Graduates will apply their education to a continuum of professional opportunities from programs aimed at prevention through those remediating health problems with the ultimate goal of maintaining and improving the quality of life of the public. . Because of its focus on occupation, the profession of occupation therapy has a vital and unique mission in health care. For example, preparing a meal, playing a game, washing a car, completing a school assignment, and finishing a task at work are all occupations of daily life. Indeed, we can think about a person's life as a stream of occupations engaged in by the individual. To a great extent, we are what we do.
Occupation characterizes the dignity and uniqueness of humanity.
Therapeutic Occupation Therapeutic occupation is based on the principle that people can actually improve their health and well-being by engaging in occupations. The patient or client in occupational therapy is an active participant, not a passive recipient of services. For example, a child with a movement disorder can acquire better motor patterns while playing a game designed by the occupational therapist. Or, for another example, a client in a community mental health program can develop skills in personal financial management and other necessary tasks of daily life with the assistance of the occupational therapist. Sometimes, therapeutic occupation involves new growth in the person, or adaptation.