Occupational Therapy has a rich history based on people that wanted to do something different than what was considered right or moral at the time and those who decided to try new techniques to help people who were not considered to be “curable”. The profession of Occupational Therapy focuses on getting the patient back to or as close to their normal, everyday activities through the use of adapting the environment and different exercises. The different ways that Occupational Therapist help patients, how history can teach Occupational Therapist to maintain their position even with other fields expanding into their specialty and the prominent challenges that occupational therapist face now can all be used to help understand the profession and
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This means that Occupational Therapist are focused on what the patient wants to do and uses that to gain functional ability. This is opposed to other health fields that ask what the problem is and treat the injury or the sickness based on what is wrong with the patient.
With many different health fields trying to “encroach” on what Occupational Therapy values and approaches treatment, the history of the field can show how the professionals are different and how to keep their spot in the health field. The authors of the text, Introduction to Occupational Therapy (O’Brien et al., 2012), describe that other health fields such as Physical Therapy, have tried to change their ideals to be a “one stop shopping” field that uses rehabilitation techniques usually performed by Occupational Therapist such as, helping patients care for themselves by doing therapy in the home (p. …show more content…
2014, p. 14). Through the Moral Treatment Movement, Philippe Pinel and William Tuke helped the “insane” people by treating them through work or occupation and everyday activities (Kielhofner, 2009, p. 17; O’Brien et al., 2012, p. 14). People started to see these people as real humans that could be treated instead of sent to confinement. Through the Arts and Crafts Movement people started to think that by using your hands to make something that it was therapeutic and helped with making the person healthier both physically and mentally (O’Brien et al. 2012, p.
This means that Occupational Therapist are focused on what the patient wants to do and uses that to gain functional ability. This is opposed to other health fields that ask what the problem is and treat the injury or the sickness based on what is wrong with the patient.
With many different health fields trying to “encroach” on what Occupational Therapy values and approaches treatment, the history of the field can show how the professionals are different and how to keep their spot in the health field. The authors of the text, Introduction to Occupational Therapy (O’Brien et al., 2012), describe that other health fields such as Physical Therapy, have tried to change their ideals to be a “one stop shopping” field that uses rehabilitation techniques usually performed by Occupational Therapist such as, helping patients care for themselves by doing therapy in the home (p. …show more content…
2014, p. 14). Through the Moral Treatment Movement, Philippe Pinel and William Tuke helped the “insane” people by treating them through work or occupation and everyday activities (Kielhofner, 2009, p. 17; O’Brien et al., 2012, p. 14). People started to see these people as real humans that could be treated instead of sent to confinement. Through the Arts and Crafts Movement people started to think that by using your hands to make something that it was therapeutic and helped with making the person healthier both physically and mentally (O’Brien et al. 2012, p.