Occupational Therapy Philosophy

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

November/December 2020, Vol. 74(Supplement_3), 7413410005p1–7413410005p13.

doi: https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S3006
Scott, J. B., Reitz, S. M., & Harcum, S. (2017). Principle 4: Justice. In J. B. Scott & S.

M. Reitz (Eds.), Practical applications for the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics

(2015) (pp. 85–95). AOTA Press.