Making Choices from the Choices we have: The Contextual-Embeddedness of Occupational Choice

2020 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. 400-411
Author(s):  
Karen Whalley Hammell
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Occupational Choice ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Occupational Choices ◽  
Making Choices ◽  
The World ◽  
Critical Approaches ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Health And Well Being

Background. “Choice” is central to occupational therapy’s theoretical tradition, which maintains that individuals can impact their well-being through wisely choosing their occupations. However, the assumption that opportunities to choose are universally available is negated by research evidence. Purpose. To review the ideology of “choice” in occupational therapy theory, and to encourage more critical approaches toward determinants of occupational opportunity and choice. Key Issues. Evidence indicates that within Canada, and throughout the world, opportunities to make occupational choices are inequitably distributed among people of different socioeconomic classes, castes, genders, races, abilities, sexualities, citizenship statuses, and experiences of colonialism. Implications. Because occupation is a determinant of health and well-being, social injustices that create inequitable occupational choices are unfair violations of occupational rights. The occupational therapy profession’s espoused aim of enhancing well-being through occupation demands theories that explicitly recognize the socially structured and inequitable shaping of choice, and consequent impact on people’s occupational rights.

scholarly journals Maudsley International: improving mental health and well-being around the world

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 49-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Bouras ◽  
Silvia Davey ◽  
Tracey Power ◽  
Jonathan Rolfe ◽  
Tom Craig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Building Capacity ◽  
The Past ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The World ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
And Training

Maudsley International was set up to help improve people's mental health and well-being around the world. A variety of programmes have been developed by Maudsley International over the past 10 years, for planning and implementing services; building capacity; and training and evaluation to support organisations and individuals, professionals and managers to train and develop health and social care provisions. Maudsley International's model is based on collaboration, sharing expertise and cultural understanding with international partners.

scholarly journals Team Focus: Occupational Therapist

2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 94-98
Author(s):  
Susan J. Forwell ◽  
Kathleen M. Zackowski
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Therapy Process ◽  
Functional Difficulties ◽  
Care And Support ◽  
Symptomatic Management ◽  
Home Work ◽  
Health And Well Being

Occupational therapists (OTs) have a unique and valued role in the health and functional recovery of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). To maximize the benefit of occupational therapy by both health care professionals who refer patients and the patients who use the services, an understanding of the scope of services that OTs offer is essential. This article describes the breadth of the OT evaluation and intervention specific to the treatment of individuals who have MS. As an overriding goal, the OT assists clients in processing the implications of physical, cognitive, and emotional changes and creatively developing strategies to cope with and, when appropriate, minimize the effects of these changes. The occupational therapy process is described, beginning with evaluation and providing guidelines and resources for appropriate client-centered goal setting. The OT and client then discuss intervention that ensures optimal functional outcome and includes symptomatic management, according to the specific functional difficulties and implications and the particular symptoms of each patient. Through discussion, the OT helps each client achieve health and well-being with remedial and compensatory techniques that enable participation in meaningful activities and roles in the home, work, and community. OT services are essential to the appropriate and optimal delivery of comprehensive care and support to individuals with MS.

COVID-19

2022 ◽  
pp. 219-227
Author(s):  
Gillala Rekha
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Private University ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Academic Stress ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
The World ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Methods ◽  
Health And Well Being

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world closed all the educational institutions to control the spread of disease, which is creating a direct impact on students, educators, and institutions. The purpose of this study was to analyze the perception of academic stress experienced by students during current online education and coping strategies using emotional intelligence adopted by them. The study aims to conduct a timely assessment of the effects of stress due to COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of college students. The authors conducted interview surveys with 227 students at a private university in India to understand the effects of online education during pandemic on their mental health and well-being. The data were analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. Of the 227 students, 71% indicated anxiety and stress due to ongoing pandemic.

scholarly journals COVID-19, mental health and psychological first aid

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 259-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Minihan ◽  
B. Gavin ◽  
B. D. Kelly ◽  
F. McNicholas
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Well Being ◽  
First Aid ◽  
World Health ◽  
Psychological First Aid ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Health And Well Being

Crises such as the global pandemic of COVID-19 (coronavirus) elicit a range of responses from individuals and societies adversely affecting physical and emotional well-being. This article provides an overview of factors elicited in response to COVID-19 and their impact on immunity, physical health, mental health and well-being. Certain groups, such as individuals with mental illness, are especially vulnerable, so it is important to maximise the supports available to this population and their families during the pandemic. More broadly, the World Health Organization recommends ‘Psychological First Aid’ as a useful technique that can help many people in a time of crisis.

COVID-19’s Direct and Indirect Impact

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Irma Ruslina Defi
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
World Health ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
The World ◽  
Indirect Impact ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Health And Well Being

The COVID-19 outbreak has been declared a public health emergency of worldwide concern by the World Health Organization. The direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 on health and well-being are still being investigated. In addition to the direct impacts of COVID-19 disease, social distancing and lockdown measures have had a significant and unequal effect on individuals, households, and communities through restrictions imposed on our daily social an d economic activities.

Non-religion, atheism, and mental health

2021 ◽  
pp. 259-276
Author(s):  
Miguel Farias ◽  
Thomas J. Coleman III
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Religious Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
The World ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
Health And Well Being

Based on the well-established link between religiosity and positive mental health outcomes, it has been argued that non-religiosity is a health liability. However, most of this research suffers from methodological problems that limit their generalizability to non-religious populations, such as atheists and agnostics. In this chapter, we draw attention to these methodological issues, and argue in favour of a richer conceptualization of non-religion than has been theorized in previous literature. We further review recent work from various countries around the world, which challenges the notion that non-religiosity presents a health risk, finding instead that the non-religious experience similar levels of health and well-being benefits as the religious. We end by briefly discussing the limitations and recent backlash at this literature, while suggesting that the study of the non-religious may transform how we understand the interaction between beliefs, rituals, and health.

Empowerment and occupation: A new perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 281-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen R. Whalley Hammell
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Core Values ◽  
Relevant Concept ◽  
Ability To Act ◽  
The World ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
New Perspective

Background. The idea of empowerment permeates the occupational therapy literature yet has received little critical reflection from occupational therapy’s theorists. Purpose. This paper aims to explore the concept of empowerment and highlight a recent definition that resonates with occupational therapists’ core values. Key Issues. Empowerment is generally understood to be a process of bestowing power and giving ability to someone deficient in both. However, a new definition provides a framework for understanding how empowerment might enhance people’s capabilities. Implications. The World Bank’s depiction of empowerment fits well with occupational therapists’ beliefs in the importance of the ability and opportunity to “do,” providing a framework for action. This framework focuses on people’s capabilities: their freedom—or opportunity—to choose what they wish to do and to be and their ability to act on these wishes. Moreover, the World Bank’s assertion that empowered people have freedom of both choice and action suggests empowerment is a relevant concept for occupational therapists.

A World in Balance

1981 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur H. Westing
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Standard Of Living ◽  
Standards Of Living ◽  
The World ◽  
Health And Well Being

The attempt is made here to provide an approximation of the number of people that the world can support in the light of three constraints: (a) provision for a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of everyone, (b) consideration for wildlife and Nature, and (c) reliance on existing levels of technology and politics. In fact, two alternative standards of living are suggested, ‘affluent’ (based on the standard of the 27 richest nations in the world) and ‘austere’ (based on the standard of the 43 next most wealthy nations in the world).

Occupational injustice: A critique

2016 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen R. Whalley Hammell ◽  
Brenda Beagan
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Capabilities Approach ◽  
Practical Utility ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Occupational Justice

Background. Although the idea of occupational injustice pervades the occupational therapy literature, there has been little scholarly debate concerning this construct or the parameters of the five identified forms of occupational injustice. Purpose. The aims of this paper are to highlight conceptual confusions, foreground some inherent questions that have been neither acknowledged nor addressed, and question the theoretical and practical utility of five manifestations of occupational injustice. Key Issues. Few theorists have contributed to the occupational injustice literature. Significant definitional confusion exists concerning the five forms of occupational injustice with some forms described as subsets of others. The inherent problems of judging occupational injustice have not been addressed. Implications. If occupational injustice were understood as a violation of occupational rights—human rights to achieve well-being through occupation—many of the problems of identifying a situation of occupational justice or injustice would be resolved. Using the capabilities approach to human rights would facilitate this endeavour.

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