Naming and Framing Occupational Therapy: A Lecture Dedicated to the Life of Nancy B.

Abstract

The case of Nancy B. is testimony to the importance of occupation to living and hence the importance of occupational therapy. Yet the importance of the discipline is poorly recognized. It is argued that the failure of occupational therapy to gain wide recognition is due to a problem in communicating its importance simply, easily and clearly and that the discipline needs to be named and framed in positive and powerful terms. The values on which to base this naming and framing are articulated. Based on the Occupational Therapy Values Statement, it is proposed that the discipline be framed in an Enablement Model and that, accordingly, occupational therapy be described as the discipline concerned with enabling occupational competence guided by an understanding of the individual, the environment and their interaction in determining occupational competence.