Connection and collaboration: Reflections on power, safety, and risk

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy
• Health sciences
• Sociology of professions

Background:

• Occupational therapy in Australia is experiencing unprecedented growth and demand.
• Over 32,000 registered occupational therapists and 7,000+ students are in the field.
• Despite high demand, many practitioners report distress and burnout.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the evolution of occupational therapy knowledge and practice.
• To explore opportunities for demonstrating the value of transformation through occupation.
• To advocate for reflexive practice to enhance client-therapist partnerships.

Main Methods:

• Drawing on a program of research.
• Reflective analysis of personal career trajectory and changes in the profession.
• Exploration of theoretical concepts like reflexivity beyond reflective practice.

Main Results:

• Occupational engagement is complex, unique, and can create tensions regarding expertise and power dynamics.
• Collaboration with clients and stakeholders is essential but involves inherent risks.
• Reflexivity is proposed as a method to examine assumptions and influence in therapeutic partnerships.

Conclusions:

• Occupational therapy is highly valued, presenting an opportunity for professional growth.
• Addressing practitioner distress and burnout is crucial for sustaining the profession.
• Foregrounding occupation and respecting lived experience, through reflexivity, positions occupational therapy for a strong future.