Occupational Therapy

Overview

The Occupational Therapy program at the University of Findlay states that occupational therapy practitioners enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, and prevent - or live better with - injury, illness, or disability. 

Occupational therapy practitioners have a holistic perspective, in which the focus is on adapting the environment and/or task to fit the person, and the person is an integral part of the therapy team. It is an evidence-based practice deeply rooted in science. 

Mission and Goals

The occupational therapy curriculum is organized around the concepts of humans as occupational beings, the daily performance of occupations, and an understanding of the contextual complexities that are necessary for meaningful occupational performance. Meyer (1922) suggests that the essence of human functioning includes being active and that active engagement serves to ground humans in reality. 

Kielhofner (1995) has defined human occupation as "doing culturally meaningful work, play or daily living tasks in the stream of time and in the contexts of one’s physical and social world" (p.3). These occupations are the foundation for productive living. Dunn, Brown, and McGuigan (1994) extend this concept by suggesting that occupational performance may be understood by examining the phenomenology of the interactions between the person, the task, and the environmental experiences of the individual who is engaged in occupations. The use of occupation as a therapeutic tool is grounded in the historical and theoretical foundations of the profession.

An individual may combine occupations in a variety of ways to support and satisfy the occupational demands of his/her unique life roles and activities of daily living that may include:  self-care, work and productive activities, education, play, leisure, rest, and relaxation. Occupational therapists are concerned with the ability of individuals of all ages to perform occupations that allow them to live satisfying and productive lives. In addition, occupational therapists ensure client-centered practice by involving individuals in the process of determining which performance areas receive attention in the therapeutic process.