ABC Therapeutics Occupational Therapy Weblog

In this blog and in my textbook I have expressed some concerns about application of occupational therapy theory into distal contexts that are only marginally related to the profession.  Specifically, I have stated that although concerns about topics including the climate and social justice are fine areas for people to be interested in, we are obligated to consider whether or not application of these concepts to the occupational therapy process is generative or distracting. It is my opinion that these topics are frequently distracting, and that they confuse our stakeholders. I revisited this topic just last year when prompted by a colleague who was wondering if I ' revisited my thinking ' on the topic.  At that time, I doubled down on my criticism. One of my favorite quotes is from Konrad Lorenz, the renowned (and infamous, I suppose) ethologist, "It is a good morning exercise for a research scientist to discard a pet hypothesis every day before breakfast: it keeps him you

  I know that sometimes I start stories and they don't always get finished.  Sometimes that happens because there is no ending - or at least there is not an ending to be found with the framing I was using. That was always the nature of my private practice - and my hesitancy in discharging children and their families. Who is to say that any person's needs are completely addressed? Or that as a therapist I was able to generate a perfect and complete answer that would persist over time? Sometimes the stories I think about finished themselves and were easy to write even if it hurt.  Sometimes the stories needed some kind of ending punctuation -  a final act from the therapist. I keep thinking about one story that did not seem to have an ending, so I thought I would visit with it again. I might have found an ending. +++ I wrote, "I guess now we will see what happens next." Xinren never came back. I never heard from the family again.  I don't actually know what happen

Please click on and read all of the links - they include critical information that is required for this analysis.   A little over four years ago I stated that there are too many occupational therapy educational programs in New York State .  At the NYSOTA conference legislative information session in 2023 I stood up and suggested that we should all stop taking jobs at these institutions that were seeking to develop new programs.  I thought that if we did not take those jobs that the problem would be solved.  That was not realistic or correct, even if the intention was good. Well karma tends to strike when you make public pronouncements, so I thought I should expand on my perspectives on this topic. At current count there are still ~22 occupational therapy programs and ~11 occupational therapy assistant programs in NY.  Most of the programs are delivered at the master's level.  There are a very small number of entry level doctoral programs, but some of the current master's progra

I have been talking about the implications of globalization on the occupational therapy profession for quite some time - it started off with blog posts here  and then a presentation at OT24VX in 2015 .  Then I gave the topic a whole chapter in my theory textbook in 2019 .  Then there were more blog posts here and here . In sum, I am uncertain if occupational therapy is a unitary global profession, although I now add this caveat: at least as understood in the publications of academics.  I add this caveat now because I am uncertain if the things that people in academia write about truly reflects actual practice in other countries.  I know that in the United States there is some academic scholarship that is highly relevant to practice, and other scholarship that leaves me wondering if I am an occupational therapist according to the way some suggest that practice should be constructed. So for example I read the Canadian Journal and wonder if everyday practitioners are functioning in '

  Please go here for my first thoughts on sustainability in occupational therapy around ten years ago . I received an email from a colleague who has been an advocate and published author on this topic asking me if I had the opportunity to revisit my thoughts on sustainability and occupational therapy. In fact I have continued to think about this, so I thought I would document my response here. Hi XXXXX-  Thanks for reaching out. I have previously and still believe that the study of climate change itself should remain within the purview of climate scientists. It seems to me that when it is co-opted by distal groups (including occupational therapy) that the issue tends to be used to promote a political social justice agenda. I continue to object to that because I don't know that occupational therapy can advance climate science itself and I find that the proposed actions advance very specific political ideologies and constricts the intellectual diversity within the profession.  I di

Many people accumulate stuff, and people ascribe varying levels of value to their stuff.  Some people can't part with stuff because of sentimental feelings.  Some people can't part with stuff because it represents a deeper psychological affliction .  We have cultural movements now that address the problematic relationships that people have with their stuff. I initiated an Ebay hobby recently.  There is nothing like the death of parents and the associated task housecleaning that prompts assessment of the value of earthly goods. I have had quite a bit of fun selling things that I no longer wanted. I am a fan of the show ' American Pickers ' and am moved by Mike Wolfe's philosophy about finding things that people no longer wanted and 'putting them into their place' with someone who loved or appreciated them.  That is the flip side of my Ebay hobby - I have also purchased a few things that other people no longer wanted - and in doing so that brings me 'joy.