Occupational therapy presently has a limited presence within the workplace wellness
industry and the profession’s contribution within this area of practice is not fully
understood. Occupational therapy’s holistic, occupation-based, and client-centered
approach has the potential to provide a valuable contribution to the field of workplace
wellness.
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the experience of organizational employees participating in a workplace
wellness program centered in the occupational therapy domain and process.
METHODS:
Six occupational therapy workplace wellness program participants completed in-depth
semi-structured interviews one month after program completion followed by deductive
thematic analysis of transcripts.
RESULTS:
Three themes emerged (sustainable change across context, process matters, and
therapeutic relationship supporting wellness), along with subthemes, describing the
participant experience.
CONCLUSIONS:
The structured and individualized process of occupational therapy delivered within a
workplace wellness program was appreciated by participants as a means of addressing
workplace wellness and providing sustainable wellness results.
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