What Is Occupational Therapy

What Is Occupational Therapy

Andrea Padilla

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences

OTH510 Introduction to Occupation and OT

Dr. Imamshah, PhD

October 9, 2023
What Is Occupational Therapy

What Is Occupational Therapy

Part 1

Occupational therapy (OT) is a health profession that focuses on concepts that relate to

client centered therapy, occupation-based therapy, evidenced based practice and holistic

perspectives. These concepts are known as the four cornerstones of occupational therapy

(AOTA, 2020). Through this lense, occupational therapy practitioners enable clients to

participate in occupations that are meaningful and purposeful. Occupational therapy uses

occupation as the primary means of therapy (AOTA, 2020). Occupational therapy also considers

other factors that may impact a client’s health, such as the social determinants of health.

Occupational therapy understands that there are many factors that impact a client’s health and

sense of wellbeing. Occupational therapists (OT’s) are trained to deeply consider these to create

a plan that will greatly benefit the client.

Another reason why OT differs from other professions is that OT is a client centered

approach. As Occupational therapists (OT’s) the client is a part of the team and intervention.

OT’s understand that each client is unique which means that their values, goals, ways of thinking

and preferences are different from every other client. Interventions are created to best fit each

unique individual while also allowing the client to be part of decisions.

The principles of OT also make this profession unique. For instance, the OT practice has

a strong belief in using evidence-based practices and in being culturally relevant (AOTA, 2020).

As OT’s, keeping up to date with the latest research and constant learning will allow them to

provide the most up to date therapy which will result in an effective treatment. OT’s also value
What Is Occupational Therapy

the importance of being culturally relevant. They are sensitive to cultural backgrounds, beliefs

and values.

Occupation is an any activity in which someone engages in. People engage in

occupations that are needed to sustain everyday life such as eating, dressing, driving, and using

the bathroom. Others participate in occupations that are unique. Some occupations that are

unique are skydiving, coast steering, free running, slacklining and summer dog sledding. People

engage in occupations for many reasons. Some reasons are to sustain life, for their health and

wellbeing, joy, or it is what brings meaning to their life (AOTA, 2020).

Some people also engage in occupations because they need to based on societal

standards. For example, a middle-aged man in the United States is expected to begin to live

independently after the age of 18. They may be forced into the workforce if they are not studying

because it is uncommon for an adult male to live with his parents while not contributing to the

costs of living. Another example would be a person who loves bike riding. A person might

engage in this occupation because they love the feeling bike riding brings them. Bike riding may

be the way they cope after a long stressful day. Riding a bike can also be a way that someone to

sustain their physical health. People are very different and what brings meaning to one’s life

varies from person to person.

Some people may not consider their physical and mental health to be what brings

meaning to their life. A person might be fulfilled and consider painting canvases as a meaningful

life. This person may find a sense of wellbeing being able to allow a free mind and get lost in the

process of painting nature. They may be fulfilled by giving paintings to a loved one.
What Is Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists work in a variety of settings. Two settings that are very distinct

from each other are hospitals and pediatric clinics. In pediatric clinics, occupational therapists

work with children who display sensory, motor, emotional, behavioral disorders. They may also

see children who have developmental delays and conditions such as autism or cerebral palsy

(Pediatric Occupational Therapy: What Is It?, 2023). Interventions in this practice seem more

like play. The environment can simulate a playground which allows the child to engage in

therapeutic activities. Often, occupational therapists in this setting will work closely with schools

and aim to prepare children to excel in school as well as in their day-to-day life. Hospitals serve

a diverse population of all ages. Individuals receiving care in a hospital can be seen after injuries

or other conditions such as strokes, heart attacks, surgeries, illnesses, and other acute medical

conditions. The main goal and therapeutic strategy in a hospital is a modify and adapt approach.

Since patients are suffering from acute injuries the main goal is to train individuals in using

adaptive equipment. An OT will also teach them new ways to complete their daily routines such

as dressing, using the bathroom, and getting out of bed.

The profession’s domain of practice are occupations, contexts, performance patterns,

performance skills and client factors (AOTA, 2020).

Occupations: look at what a person does every day otherwise known as activities of daily living

(ADL’s) (AOTA, 2020).

Contexts: contexts evaluate the physical environment of a person. Not only do they look at the

physical environment, but they also take into consideration social and cultural contexts (AOTA,

2020).
What Is Occupational Therapy

Performance patterns: Performance patterns refer to what a person’s Habits Routines Roles

Rituals are (AOTA, 2020).

Performance skills: Assess motor skills, processing skills and social interaction skills (AOTA,

2020).

Client factors: this domain considers views, values, beliefs, and spirituality. This domain also

considers body functions body structures (AOTA, 2020).

One example of how practitioners evaluate these domains is that an occupational

therapist may assess the client factors of someone who was diagnosed with schizophrenia. They

may look at the cognitive abilities of the client. They may also evaluate the context such as

where the client lives and if the client has any support from family or friends. The intervention

may include exercises that improve their cognitive abilities by having them engage in activities

that require problem solving. The occupational therapist may also provide resources or find ways

to integrate them into the community to improve support systems.

Another example would be a practitioner working on home safety with the elderly. The

therapist may consider client factors such as balance, vision, strength, and other physical

abilities. The therapist may also look at what dangerous occupations they engage in. The

interventions they might put into place would be modifying the environment such as removing

trip hazards, having assessable bars that they can hold onto while they are using the bathroom or

showering. They may also work on work on exercises to improve balance such as walking on

new terrain or techniques for sitting and standing.

Part 2
What Is Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is a healthcare profession that helps people do the things they want

to do that are meaningful to them in their day-to-day life. This can be like riding a bike, dressing,

eating, and activities they do at work. Occupational therapy focuses on the things people do in

their everyday life to create a therapeutic exercise. Occupational therapy takes into consideration

every aspect of a person’s life such as their culture, personal, environmental, and social factors

when creating a treatment plan. Occupational therapists believe this is the best way to help a

client achieve their goals and overall live a better life (AOTA, 2020).

Part 3

The occupational therapy practice framework: domain and process defines participation

as being involved in things that happen in life (AOTA, 2020). Occupation can be used to support

participation by the occupation being something they like. Generally, people choose occupations

that they enjoy, if they enjoy the occupation, it is likely that they will participate in the activity.

Sometimes participation is required even when we don’t enjoy the occupation. If there is a lack

of participation one’s physical, mental and emotional health can be affected. Occupations

usually happen in group settings. This allows the opportunity for one to have a sense of

community and integration.

An imbalance in participation patterns can have a negative effect on one’s health and

wellbeing. Participation occurs because the individual needs to partake in the activity to maintain

their physical health or mental health. For example, even though one does not like doing chores

it may help someone have a sense of peace and relaxation which contributes to a person’s mental

state. Another example is someone might need to cook dinner for them. This is important for

their physical health but also their emotional health. Being able to cook healthy meals will

reduce the risk for obesity or cardiac diseases. Additionally, cooking might be a shared task that
What Is Occupational Therapy

families participate in creating a sense of closeness which enhances someone’s sense of

wellbeing. If one is not able to participate in activities it may impact their physical, mental,

health and their wellbeing.

One example of how participation in occupations can support positive health and

wellbeing is looking at older adults whose occupation is gardening. Gardening can help older

adults keep up with their physical health. The act of digging, bending, and pulling promote

muscle strengthening as well as flexibility. By doing so they also improve their cardiovascular

health. Their mental health is also being improved because they might find this activity calming.

On the contrary some may be forced to problem solve and be cognitively challenged by being

forced to plan and even remember steps. For older adults this activity may be something they can

use to connect with others and be social. Many older adults may feel isolated, and this can be a

great way to get out in the community and connect with friends or family. Overall being able to

participate in this activity can elevate someone’s mood, bring meaning into their life and increase

their mental and physical health which contributes to a sense of positive health and wellbeing.

One example of how limited participation can negatively influence health and wellbeing

is an adult that is limited in participating in meal planning and preparation. A busy adult who

didn’t plan for dinner may just stop by a fast-food drive-through and buy a meal that is not full of

the nutrients that they need. They may be limited in planning and meal preparation due to

cognitive impairments or an injury. Their mental health will be affected by feeling stressed about

not eating healthily and suffering from any disease that bad eating habits bring. They may also

not be able to engage in that social time at the dinner table which affects their emotional and

social life.
What Is Occupational Therapy

Performance is the process in which someone does an activity (AOTA, 2020). Similarly,

occupational performance is looking at how a person completed a task (AOTA, 2020).

Occupation can be used to support performance by refining skills that are repeated in

occupations. Performing the occupation everyday will allow one to evaluate their skills and

evaluate what skills need to be refined. One example that shows how occupation can be used to

support performance is older adults engaging in cooking and meal preparation. When older

adults engage in this occupation their motor skills are strength is being improved. Repetitive

motions can help build strength following surgery or injury. One can build their strength by

picking up bowls and progressing to lifting pots, then lifting pots with food or liquids, then

progressing to only using one arm. Fine motor skills can be improved and refined by chopping

vegetables. Stirring can also help with increasing strength. This can also help an individual find

ways that they can perform the tasks more efficiently.

Occupations can be used to promote health and wellbeing because by engaging in

occupations people can increase their physical health through exercise and moving in general.

Their mental health will also be impacted by being cognitively stimulated and reducing stress

which plays into mood regulation. There will be an increase in social interaction which

contributes to feeling happy and integrated in a group. Being a part of a group can make one feel

like they have a sense of purpose and feel like there is meaning to their life. Overall, all these

things lead to someone living a fulfilled balanced life where they are engaging in activities that

will be meaningful to them.

Dancing is an example of how an occupation can be used to promote health. Dancing in

middle aged people can promote physical health. Their cardiovascular fitness will be increased

by constantly moving or high explosive movements. Muscle strength and flexibility will also be
What Is Occupational Therapy

increased by positioning the body in ways that are not normal in day-to-day activities. Dancing

can also benefit one’s mental health by allowing one to express themselves and allow for

creativity in coming up with dances that tell a story. This may also be a way to reduce stress and

socialize with others. Belonging to such groups can also help someone feel that they belong and

have purpose (Better health, 2013).

Participating in occupations has helped prevent disease by promoting physical activity,

healthy eating habits, self-care, mental stimulation, and increasing social interactions. One

occupation that can help prevent disease is regularly engaging in teeth brushing and flossing in

young children. Engaging in regular teeth brushing can help prevent cavities and tooth decay. By

brushing teeth children will remove food particles that are stuck in between teeth and cause

infection and tooth decay. Brushing teeth will also remove plaque and coat the teeth with

protective substances that help prevent plaque (Sadick, 2023).

Part 4

My understanding of occupational therapy was more general. I don’t think I truly

understood what occupational therapy was. I used to think of occupational therapy as helping

people be able to “help” people do the things they wanted to do. I understood that some of the

things that needed to be done were essential but never took into consideration everything that

came with that. My idea of what an occupation is has changed. I understand occupations at a

much deeper level. I used to think of the very big picture. And riding a bike or vacuuming was

just vacuuming. But there is so much more to just the action. There is much more that you must

consider and evaluate. I also never knew that social determinants of health would be taken into

consideration. I also didn’t know that occupational therapy was based on principles and

cornerstones. I expected to learn about certain disorders and be told that this disorder requires a
What Is Occupational Therapy

certain type of intervention and this other one requires another type of treatment following an

explanation.

I would like to learn more about how factors shape occupation. I believe this is essential

in understanding a person because such factors such as natural environment, human made

changes, support and relationships, profession, upbringing, age, sexual orientation, lifestyle all

affect why we choose to participate in a certain occupation. There are so many factors that

influence our occupation and there is not one factor that is more important than the other. I think

about how the human body is perfectly created to function the way it does, and I related that to

how all these factors perfectly align to shape everyone in their life. This concept to me is

fascinating and so complex that I don’t believe we will ever fully understand it but the more

knowledge we hold the more we can close that gap to better connect with our patients.

The aspects of the profession that are of greatest value to me is the holistic approach that

is taken and the idea of being client centered. Having a holistic perspective will allow me to

understand all aspects of the individual to create an intervention that best suits them. I also

believe that this goes hand in hand with being client centered because the client knows

themselves best and knows what works best for them. They live in their body and I’m just

helping them understand how their body works. So, keeping that client relationship is very

important to make sure that they are receiving care and care that is valuable to them as well.

I was surprised to learn about how deeply an occupational therapist evaluates a client’s

life. This is a foundation of occupational therapy and as Occupational therapists we are being

trained to view life through a different lense. I think of it as putting on your occupational therapy

glasses. I was also surprised to learn how many different routes you can take in the profession.

Digging deep into what an occupation really helped understand that concept and understand how
What Is Occupational Therapy

occupational therapist can impact many people’s lives. This also taught me how important it is to

advocate for the profession and for us as occupational therapists to understand our profession so

we can continue to impact more people’s lives and spread the greatness of the profession.

I am much more confident in explaining how important occupational therapy is just

because of what occupational therapy is based on. I also understand that you can do so much in

the profession because there are so many occupations. I feel more confident in being able to

explain what occupational therapy is. Before, I found explaining what occupational therapy was

challenging. For quick and easy I would say that occupational therapy was very similar to

physical therapy, expect occupational therapy delt with activities of daily living. Now I

understand that this explanation is far from the truth. I feel confident in explaining the foundation

of occupational therapy and how that shapes what we do during interventions. I don’t feel

confident in summarizing occupational therapy. This is challenging to me because now that I

have a greater understanding of occupational therapy it’s difficult to not take all aspects into

account. There is so much to learn and understand about the profession that it is challenging to

condense what it is that occupational therapists do because we can do just about everything.
What Is Occupational Therapy

References

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020). Occupational therapy practice framework:

Domain and process (4th ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(Suppl. 2),

Article 7412410010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001

Better Health. (2013). Dance - health benefits. Vic.gov.au.

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/HealthyLiving/dance-health-benefits

Pediatric Occupational Therapy: What Is It? (2023, Spring 6). Cleveland Clinic.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/25094-pediatric-occupational-therapy

Sadick, B. (2023). What Toothpaste Is Best for Your Dental Health?. AARP.

https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2022/toothpaste.html