapy Association member in 1973 and received the Merit Award in 1987. She has been a professor at the University of Southern California since 1988 (“Distinguished Emeritus Professor,” n.d.).
Occupational Therapist enables people to engage and participate in everyday activities trough occupation. The latter role is not only applicable for individuals but also groups or populations. Eventually, with the increase of the aging population, expensive health care services, occupational therapists will have to incorporate health promotion practices into their actual roles.To cope with this phenomenon and to better meet older adult’s needs, the occupational therapist 's role would benefit from being enlarged.Expanding their knowledge and their practices in promoting health will facilitate their work in other domains.This will help them to shift from an individual to a population approach. To achieve that transition, therapists should be more involved in decisions taken by politicians regarding health and to develop services and programs that promote well-being, health, and quality of life. Also, collaboration with other fields such as schools, workplaces, industries, deputies and organizations will help them spread strategies that promote awareness and enable the population to control and maintain an independent healthy lifestyle. Also, therapists understand that the environment can be a crucial factor on health population. Therefore ,they can put pressure on the government to make public places more accessible to disabled people such as providing the subway of a wheelchair ramp and adapt crosswalks to the blind by adding pedestrian signals that include speakers at
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).
The primary goal of occupational therapy (OT) is to improve health and function in day-to-day life through participation in meaningful occupations. An “occupation” goes well beyond paid employment – it is anything that occupies your time. Hobbies, activities with family, and the basic skills of independent living are all within the scope of OT. Whether you are referred due to an injury or a disability, occupational therapists will build treatment based on what matters to you. What gives your life meaning? What will enhance your confidence and sense of well-being? Do you want to independently dress yourself? Drive yourself to the grocery store? Chop celery to make your favorite chicken salad? At your occupational
In accordance with Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF), “the efforts directed toward promoting occupational justice and empowering clients to seek and obtain resources to fully participate in their daily life occupations.” (Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, 3rd Ed., p. S41). I consider occupational therapy to be a compassionate career, practitioners try to grant their clients’ wants and needs to better suit the
As occupational therapy practitioners we are trained to help clients look critically at everyday routines and examine how their affected state of health impacts their ability to carry out what is important to them. However, occupational therapist goes beyond simply helping the patient recognize the problem. They prepare the client with skills necessary through various resources to fill the void in their abilities so that they can live their life with the highest level of satisfaction. This mindset allows occupational therapist to help individuals like Mrs. Ingliss to engage in the necessary and sought after life activities important for her life satisfaction.
To ensure that a client and occupational-therapist gain the maximum benefit from the therapist’s skills and knowledge occupational-therapists follow a process which focuses on engagement in occupation. This processes is based on theory and clinical reasoning. It plays a vital role in successful therapy. It supports a client centered process, it encourages therapeutic use of self which build a good rapport with clients, it identifys a number of the client’s requirements, necessary skills and possible meaning of occupations, it aids in correct execution of evaluation, assessment and intervention as well as correct choice of model of reference (Reed & Sanderson 1999). Reed and Sanderson’s Concepts of Occupational Therapy (1999) sets out stages
Throughout this assignment various models will be looked at and one of those models will be applied to a case study detailing the occupational circumstances of an individual. The models described will be person-environment-occupational performance models, focusing on those three subject areas, to detail what the client does in their daily life, the environments in which the activities are done, their personal goals and attributes, and how all these factors affect the individual’s occupational performance. (Christiansen & Baum, 1997) Models are significant theory which helps to guide and inform occupational therapy practice, the