Occupation

Abstracts
Posters
Contact E-mail Addresses
teresa.buchan@kmpt.nhs.uk
Author Biographies
Teresa Buchan has worked as an OT for approx 20 years,
predominantly in mental health services, in a variety of clinical
settings with both adult and older people. Teresa Currently
works as the Practice Development Lead for Allied Health
Professionals within Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care
Partnership Trust, overseeing practice developments for both
students and post registration staff. Teresa has responsibility for
managing and supporting the preceptorship process for AHPs
and works closely with her nursing peers to ensure preceptorship
has equity and accessibility across the trust and professions.
P129
A model of functional health: refocusing on the
‘therapy’ of occupational therapy
Sheader C, East Cheshire NHS Trust
Keilhofner (2009) argues the primary purpose of occupational
therapy theory should be to offer practitioners ‘a way of thinking
about and doing practice’ (p62). Unfortunately, several studies
identify a growing divide between theory and the extent
practitioners use it to guide and inform their interventions
(e.g. Kinn & Randi, 2009). This theory-practice gap has fuelled
a growing voice in the literature demanding a fundamental
reconsideration of our theoretical foundations to ensure these
adequately reflect and support occupational therapy practice
(Hammel, 2009).
One such foundation is the traditional principle that
Occupational Therapy theory should focus specifically on the
concept of occupation (Hammel, 2009). However, Keilhofner
(2007) warns such a narrow spotlight on occupation may lead us
to overlook the ‘therapy’ that is also fundamental to ‘what we
do’ in our interventions.
In contrast to such a distinct occupational focus, this
presentation translates several key concepts from psychotherapy
into an Occupational Therapy paradigm (Wilcock, 2006) and
proposes the concept of a ‘functionally healthy person’. A
tentative framework is then evolved to support analysis of the
therapeutic aspects of occupational therapy interventions.
The key concepts of the model will be familiar to experienced
Occupational Therapists. However the model is intended
to provide a clear theoretical construct to support trainee/
inexperienced Occupational Therapists in explicitly analysing
and structuring interventions therapeutically. It also offers a
potential medium through which other health professionals
can develop a more functional approach to their interventions.
As this framework has a therapeutic, rather than occupational
emphasis, it also offers potential for a synergistic marriage with
existing occupation-based theory to potentiate a more accessible
and appropriate theoretical gestalt through which to better
describe and analyse ‘what we do’ as Occupational Therapists.
References
Hammell K. (2009). Sacred texts: a sceptical exploration of the
assumptions underpinning theories of occupation. Canadian
Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76, 6–13
Keilhofner, G. (2007) Respecting both the ‘Occupation’ and the
‘Therapy’ in our field. American Journal of Occupational Therapy
61(4) 479–82
Keilhofner, G. (2009) Conceptual Foundations of Occupational
Therapy Practice (4 th Ed.) Philadelphia: FA Davis.
Kinn, L.G. & Randi, W. (2009) Occupational Therapists’
perception of their practice: a phenomenological study.
Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. Vol 56 (2) 112–121
Wilcock, A.A. (2006) ‘An Occupational Perspective of Health (2 nd
ed.) Thorofare, NJ: SLACK