Re-imagining occupational therapy clients as communities: Presenting the community-centred practice framework.

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy and occupational science research.
• Community-centered practice and social theory integration.

Background:

• Growing trend of occupational therapists engaging in community-level work.
• Absence of established conceptual frameworks to guide this practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel conceptual framework for community-centered practice in occupational therapy.
• To provide a structured approach for occupational therapists working within communities.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative multi-case research utilizing exemplars of community participation.
• Analysis of Canadian food security programs and an Australian community banking initiative.
• Interpretation of themes using occupational therapy knowledge and social theory.

Main Results:

• Development of a four-stage, occupation-focused, community-centered practice framework.
• The framework stages include: Community Identity, Community Occupations, Community Resources and Barriers, and Participation Enablement.
• The framework aids occupational therapists in understanding and implementing community-centered approaches.

Conclusions:

• The proposed framework assists occupational therapists in conceptualizing and applying community-centered practice.
• Further research is recommended to evaluate the framework's utility and effectiveness.
• The framework aims to serve as a robust guide for occupation-focused, community-centered practice.