Creativity in Occupational Therapy

THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVITY IN OT

For this week's open blog post, I wanted to expand on the idea of unusual practices that I began to explain in my special blog about Patch Adams. I found that in the past, occupational therapists used arts and crafts as a form of treatment which helped them both physically - improved strength and coordination- and mentally- increased self-esteem and improved social skills. This reminded me of the way Adams treated his patients. However, as the profession grew and became a larger part of the medical field, occupational therapists began to get rid of arts and crafts in their practices in order to establish an identity for their profession in the medical field. This also reminded my of the movie because of how the professionals in Adams field of practice did not accept the unusual ways in which he treated his patients and tried to get rid of him. In the present day however, the importance of creativity in occupational therapy is becoming popular again and is being reapplied to the practice. What I learned blogging today was very interesting and was also a good research experience. I liked to be able to build off of something I already researched and find out more of the background information. I think it makes the process of writing more interesting which then comes across in my work, making it more interesting for others to read. 

WORKS CITED

"Creative Occupations in OT: The Benefits of Creativity." Weebly.com. N.p. N.d. Web. 24 March 2013.