Welcome to the Crisis Conversation
I read the recent AJOT article, “ Occupational Therapy in Crisis, ” with interest and some frustration. Interest, because I agree with the basic premise. Occupational therapy is in a period of identity instability. The profession is struggling with questions about its theoretical base, its view of humans, its scope of practice, and its methods of creating change. Those are not small questions - they are the questions that define a profession. Frustration, because this crisis did not suddenly appear in 2026. I have been writing and presenting about these same tensions for years, often in less formal spaces and often without the kind of protective language that makes professional journals comfortable. So, welcome to the crisis conversation. I actually mean that sincerely. I am glad the issue is being named in AJOT. I am glad the word “crisis” is being used. I am glad there is some recognition that occupational therapy may not have a shared understanding of what it is, what it does, or ho...