OT through the decades

Learning about occupational therapy in each decade was a unique experience that gave me a different outlook on our profession. There was one common theme throughout all of these decades and that was service. Occupational therapists have always strived to help others and are focused on servant leadership, an aspect that is unique in our profession. One aspect I thought was interesting was that after the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers, OTs helped people impacted get back to work. I have always known that OT had strong ties to mental health but it is interesting that after a national crisis we served such an important role. I also liked that in the 1980s presentation, it was demonstrated that OTs can use just about anything for therapy..including a Mr. Potato Head. I love that the profession focuses so much on client's abilities and interests instead of what they cannot do. Each era was different but the presentations demonstrated that occupational therapists have always strived to help others reach their full potential in all areas of life. We learned about so many areas that OTs work in (PTSD, mental illness, intellectual disabilities, etc), and how as those things have been more commonly accepted, our field has grown. This knowledge is beneficial to us as students and future therapists because it showed the huge amount of areas that we can work in and how our field has grown so much in a short amount of time. I will look back on these presentations and know that the sky is the limit!