The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that Labovian analysis can be useful to occupational therapy researchers who wish to understand and develop models to study clinical narratives. This qualitative study uses the Labovian method to analyze an occupational therapy manager's narrative telling of her response to a managerial crisis—loss of several staff while trying to safeguard the existence of her department. A description of Labov and Waletzky's (1967) structure for narrative analysis is followed by a demonstration analysis and development of a model for the manager's style of social interaction. Finally, the usefulness of the Labovian method for occupational therapy researchers is discussed.
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