[Theories emerging from daily clinical practice of community occupational therapists]

Occupational therapists working in the community have adapted their knowledge to the distinct characteristics and expectations of the various settings. To do so, they have had to reflect on the professional nature of their interventions, while intervening. This simultaneous process has yielded specific knowledge that is solidly anchored in current clinical reality. A survey on occupational therapy in the Centres locaux de services communautaires in Québec (CLSC) highlighted three theories developed by occupational therapists in their daily clinical practice. The first relates mostly to referral processing while the other two address the occupational therapist's role within the treatment team. This paper briefly presents the survey's results, then focuses mainly on the three emergent theories and underlines some elements congruent with the reference theories in occupational therapy. The author then proposes avenues for reflection to help foster balance between the constraints inherent to the community health care system and occupational therapy professional values.