Occupational Therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Occupational Therapy - Essay Example On a personal note, occupational therapy is beneficial for people who underwent surgery, stroke or any other medical disorders and would want to be able to do their activities of daily living with minimal supervision and maximum adaptation to their current condition. The Philosophy of Occupational Therapy As with other health professionals, occupational therapists adhere to different schools of thought for the planning of treatment. There are, however, basic philosophical premises underlying occupational therapy, which foster a sense of professional identity and guide practice.In order to understand the occupational therapy process, it is important to have some consensus on the underlying philosophy of occupational therapy, which is the unifying force of the profession. The concept of occupation is central to occupational therapy. Nevertheless, the term itself has been used in the literature in various, sometimes ambiguous ways. It is best to stand with the position of AOTA (Assembly of the American Occupational Therapy Association) that occupations involve mental abilities and skills but do not always include an associated observable or physical behavior. In the OT process, one of the ultimate goals of treatment is the developing, nurturing and restoring of occupations. It is the performance aspects of occupation that have most often been discussed in OT literature, but these are most accurately described as â€Å"activities†. Three major, closely related themes are prevalent in occupational therapy literature. The first is the use of purposeful activity that includes activities that have personal and cultural meaning and provide a basis for â€Å"exploration and learning, practicing and achieving mastery† .