2013NZOTMeaningof OHis and Relat Health Occupt

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Introduction

This article builds on an earlier discussion of the development

and use of the word occupation throughout Western

history. In the earlier discussion (Reed, Smythe, & Hocking,

2012) an overview of the word occupation was presented from

a hermeneutic and etymological perspective (etymology is the

study of the history of words, their origin and how their form

and meaning have changed over time). The aim was to show how

different meanings of occupation have built up over the centuries.

This article continues the analysis to show how in each new era,

circumstances change and shape what counts as occupation. As

the profession of occupational therapy developed, occupation

became a notion that was named, framed and conceptualised as

the domain of a professional group. Up until the establishmentof occupational therapy, occupation had not been recognised as

a notion that could form the basis of a profession. In this article

the history of how occupation became more recognised and

formalised will be outlined. The time frame spans the Age of

Enlightenment to the current day. A broad outline is presented

recognising there is obviously much more than can be recounted.

The aim is to bring to the fore how, in the context of occupational

therapy, understandings of the notion of occupation have

changed and evolved.

MethodAs described in the previous article (Reed, Smythe, & Hocking,2012) a hermeneutic approach based on the work of Gadamer

(1960/2004) was employed to explore the history of ideas related to

the notion of occupation. Hermeneutics creates the opportunity

FEATURE ARTICLE Kirk Reed, Clare Hocking & Liz Smythe

The meaning of occupation:

Historical and contemporary connections

between health and occupationKirk Reed, Clare Hocking & Liz Smythe

Corresponding authors:

Kirk Reed, DHSc, Head of Department

Department of Occupational Science and Therapy

AUT University

Private Bag 92006

Auckland

New Zealand

Email: [email protected]

Clare Hocking, PhD, Professor

Department of Occupational Science and Therapy

AUT University

Liz Smythe, PhD, Associate Professor

School of Health Care Practice

AUT University

Abstract

The findings of an analysis of historical and contemporary literature to uncover the meaning of occupation are reported.

A hermeneutic method was employed to review Western sociology, history, philosophy and leisure texts along with a

search of professional literature ranging from 1997 to the current day. The findings of the review show that as occupation

became more recognised there was an increasing acknowledgment of the connection between occupation and health.

Historical developments lead eventually to the establishment of the profession of occupational therapy. In looking back,

the potential to conceptualise and refine current and future occupational therapy practice is opened up.

Key words

Occupational therapy, occupation, hermeneutics, Western society, health.

References

Reed, K., Hocking, C., & Smythe, L. (2013). The meaning of occupation: Historical and contemporary connections

between health and occupation. New Zealand Journal of Occupational Therapy, 60(1), 3844.

to explore texts, and to show how ideas have been passed down

in language and words. In this review extensive reading through

Western sociology, history, philosophy and leisure texts was

undertaken along with a search of the professional literature

using the CINHAL, Proquest 5000 and Medline databases.

Literature published from 1997 to the present was the focus

of the database search, literature which described occupation,

the link between occupation and health, and contemporary

understandings of occupation from an occupational therapy

perspective were purposefully sought. A hermeneutic process of

analysing the text was undertaken by noticing the words used,


2/7Volume 60 No 1 New Zealand Journal of Occupational Therapy 39

The meaning of occupation: Historical and contemporary connections between health and occupation FEATURE ARTICLE

how they were brought into play, and the context in which

they were used, to highlight what was and what was not spoken

about. The questions that guided the analysis were as follows:

how did occupation show itself in relation to other people? and

what influenced the understanding and use of occupation by

occupational therapists?

Analysis of the literatureOver the course of the professions development occupational

therapists have recognised that occupations either positively

or negatively influence health. Prior to the existence of

occupational therapy, scholars such as Galen (131-201 AD)

identified occupations for the maintenance of health. Conversely

during the Industrial Revolution those such as Fredrick Taylor

and the Scientific Management Movement (Applebaum,

1992) manipulated occupation in such a way that the focus

was on the production of items in large quantities, with little

or no consideration for those people that were involved in

the manufacturing process. This contributed to occupation

having a negative impact on workers health. To show how

understandings of occupation have changed and evolved the

analysis of the literature is separated into periods of development

throughout Western history from the Age of Enlightenment to

the current day.

The Moral Treatment Movement

The Moral Treatment Movement, which developed in Europe

during the Age of Enlightenment, laid the foundation for the

emergence of the profession by recognising the need to occupy

people confined to asylums. Brockoven, a psychiatrist, insistedthat the history of moral treatment in America is not only

synonymous with, but is the history of occupational therapy

before it acquired its 20th century name occupational therapy

(1971, p. 225). The Moral Treatment Movement was founded

on the work of Philippe Pinel (1745-1826), a French philosopher

and medical practitioner with an interest in mental health and

William Tuke (1732-1822) an English merchant-philanthropist

who developed principles of Moral Treatment and applied them

to the insane in institutions in France and England respectively

(Pinel 1806/1962, Tuke 1813/1964). Moral Treatment grew out

of the fundamental attitudes of the day: a set of principles that

govern humanity and society; faith in the ability of the human to

reason; and the supreme belief in the individual (Bing, 1981, p.

502). Moral Treatment saw a shift away from the notion that the

insane were possessed by the devil. A distinct method of therapy

evolved and mental disease came to be seen as the legitimate

concern of humanitarians and physicians.

At The York Retreat, an asylum for the insane, in Britain, Tuke

(as cited in Foucault 1961/2006) drew on his beliefs as a Quaker

and recognised that:

in itself work possesses a constraining power superior

to all forms of physical coercion, in that the regularity of

the hours, the requirement of attention, the obligation

to provide a result detach the sufferer from a liberty of

mind that would be fatal and engage him in a system of

responsibilities. (p. 247)

Tuke (as cited in Foucault 1961/2006) was influential in

establishing a philosophy of discipline and hard work rather

than external control of mental patients. At around the same

time as The York Retreat was using occupation to assist in the

recovery from mental illness, Pinel (1806/1962) also recognised

the value of occupation. He established an environment of work

programmes allowing those with a mental illness, previously

constrained in chains, to be liberated. Pinel noted that even the

natural indolence and stupidity of ideots (sic), might in some

degree be obviated, by engaging them in manual occupations,

suitable to their respective capacities (p. 203).

Across the Atlantic in the United States of America (USA),

Thomas Story Kirkebridge implemented a regime of Moral

Treatment in The Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane in 1833.

Annual reports detailed that more than 50 occupations were

on offer including lectures, gymnastics and magic (Handbook

for attendants on the insane, 1896). At the same time scientific

trends were beginning to challenge the philosophy of Moral

Treatment and the way work was carried out. The decline of

Moral Treatment was identified by Peloquin (1998) as being

closely related to a lack of inspired and committed leadership

willing to articulate and redefine the efficacy of occupation in the

face of medical and social changes (p. 544).

Vernon Briggs (as cited in Woodside, 1971) described in 1911

how patients engagement in occupation had a positive effect on

their health, based on several occupational initiatives occurring

in various sites across the USA. Just prior to this in 1906, SusanTracy, a nurse and teacher, had developed a course on invalid

occupations for nurses (Woodside, 1971). Tracy is credited by

some to be the first occupational therapist of the 20th century and

a book of her work was published in 1912 (Tracy, 1912/1980).

Also occurring at about this time was the work of Adolph Meyer

(1866-1950) a psychiatrist, humanist and mental hygienist,

who immigrated to the USA from Switzerland. Meyer took on

board the educational philosophies of John Dewey and in 1892

professed, doing, action and experience are being (as cited in

Breines, 1986, p. 46). Meyer held that people could be understood

through consideration of the activities that they engage in during

their day to day life, for which Meyer demonstrated a mind-

body synthesis and supported his view that individuals can only

be studied as whole people in action. In 1922, Meyer published

a paper entitled The philosophy of occupational therapy and

because of this he is often heralded as the philosophical father

of occupational therapy. Meyers accounts showed a critical link

between an individuals activities and activity patterns and his or

her physical and mental health. Even in the face of adversity such

as mental ill health, there was still the potential for people to be

engaged in occupation, and that occupation could provide some

benefit and relief from their health condition. Despite adversity,

the very nature of their Being called them to be connected to

others and the world. Wider society, the They, prescribed and

decided what was acceptable in terms of health, education and

income, and it is from this line in the sand that a person measures



and compares themselves against what others have achieved or

failed to achieve. Thus a person understands himself or herself

in their difference from others (Christiansen, 2007; King, 2001).

Arts and crafts

Jane Addams work at Hull House, where Meyer also had

some involvement, led up to the establishment of occupational

therapy as a profession. Hull House was a settlement home for

new immigrants and was influential in establishing the Arts and

Crafts Movement in America. The Arts and Crafts Movement, of

which Ruskin and Morris (1883/1915) were leading proponents

in the United Kingdom, holds views about work and a simple

life, which includes restoration of the human spirit through

engagement in honest craftsmanship. Morris (1883/1915)

associated the experience of pleasure with skilfully creating an

object. He affirmed that:

art is the expression by man of his pleasure in labour. I

do not believe that he can be happy in his labour without

expressing that happiness; and especially this is so when he

is at work at anything in which he especially excels. (pp.

41-42)

These beliefs informed the delivery of services in mental health,

tuberculosis sanatoria and physical health settings, and saw

manual training as a solution to the problems created during

the industrial era. In 1911 Eleanor Clarke Slagle, a social work

student, attended a course at Hull House on curative occupations

and recreation. She later became the Director of the Henry B.

Favill School of Occupations, which is thought to be the first

formal school of occupational therapy. Slagles work, whichincorporated ideas from Addams, focused on habit training

through meaningful use of time and purposeful activity. Slagle

(1922) actively promoted the use of occupation in relation to

health when she included the concept that:

for the most part our lives are made up of habit reactions.

Occupation used remedially serves to overcome some

habits to modify others and construct new ones, to the end

that habit reaction will be favourable to the restoration and

maintenance of health. (p. 14)

World War One and the early 1900s

In Britain, occupation was increasingly recognised as important in

the treatment of people with mental disorders and was beginning

to be accepted as having value in the rehabilitation of people with

physical conditions (Amar, 1920). This was the case especially

across Europe, following World War One (1914-1918), where

occupation was seen as important to the curative process and the

economic future of returning servicemen. It was the British Red

Cross that took a lead in establishing programmes of occupation

and entertainment for injured servicemen (Wilcock, 2002, p. 62).

At about this time, occupation was also being used by Sir Pendrill

Varrier-Jones as the basis of treatment for people with tuberculosis.Varrier-Jones held the view that the treatment of tuberculosis should

not be left to medicine alone and as a result created Papworth Village,

a combination of hospital, sanatorium and industries. For Varrier-

Jones (as cited in Fraser 1943):

The true colony consists of a sanatorium, in which all that

is best in sanatorium treatment is carried out, but with

the addition of an industrial section where the treatments

may be prolonged and training in suitable occupation

begun. To my mind a man engaged in productive work,

keeping his wife and children, ceasing to be a danger to

the community, is a more economical proposition than asimilar person propped up by poor relief, a danger to his

family and to the community, as well as an unproductive

unit thereof. (p. 52)

During the 1920s there was growing acceptance of the specific use of

occupation as a treatment method, which was coined occupational

therapy. Wilcock (2002) points to the spread of occupational therapy

as a result of the medical profession endorsing this new profession,

which saw the increasing employment of occupational therapists by

local authorities as they gradually assumed responsibility for the care

of people with disabilities. An additional boost came during the Great

Depression of the 1930s, which was a period of high unemployment,one result of which was the general recognition that engagement in

occupation was necessary for well-being (Rerek, 1971).

World War Two

Following the ravages of World War Two (1939-1945),

occupational therapy was again recognised as a key component in

the rehabilitation of injured service people. The view of the use of

occupation during this time was that it diverted attention away from

the pain and trauma of injury and was used to teach new skills to

allow the injured soldiers to have a vocation when they were able to

be discharged from hospital (Dudley Smith, 1945). The previous useof craftwork as a therapeutic tool was restricted by both the British

Government and a lack of resources. It was during this period that

remedial approaches were introduced into the profession as a viable

tool in the rehabilitation process.

In the United Kingdom there was ongoing growth and development

of the profession following World War Two (Rosser, 1990). During

the 1950s the focus of rehabilitation broadened from getting

servicemen back to work, to recognising the importance of domestic

tasks and independence of those with long term disabilities.

Occupational therapy came under increasing pressure from the

medical profession to establish a theoretical rationale and empiricalevidence for practice (Kielhofner, 2004, p. 44). This is perhaps

not surprising given the strategic connection that early professional

leaders had developed with medicine, which had undoubtedly

influenced the assumptions and development of occupational

therapy (Hocking, 2007; Wilcock, 2002). At that time it was difficult

to measure restoration of the human spirit through craftwork, using

research methodologies of the day. As a result the profession began

to explain practice in terms of a biomedical perspective, which

included reductionist views of the body as a well-oiled machine.

This was in contrast to the views of the founders of occupational

therapy, such as Meyer, who considered mind-body synthesis tobe fundamental in the therapeutic use of occupation. The view of

occupation and the connection to health was slowly eroded as the

focus of occupation narrowed (Engelhardt, 1977) in response to

the challenge to provide evidence of the effectiveness of occupation




from a bio-medical perspective. Understandings of occupation

appear to have changed during this era as the emerging dominance

of the scientific paradigm began to negate and bypass the complex

nature of a person who is always situated in context, shaped by place,

people, climate and all that is beyond knowing (Heidegger, 1993).

The entwined occupation, person and world dynamic was eroded in

favour of a rational explanation of occupation based on science. Thespirit, the indefinable, was lost in theoretical models.

The 1960s and 1970sAs occupational therapy progressed into the 1960s, the focus

of practice continued to be based on concepts from medicine

which pervaded both physical and mental health. Psychodynamic

concepts used by psychiatrists were deemed to be more important

in occupational therapy mental health practice than concepts of

occupation (Fidler & Fidler, 1978), which led to an emergence of

therapeutic communities and group and industrial therapy. In

physical health the focus was on understanding function and

dysfunction in anatomical and neurological terms (Kielhofner,

2004, p. 46). From the bio-medical perspective, occupation was

viewed as something that calls on muscle strength, joint flexibility,

stamina and changes in behaviour. These were things that could be

observed and measured and could therefore provide the empirical

evidence that was required to demonstrate the effectiveness of

occupational therapy.

As the profession expanded and diversified, there was a call

to reinstate the aims and functions of occupational therapy.

Wilcock (2002) recalled that during this time general treatment

responsibilities were to assist the recovery of patients from mentalor physical illness. Training patients to use returning function or

residual ability to gain social and vocational readjustment (p. 289).

The focus on the use of occupation as therapy shifted to centre

on function rather than diversion, and fostering independence,

responsibility and resettlement in relation to the demands of home

or job.

During the 1970s there was a phase of professional self doubt as

the philosophical base of the profession was challenged (Kielhofner

& Burke, 1977). Shorter hospital stays meant limited opportunities

for patients to engage in occupations as they had done in the past

and less time for the occupational therapist to build a therapeuticrelationship. The influence of the medical profession also saw a move

towards increased specialisation by occupational therapists based on

their knowledge of medical conditions rather than knowledge of

occupation.

Renaissance in the commitmentto occupationIn the latter part of the 20th century there was a renaissance

in the commitment to occupation as a necessary component of

health. Within occupational therapy there was a growth in models

of practice such as the Model of Human Occupation developedby Kielhofner (1985). This model was created to be used with

any person experiencing problems related to occupation and

was concerned with the motivation for occupation, pattern

of occupation, subjective dimension of performance [and the]

influence of environment on occupation (Kielhofner, 2004, p. 148).

As the renaissance continued during the 1990s the word occupation

was being used more universally. Hagedorn (1995) identified that

occupation was the unique element forming the focus and vehicle

for occupational therapy. There was also an increase in occupational

therapy research as the profession responded to the call to focus on

specific occupational themes (Wilcock, 1991). The research themesincluded studying human occupation, occupational function,

occupation for health and the subjective experience of participation

in occupation. One consideration highlighted by Hasselkus (2006)

that could potentially limit further understandings of occupation

by the profession of occupational therapy is its conceptualisation

within a problem framework. We have linked our focus on

occupation to a context of disability making everyday occupation

part of the problem (p. 630). While there was a renewal of ideas

during this time about the importance of occupation connected with

enabling and empowering people within their own communities

and linking self health to occupation, Hasselkus (2006) signalled

that there was still the need to consider occupation in its broadest

context.

The interest in occupation linked to human life, health and well-

being is evident in the maturity of occupational therapy. The

desire for further knowledge and understanding of occupation led

to the development of occupational science. Occupational science

distinguishes itself from occupational therapy by being concerned

with creating a basic understanding of occupation, without

immediate concern for the application of that knowledge. Early

advocates of occupational science, such as Zemke and Clark (1996),

suggested that the study of occupation would enhance occupationaltherapists appreciation of the role of occupation in life and health.

Contemporary understandings of occupationThe notion of occupation in recent literature is presented in a

range of ways. This section of the review will focus on descriptions

and definitions of occupation and key terms associated with

occupation. Occupation has been described by Sundkvist and

Zingmark (2003) as a conceptual entity which includes all things

that people do in their everyday life (p. 40) and by Wilcock (1998)

as all doing that has intrinsic or extrinsic meaning (p. 257).

This certainly gives the sense that occupation is something that

is all encompassing, without any bounds. These recent views of

occupation are complemented by components of definitions which

were brought together in the Journal of Occupational Science

Occupational Terminology Interactive Dialogue (2001). The

dialogue included a definition from Yerxa, Clark, Frank, Jackson,

Parham, and Pierce et al (1989) who considered occupation to be

chunks of activity within the ongoing stream of human behaviour,

self initiated, socially sanctioned and a complex phenomenon.

Similarly, McLaughlin Gray (1997) described occupation as units

of activity, classified and named by the culture. According to

Sabonis-Chafee (1989) occupation is seen as purposeful activities

that fill a persons waking hours and something that is more than

just doing. Kielhofner (1995) considered occupation to include

action and doing in the physical and social world. This string of

perspectives was brought together by Crabtree (1998), who defined




occupation as intentional human performance organised in

number and kind to meet the demands of self maintenance and

identity in the family and community (p. 40).

The extent of occupation is also denoted by the American

Occupational Therapy Association Commission on Practice

(2002), which used the term occupation to capture the breadth

and meaning of everyday life activities (p. 610); the members of

the Commission viewed occupation as the means and outcome

of occupational therapy intervention. Likewise, when Wilcock

(2003) interviewed occupational science and occupational therapy

students, the students simply described occupation as employment,

a career path, day-to-day tasks and something that takes up time.

In summary, current conceptions of occupation consider it to be

central to a persons identity and competence, to influence how

a person spends time and makes decisions, to have an element of

needing to be endorsed by a persons cultural or social group, and

having common components such as groupings of activity. In

addition, occupation implies a sense of intentional and purposefulaction. An important point made by Sundkvist and Zingmark

(2003) is that a consensus has not been reached on the complex

meaning of occupation and the discussion, indeed this debate,

still continues in the literature (Hammell, 2009; Reed, Hocking,

& Smythe, 2011). This supports the discussion by Christiansen

(1994) and Law, Steinwender, and Leclair (1998), who recognised

the complexity of attempting to understand occupation.

A key point that has been made is that occupation is often socially

and culturally sanctioned and defined (Yerxa, Clark, Frank,

Jackson, Parham, & Pierce et al, 1989; McLaughlin Gray, 1997),

which indicates that different cultural groups will have their own

unique understanding of occupation. Darnell (2002) pointed out

that occupation, as understood by occupational therapists, is from

a Western point of view, that social recognition is important to

the value placed on an occupation, and being occupied is socially

valued. When considering occupation from the viewpoint of other

cultures, it is important to acknowledge that the focus may not

necessarily be on productivity, as it is in Western culture. Further

the focus of occupation may be to support extended family or to

be in balance with nature. The complex nature of the meaning of

occupation, which is circumstantial and shaped by the dynamics

of the interaction between people, competing demands andpossibilities, where the meaning of occupation goes beyond the

individual was highlighted by Reed, Hocking, and Smythe (2010).

The transactional nature of occupation is also addressed by Dickie,

Cutchin and Humphry (2006) who proposed the Deweyan concept

of transaction as an alternative perspective for viewing occupation.

This is where occupation is no longer seen as something arising

from the individual, but should be viewed in its complex totality

of the person in context, where the meaning of occupation goes

beyond the individual. This seems to suggest that understandings

of occupation are much broader than those that are created by the

individual, but extends to understandings generated by groupsof people. Similar points about the culturally specific nature of

occupation are acknowledged by Townsend (1997), in that she

agrees that occupations are named to represent purposes and goals,

and to express personal and cultural ideas. More importantly she

agrees that occupations are named and valued differently in each

culture.

Discussion and implicationsUnderstanding is always shaped by our own historical

circumstances. We stand within a tradition [that] does notlimit the freedom of knowledge but makes it possible (Gadamer,

1960/2004, p. 354). Our taken for granted understandings that we

have been brought up with, that have become embodied in practice,

teaching and scholarship, are often difficult to challenge to see how

such understandings have been socially constructed. This paper is

an attempt to momentarily break free of the notion that occupation

and occupational therapy are generic entities in their own right,

determined by the profession itself. Looking back provides evidence

of the shaping of understandings of occupation and occupational

therapy which have themselves been shaped by the social milieu of

the times.

For example, with the Moral Treatment Movement, beliefs about

individuals ability to reason shaped an understanding that mental

illness was not the result of an external force. Thus the value of

occupation was recognised and initiated in the treatment of people

with mental illness. Those underlying beliefs contributed to the

establishment of occupational therapy in the early 1900s. This new

profession claimed occupation as its domain of concern and built

on the growing recognition of the connection between occupation

and health. In its formative years occupational therapy was also

strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, Adolph

Meyer, a psychiatrist and mental hygienist, and Eleanor ClarkeSlagle who had an interest in habit training. All of those influences

came from outside the profession.

With the advent of World War One and Two the use of occupation

in the realm of healthcare shifted from being used solely in the

treatment of mental health conditions to deal with the alarming

rise of physical conditions. Occupation was seen as an important

part of treatment to allow injured servicemen to return to the

front, or in the case of people with tuberculosis, to regain a level

of economic independence. Again, society dictated the need

and the purpose. The professions of medicine and psychiatry

became highly influential in challenging occupational therapy toprovide evidence to show how and why occupation contributed

to health outcomes. As a result, the holistic perspective of using

occupation therapeutically changed from it being used for diversion

or resettlement to being used to increase function in the home or

workplace. Engagement in occupation became something that

could be manipulated and used for remediation as part of a persons

overall rehabilitation programme, to the point where occupation or

parts of occupation were prescribed. This meant that much of the

value of the experience of participating in occupation was lost. The

practitioners themselves would have had little control over this re-

shaping of their practice, as this would have been determined by theeconomic imperatives of society at the time.

The rise of professionalism amongst other health professions (Saks

as cited in Taylor & Field, 1998) meant occupational therapy had




no choice but to meet the challenge of becoming a profession;

the alternative was to perish. It followed the other professions

in the establishment of Schools of Occupational Therapy and

professional bodies. During the 1960s, there was a call by members

of the profession to reclaim the aims and functions of occupational

therapy. Heidegger (1927/1995) talks of authentic resoluteness, or

the times when we see the possibilities of our own being and takea stand. This came in response to the profession being in a phase

of uncertainty as a result of the dilution of the understanding of

occupation, which had been strongly influenced by biomechanical

and psychodynamic paradigms. Occupational therapy scholars

were attuned to what was determined to be worthy scholarship.

Much of the literature during this time focused on describing and

defending practice, and providing evidence for practice based on

these dominant paradigms, rather than focusing on understanding

occupation from the lived experience. It was not until the 1980s

that models of practice with a strong occupational element began

to emerge. The resurgence of interest in occupation led to the

call to focus research on occupation, particularly the link between

occupation and individual and community health. It is interesting

to note that in this same era nursing was very intent on articulating

the essence of nursing. Part of this move was to distinguish each

discipline as distinct in an era of competition for territory in

the health domain (Saks, as cited in Taylor & Field 1998). The

establishment of occupational science, marking occupational

therapy as having a rightful place with the University, created

an avenue to lead and show the way for generating a greater

understanding of occupation.

ConclusionHaving reviewed the historical and contemporary literature, the

question that now arises is how is society currently shaping our

understandings of occupation, and therefore the mode of practice

of occupational therapists? It is not possible for any discipline in

the current context to escape expectations such as using evidence

to underpin practice, cost effective service, or proof of useful

outcomes. Yet, it behoves the profession to explore who the voices

are behind such powerful shapers. The research by Reed et al.

(2010) moved beyond the broad societal shapers to hear the voices

of the individuals engaged in occupation. The findings of the study

revealed the limits of theoretical models of practice that did notappreciate the dynamic, contextual, relational and ever changing

understanding of occupation. Our challenge is to once again

return to a moment of authentic questioning when, recognising the

inescapable shapers, occupational therapists resolutely decide how

their practice can most effectively serve society. Shaping itself is a

dynamic unfolding in which those being shaped can resist, explore

and propose. Let our shaping be in the image of what works for the

recipient of occupational therapy. Let us listen to them. Let us take

their voice to the table of shapers.

Key pointsn Different meanings of occupation have built up over time

n Occupation became a notion that was named, framed and

conceptualised as the domain of occupational therapy

n A connection between occupation and health was recognised

n Knowledge of the historical context has the potential to assist

with the conceptualisation of current and future practice.

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REHABILITATION HEALTH PROFESSIONAL REQUIRED:

SOUTH CANTERBURY and SOUTHLAND

Advantage Southhas a vacancy for a skilled, enthusiasticOccupational Therapist to join our community rehablitation service inSouth Canterbury and in Southland districts.

Advantage Southspecialises in the delivery of community basedrehabilitation and vocational services for people with injury-relatedneeds. We have a particular focus on return to work services.

We are looking for a full time therapist with the followingqualifications and experience:

Current NZ Occupational Therapy registered health professional 2 years or more clinical experience in rehabilitation services High level of organisational and self-management skills Excellent report writing skills Current drivers license

This role is for a full time position, but there can be negotiable hoursand we will consider part time commitment, at a minimum of 0.6 FTE.The salary and conditions are very competitive.

If you are looking for a challenging, interesting job where you areworking closely with other disciplines and providing client centeredcare, then you need to contact us!

For further information or to submit a letter of application,

please contact:Chris Nolan Managing Director, PO Box 129, Cromwell

Phone: 03 445 0300Email: [email protected]

Applications close Tuesday, 30 April 2013

NZAOT Clinical Workshops, 18-20 SEPT 2013

Registrations open June 2013Late registration applies 16 August 2013

Last clinical workshops until 2016Mark your diaries to attend this year NOW!

www.nzaotevents.com

Venue: Copthorne Hotel and Resort,

Solway Park, Masterton

DOING WELL TOGETHER

14 18 September 2015Rotorua, New Zealand

6TH ASIA-PACIFIC OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY CONGRESS

NZAOT are the proud hosts of the 6thAsia Pacific

Occupational Therapy Congress in 2015.

Held at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre, expect

a huge exhibition gallery displaying the best product

and services available in the Asia Pacific region.

Clear your diaries now!

WEBSITE: www.nzaotevents.comEMAIL: [email protected]

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