Occupational Therapy Intervention with Children Survivors of War

Abstract

A preventive occupational therapy program with children surviving the Kosovo conflict is examined. The objective of the program was to facilitate the emotional expression of traumatic experiences in order to prevent the development of future psychological problems. The intervention was based on a community-centred approach with spirituality as a central focus of the intervention. The Model of Human Occupation and the Occupational Performance Process Model were utilized to guide the identification and intervention of occupational performance issues. The children's return from a land of war to a land of children demonstrates the potential of occupational therapy intervention in this field. With increasing awareness of populations facing social and political challenges, there is a growing importance of the concept of occupational justice and the need to work against occupational apartheid.