In this episode we explore the history of occupational therapy with occupational therapist, Josie Jarvis. We take a deep dive into:
- A historical view of ‘occupation’
- How occupational therapy became a profession
- Occupational science and understanding the everyday lives of humans
- Working beyond the 1:1 therapy model to working with groups and communities …..and SO much more!
This was an invigorating, highly interesting and intellectually stimulating conversation with Josie. I learnt way more than I expected. Her knowledge and enthusiasm for history, science and our profession blew me away.
Josie Jarvis has been a practicing occupational therapist in the United States since 2015 supporting clients across the lifespan in traditional settings such as acute care, skilled nursing, memory care, outpatient pediatrics, and school based practice. She returned to school in 2019 for her post professional clinical doctorate after feeling discouraged by extremely narrow conceptions of OT practice and a health and social service system that focused more on denying services than providing them to clients with complex mental, physical, and social disabilities. While enrolled at the University of Utah she got reconnected to the soul core and historic roots of occupational therapy and developments of dynamic OT practice occurring internationally that was informed and inspired by contemporary occupational science, multicultural perspectives, critiques, and community responses to a profit driven medical model of human service delivery that often harms occupational being as much as it helps. She now finds great hope and inspiration for the future of occupational therapy all over the world. By supporting each-other in finding courage and connection to our roots as a brave and dynamic profession that has the capacity to not only change lives but systems of exclusivity and oppression throughout the world toward a culture of shared empowerment and holistic wellbeing. It is her hope that by getting a deeper connection to our shared history and distinct science base there is hope that OTPs all over the world can feel empowered and supported in their purpose to bring constructive healing through occupation and adapting together in time of rapid change and social injustice.
Josie has two podcasts Engaging Occupational Science (focused on making occupational science dialog accessible) and the Evolved Living podcast (focused on empowering collaboration in community based responses to shared social challenges in the current landscape).
To learn more from Josie Jarvis, you can find her here:
Podcast: Engaging Occupational Science Podcast
Podcast: Foundations of Occupational Science
Facebook group: Occupational Science Empowered
Freebie: Occupational Science 101 Guide
