Occupational Therapy Philosophy

Moral treatment means that all people, even those who suffer from mental illness are entitled to consideration and human compassion. Moral treatment heavily influenced the use of occupation in therapy because patients were finally viewed as people, and people had daily routines such as going to work or physical exercise. By realizing that patients who suffered from mental illness needed such routines, occupation in therapy was practically born. Patients began to work, exercise, and start getting into daily activities. This helped provide stability and purpose in patient’s lives, thus drastically improving mental health. I think this philosophy continues to influence contemporary practitioners because I’ve noticed practitioners stepping away

This was the first time the profession was given the opportunity to demonstrate that they had a purpose in the medical field. World War I also changed the population that Occupational Therapists served, previously it was mainly patients with mental illness, but this war resulted in many soldiers coming home with physical disabilities so this was a new population that the profession had to learn to cater to. With so many injured soldiers this also resulted in an increase in the population that the profession served. As the war went on, occupational therapists began using occupation for not only diversion, but also for physical rehabilitation. Aides began creating devices meant to assist soldiers in becoming more independence in daily tasks. Occupational Therapy began to be widely accepted after the effects of occupation were seen first hand during World War I. During this war period even literature in Occupational Therapy began to move towards scientific advances. Leaders in the profession acknowledged that therapist’s education should go outside just handicrafts, but should include emphasis on the medical model as

With these patients having seemingly nowhere to go for treatment, occupational therapists recognized the need and value of working outside the medical system and so they began to transition towards the community model. This transition changed occupational therapy in many ways. Firstly, the area of practice expanded with the 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which granted Occupational Therapists entrance into the public school system to help children with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 also resulted in the increased need of occupational therapists. Occupational Therapists soon began to be found in schools, homes, and nursing facilities. Also, the profession changed philosophically to a more holistic view with an occupational focus on the client, this initiated the Models of Human Occupation to be developed, which is a model of practice even used today. Furthermore, during this shift to the community model, the profession began to enhance its scope of practice to also incorporate wellness and disease prevention. Lastly, during this shift, a new field of science known as occupational science was established to provide scientific evidence regarding