The OTPF

The OTPF is a document that helps guide occupational therapists in their profession by defining and conceptualizing the interrelated constructs and/or ideas of occupational therapy practice. It was created in 2002, and replaced the Uniform Technology. This replacement was significant because it supported the shift to a more holistic approach in occupational therapy. It is important to learn about because it helps establish a common language for therapist to use, helps guide evaluation, intervention & outcomes, and much more! It is also beneficial to learn about because it helps break down what areas, and who, or what diagnosis might be seen by, an occupational therapist and what they might be working on with various clients in different settings.

My Role - Occupation - Activity - Task

One of the roles I hold is an occupational therapy student. An occupation related to this role is taking notes in anatomy class. During class I used colored pencils to fill in diagrams, which is a related activity. A task that is involved with that activity is gripping the colored pencil.

What has remained true in OT?

A concept that has held true from my undergraduate degree's understanding of occupational therapy to, now, currently is that it is always tied to the client's independence. After covering the different eras of OT in our foundations class, an underlying concept that I noticed each era had is that no matter what time period, or the diagnosis mentioned, the client's independence is always something that has been kept in mind during the OT process. The client's independence to conduct various occupations for the different roles they have as an individual is front and center. This concept is what I love so much about OT!