Professional identities of occupational therapy practitioners in Japan

Abstract

To aim to inductively clarify the professional identity of occupational therapists who work in a clinical setting, the researchers interviewed the 22 occupational therapists who had a minimum of 5 years or more of practice in the field. The professional identities of the practicing occupational therapists were constructed by the following two core categories: “harmonizing with a client’s life and the characteristic of a client’s disability”, and “giving clients sovereignties as a mission of the occupational therapists”. The occupational therapist can carry the role of coordinator in an interdisciplinary team for the clients with disability by understanding them. This is achieved based on the core category called “giving clients sovereignties as a mission of the occupational therapists”. Furthermore, in order to achieve the clients’ sovereignties, the occupational therapist can be an operational unit by planning practical strategies and practicing them based on the core category called “harmonizing with a client’s life and the characteristic of a client’s disability”. The fact is often difficult for these clients that they are concerned with how he/she lived actively. It is through unique ways of contributing for the clients in a team of professionals that the occupational therapists try to understand the clients not as “patients” but as “human beings”, and try to harmonize with their life and the characteristics of their disability, then try to support and empower them to reach a stage in which they have the sovereignties of their lives.