Contemporary Issues in Occupational Therapy

Book excerpt: This book is a collection of essays on occupational therapy theory and its application in practice. They represent the reflections, on aspects of occupational therapy, of experts in their own fields who are at the cutting edge of theory development. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, occupational therapists are beginning to conceptualise occupational therapy as a complex intervention. This book provides the level of detail to support such an understanding. Two chapters discuss the profession of occupational therapy: how it has developed and what is involved in being an occupational therapist. Other chapters explore the idea of occupation from different perspectives, providing detailed analyses of the concept that is central to the profession of occupational therapy. The third type of chapter describes how theory is used in occupational therapy practice, for example, in making decisions or implementing research findings.