Occupational therapy provides the skills for the job of living to help people lead productive and satisfying lives
At Dream Weavers our background is as trained and registered occupational therapists & we both have a Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Toronto. Therefore, we've included this page to help clarify the age-old question: "What exactly is occupational therapy"? We've also included our personal definition of occupational therapy as it applies to our work at Dream Weavers.
Occupational therapy (OT) is a regulated health profession. Although OT has been around for over a century, it is still largely misunderstood. Part of the confusion lies in the fact that it is an incredibly broad profession. Just some of the things that OTs CAN do include:
OT Defined: Occupational therapy is the art and science of enabling engagement in everyday living, through occupation; of enabling people to perform the occupations that foster health and well-being; and of enabling a just and inclusive society so that all people may participate to their potential in the daily occupations of life (Townsend& Polatajko, 2007, p. 372).
Occupation Defined: Occupational therapists consider "occupation" to be anything and everything people do to occupy themselves that brings meaning to their lives. This can include looking after themselves (self-care), enjoying life (leisure), and contributing to the social and economic fabric of their communities (work/productivity) (The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists).
What OT Means To Us: At Dream Weavers, occupational therapy is close to our hearts and we strongly believe in the values and philosophy of the profession. As proud OTs, we strive to follow member-centred holistic approaches to healing, understand the importance of building strong communities, and fully incorporate the open and caring attitude of our profession into all our work. Our Master's Program in OT is what provided us with the educational background and fieldwork experiences we needed in order to develop and foster our unique dream.
Occupational therapy (OT) is a regulated health profession. Although OT has been around for over a century, it is still largely misunderstood. Part of the confusion lies in the fact that it is an incredibly broad profession. Just some of the things that OTs CAN do include:
- Providing rehabilitation services to individuals after an injury
- Supporting individuals experiencing mental health issues to achieve or maintain meaningful employment, find housing, function in their community, etc
- Helping children with fine motor/ handwriting issues to improve their participation in school activities
- Creating more accessible environments for older adults
- Working on Life & Employment skills goals with teens & young adults
OT Defined: Occupational therapy is the art and science of enabling engagement in everyday living, through occupation; of enabling people to perform the occupations that foster health and well-being; and of enabling a just and inclusive society so that all people may participate to their potential in the daily occupations of life (Townsend& Polatajko, 2007, p. 372).
Occupation Defined: Occupational therapists consider "occupation" to be anything and everything people do to occupy themselves that brings meaning to their lives. This can include looking after themselves (self-care), enjoying life (leisure), and contributing to the social and economic fabric of their communities (work/productivity) (The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists).
What OT Means To Us: At Dream Weavers, occupational therapy is close to our hearts and we strongly believe in the values and philosophy of the profession. As proud OTs, we strive to follow member-centred holistic approaches to healing, understand the importance of building strong communities, and fully incorporate the open and caring attitude of our profession into all our work. Our Master's Program in OT is what provided us with the educational background and fieldwork experiences we needed in order to develop and foster our unique dream.
Occupational Therapy Links:
To learn more about the profession of occupational therapy, check out these links: