Tomonari Hayasaka (Ph.D., OTR)
Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy,
Faculty of Health Sciences, Kyorin University, Japan[Professional Memberships and Activities]
・Managing Director, Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists
・Executive Committee Member, 8th Asia Pacific Occupational Therapy Congress 2024
・Secretary-General, Japanese Research Association for Occupational Therapy of Mood Disorders[Research subject]・Occupational Performance Characteristics in Occupational Therapy with Difficult-to-treat Depression
・Factors that Improve the Social Activity Status of Patients with Mental Disorders Participating in OccupationalTherapy.

３．抄録（英語のみ）【Title】
Certification Regulations and Professional Continuing Education of Occupational Therapy in Taiwan【Speaker】Hui-Fen Mao (M.S., OTR)
【Abstract】
Promoting the health and well-being of the public requires occupational therapists to continuously enhance theirexpertise in specialized fields and consistently improve the quality of their professional services and competence inclinical education. This presentation provides an overview of the occupational therapy specialty certification andcontinuing education framework focused on educating clinical preceptors, which has been established by the Taiwan
Occupational Therapy Association (TOTA) over the past twenty years.
TOTA has made steadfast efforts to develop and promote three certification regulations:
1. "Occupational Therapy Clinical Ladder System" (2004): This certification system recognizes four levels of clinicaloccupational therapists, allowing professionals to advance based on their clinical competencies.
2. "Certification of Occupational Therapy Clinical Preceptor" (2010) & "Certification of Clinical Preceptor" regulatedby the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Taiwan" (2011): Only certified therapists are eligible to supervise
occupational therapy fieldwork or newly recruited therapists in teaching hospitals, ensuring high-quality clinicaltraining and mentorship.
3. "Certification of Clinical Preceptor in Occupational Therapy Community-based Practice" (2018): Only certified
therapists can supervise occupational therapy community-based fieldwork, which was formally recognized as afieldwork option for occupational therapy licensure requirements in 2017.
To maintain the standard of specialized professional services, various ministries in Taiwan have implemented
certification systems that require individuals to complete required continuing education courses to provide relatedservices. These services encompass:
1. Special education school system services.
2. Long-term care services 2.0 (LTC 2.0).
3. Community health promotion programs for older adults.
4. Assistive technology and environment modification services for people with disabilities.
5. Vocational rehabilitation services for people with disabilities, including vocational evaluation, job accommodation,and employment services.
6. Labor Occupational Safety Services.
These certification systems are designed to ensure that the therapists possess the necessary skills and knowledge todeliver high-quality services to the public.
In summary, the Taiwan Occupational Therapy Association, in collaboration with the government, has worked
diligently to develop occupational therapy certification regulations and continuing education initiatives. Ourcommitment lies in fostering expertise, improving service quality, and promoting the overall well-being of individuals
receiving occupational therapy services.

【Title】
Professional Continuing Education at the Japan Occupational Therapy Association【Speaker】Educational Department of JAOT
【Abstract】
The Continuing Education of the Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists （hereafter JAOT） began in1998 as the "Continuing Education Credit Recognition System. It was later revised to the “Professional Continuing
Education System" in 2003.
The current Continuing Education System has undergone four revisions and has been in operation since FY2023.
The Continuing Education System consists of three certification systems: the Basic Training System, the Certified
Occupational Therapist System, and the specialized occupational therapist system.
In the basic training system, trainees learn basic and common knowledge for clinical practice as occupational
therapists. It is a system to deepen understanding of the significance and direction of lifelong learning and to learn
the basics of clinical practice. The system consists of a common training program and an elective training programfor incumbents, each consisting of compulsory training and free elective training.
The two mandatory training programs are operated in cooperation with prefectural occupational therapist associations.
The Certified Occupational Therapist System aims to improve the quality of occupational therapists and maintainand raise the standards for occupational therapy. In order to further establish the expertise and social status ofoccupational therapists, JAOT trains, examines, and certifies occupational therapists by setting certain standards. The
objective is for certified occupational therapists to contribute to the health, medical care, and welfare of the nation.
1,390 people have been certified as of May 2023.
The specialized occupational therapist system educates practitioners with outstanding clinical practice skills. The
objective is to provide high quality and effective occupational therapy services to people with disabilities and tocontribute to the support of their lives. As of May 2023, a total of 152 individuals in 11 fields have been certified.
Each of the above three certification systems by JAOT has a five-year validity period for renewal of certification. Asof fiscal year 2023, the renewal requirement for completion of basic training requires completion of the clinicalpractice instructor training course designated by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare.
This renewal is related to compliance with the following ethical requirements set forth by the JAOT:"2. Occupational therapists shall maintain the highest standards of knowledge and skill. ""9. Occupational therapists shall be mutually disciplined in their academic studies and character development."
It is essential that all occupational therapists, not only members of the JAOT, be aware of these principles in their
daily clinical practice, education, research, and administration.

【Title】
The Role of Occupational Therapy in Community Inclusive Services for People with Mental Health Conditions【Speaker】Chen Te-Chun【Abstract】
The stigma of mental illness often leads to the exclusion or discrimination of people with mental health conditionsin the community. Social inclusion is achieved by providing appropriate support and services to ensure that all people
can participate in economic, social, and cultural life of their community and contribute to society.
Providing recovery-oriented services is an international trend, and the components of recovery are quite consistent
with the philosophy of occupational therapy. In the field of community services, occupational therapists’ professional
assessment and analysis of individuals, occupations, and environments help develop strategies that promote social
inclusion for individuals.
Occupational therapists not only enhance the functional performance of individuals through occupational activities
but also establish connections between groups and communities through co-occupation in the community. This allows
people with mental health conditions and community members to understand each other and achieve reduction ofself-stigma and social stigma.
The purpose of Jin-Shan Community Rehabilitation Center (JSCRC) is “Living with Heart, Learning with Joy.”
Support for people with mental health conditions can come from professionals, peers, neighbors, and various people
in the community. The institution adopts a recovery-oriented service model and tries to connect with the community
as much as possible when planning activities of daily living, work training, leisure activities, volunteer work, religious
activities, etc. Through various community interactions and advocacy, it enhances the mental health literacy ofcommunity residents so that they can naturally interact with people with mental health conditions.
When providing services to clients, staffs value the needs, strengths, and occupational roles of individuals with mental
health conditions, enabling them to participate in meaningful and purposeful activities in the real world. By improving
functional performance and promoting social inclusion, people with mental health conditions can have roles in theircommunity and create their value.

【Title】The role of psychiatric occupational therapists in promoting citizen health and well-being【Speaker】Tomonari Hayasaka【Abstract】
Recent developments in psychiatric treatment and support have enabled early treatment due to the early discoveryof mental illness; social insurance systems, etc. for public health and welfare have also made remarkable progress.
However, these initiatives do not coordinate sufficiently with medical and nursing care, and the establishment of acomprehensive care system is anticipated in the future.
Amid these circumstances, the Vision for Reform of Mental Health and Medical Welfare, formulated in Japan in
2004, clearly set out the idea of “shifting from a focus on inpatient treatment to a focus on community life.” Further,a conference consisting of experts, stakeholders, and others that pertains to the construction of a community-based
integrated care system that would also cover mental health issues has been held since 2020 to examine reviews ofvarious systems, in specific detail, as necessary. The aim of these reviews is to enable anyone to lead a life that suitsthem peacefully in the community they are familiar with and promote the construction of a “community-basedintegrated care system” that comprehensively ensures healthcare, nursing care, prevention, housing, and lifestylesupport.
The role of occupational therapists in the community-based integrated care system is to elucidate the issues faced bypatients in society from the perspective of occupational therapy and provide support for improving them so thatcitizens can lead healthy lives. Patients with mental disorders in particular are often forced to live with their illnesses
and disorders, which gives rise to the need to understand their “difficulty in living” and “difficulty in life” and offer
specific means to resolve these challenges.
About 60% of psychiatric occupational therapists in Japan are employed by psychiatric hospitals, which have many
patients who have been forced to live as inpatients for the long term. This symposium aims to share the current stateof psychiatric departments in each country and examine the roles of occupational therapists in promoting people’s
health and well-being.