We asked some of our fellow OT students at Coventry university for their definitions of what occupational therapy is:
"Occupational therapy uses people's daily activities, called occupations, therapeutically to restore a sense of well-being and balance in service users lives to increase independence"
"We assist people to help them return to their daily routines in their every day lives, if they have a disability, had an accident or operation, to help them live the best life they can with aids/ assistance"
"A health care professional that helps people to be able to do the things they want and enjoy doing in their daily lives, whether that is providing equipment or using occupations as therapy!"
These three definitions all are equally correct but different.
Occupational therapy is difficult to define because we as a profession are so flexible. The profession has so much scope meaning we will never reach a definitive definition of who we are. However no matter where an OT works they are all focusing on two things; the service user, and enabling the service users occupations. Enabling occupations is our main goal, and this term 'occupation' can be anything within a service users life ranging from walking their dog, to having a bath or playing football with friends. So surely to figure out what OT is, we need to know why it is so important for our future service users to participate in their most valued occupation and to understand that, we need to look into our own occupations:
Lucy: "Occupations are meaningful, therefore occupational therapy means enabling meaningful activities. Going to the gym is a meaningful activity to me. When I am in the gym I have a love hate relationship (like most people) but it is the time in the day where I can blast music and burn some pent up energy. When I am in the gym I get what is known as 'occupational flow' this is a feeling where I am able to solely concentrate on being in the gym, my mind is not focused on anything else. Additionally going to the gym on the weekends means spending time with my dad, we both enjoy working out and it is a time when we can spend together without distractions. This ties into the interdependence section of our COT conference blog post, that occupations are more beneficial when done with other people, (so if you haven't read it then go back and do!)".
Kelly: "My occupation is horse riding. I've had horses since I was five years old, they are essentially a part of my day/month/year/life! I'd be lost without my horse, first of all I wouldn't know what to do with myself each day. I invest so much time into my horse, but none of that time has been wasted because it's the thing that makes me the happiest in this world. It's difficult to put into words how I feel when i'm in the saddle but what I can articulate is that it gives me a sense of natural happiness and if for any reason my ability to experience that was taken away, i'd lose the person that I am. Riding gives me a sense of freedom, it's my escape from a stressful day and I know that as soon as I sit in the saddle my problems will disappear for the duration that I'm in there.
Therefore, our personal definition of Occupational Therapy is giving service users the opportunity and support to experience the feelings that our own occupations give us.
(Special thanks to Leah Price, Marjolein Cleaver and Harriet Edge, students at Coventry university who provided their definitions of the profession.)
Love,
Kelly&Lucy.