Occupational therapy has been shown to be a profession which, as a consequence of its role in function and enablement, enters clients' life-world situations as a matter of course (Jenkins, 1994a, 1995). Partnership and participation between professional and client occur at practice level, where practitioners and clients learn together of the possibilities and limitations of intervention. In this article, the notion Is advanced that democratic professionalism is the underpinning philosophy of a situated learning model of practice in occupational therapy. The rationale of this proposal is presented and the repercussions of a theoretical framework of practice for educators and practitioners are discussed.
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