Occupation Embedded in a Real Life, Essay Example

The main point of Florence Clark’s article, “Occupation Embedded in a Real Life: Interweaving Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy,” introduces the practice of interpretive occupational therapy as an alternative to more theoretical approaches.  Clark explains her interpretive approach by providing the case study of Professor Penny Richardson, who suffered a stroke and subsequently entered treatment with Clark.  The article recounts Richardson’s experiences in occupational therapy through narrative, an approach which shares many methodological commonalities with anthropology and ethnography.  By allowing Richardson’s story to dominate this discourse, Clark emphasizes that storytelling can empower clients by allowing them to give meaning to the events which have brought them into the occupational therapy environment and those which will lead them into recovery.  Clark also emphasized that the relationship between occupational therapist and client need not be distant or unemotional; instead, one built on friendship and respect can encourage the client to take a more proactive role in providing a narrative that will assist with treatment.