Responding to current societal developments affecting people's health: A "Think Tank" on the potential of Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science

Summary of the Workshop: Background: In response to current societal developments, embedded in European policies and in a global context, occupational therapists’ and occupational scientists’ contributions to people’s... [ view full abstract ]

Summary of the Workshop:

Background:
In response to current societal developments, embedded in European policies and in a global context, occupational therapists’ and occupational scientists’ contributions to people’s health and well-being for individual, community, and societal levels need reflections and joint efforts.
A shared understanding of core concepts and best practice criteria in the profession/discipline helps to specifically and systematically develop practical answers, reflect on and design education for occupational therapists, and use and engage in research.

Purpose:
This workshop invites to a dialogue regarding meaningful responses to current health care and societal needs from an Occupational Therapy (OT) and Occupational Science (OS) perspective. It intends to serve as a “Think Tank”, fostering a shared understanding based on core concepts of OT and OS, supporting joint efforts in practice, education, and research when facing current challenges.

Method:
The workshop participants will be shortly introduced in best practice criteria for OT intervention as described in the KRAH®-model (Costa, 2014). Based on client-centredness, resource-orientation, everyday-life-relevance, and occupation-based intervention, this model integrates intra- and interdisciplinary theories and implications. After a short introduction, the potential of OT and OS for people’s and European societies’ health and well-being will be discussed in small groups. A plenary session will summarize possible responses to selected fields and facilitate further networking and collaboration of practice, education, and research in OT and OS.

Maximum number of participants: 25

Brief description of intended participants:
This workshop is designed for occupational therapy practitioners, lecturers, students, and researchers, incl. occupational scientists.