You’re entering an admirable health profession with roots that go
back at least 200 years in history. A brief understanding of the estab
-
lishment of the occupational therapy profession will give you a sense
of its purpose and its approach to treatment.
Occupational therapy today is used to treat both physical and psychi
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atric conditions in patients. However, the first philosophical founda-
tions of occupational therapy can be found in the area of treating
mentally ill patients.
In 1786, French physician Philippe Pinel used manual activity as a
means of returning psychiatric patients to their previous interests,
work, and final recovery. During that same time, an American physi-
cian, Benjamin Rush, was the primary supporter for the use of labor,
exercise, and interests in the recovery of patients with mental ill-
nesses.
In 1892, Adolf Meyer, an American psychiatrist, promoted the use of
gratifying activity which helped mentally ill patients return to normal
function in society. He stressed the importance of a balance of work,
play, and rest. Meyer’s later published works began to outline a for
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mal philosophy for what would eventually become the occupational
therapy profession.
In 1914, a New York architect named George Edward Barton opened
an institution which used work as a means of therapy in treating a
wide range of physical and mental illnesses and disabilities. Con
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vinced of the benefits of using meaningful activity in rehabilitation,
Barton named his approach to treatment
occupational therapy
.
Occupational therapy was formally established as a profession in
March 1917 at the first meeting of the National Society for the Promo
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tion of Occupational Therapy. The name was changed to American
Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in 1923 (Figure 1).
As injured soldiers returned from World War I, the need for occupa
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tional therapy in treating physical disabilities increased. Reconstruc
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tion aides were the forerunners of modern occupational therapists.
These aides were civilian employees who worked with patients
suffering from both physical and mental disabilities. World War I