OT and Purpose

Earn 1 hour of continuing education by joining OT Potential after taking this course.

Here’s a question I can’t stop thinking about: 

Is “sense of purpose” the true secret ingredient that makes occupational therapy unique and effective? 

I ran a survey of my OT peers earlier this year, and I was shocked that 17% of respondents selected “sense of purpose” as the main treatment area they address—second only to “daily activities,” which is what I traditionally think of as our bread and butter. 

This tells me that, on the ground, a surprising number of therapists see “addressing sense of purpose” as their most effective intervention. 

The article we are looking at today reveals why sense of purpose may be such a profound lever to pull. (Hint: It is associated with many health benefits!) 

After we review the article, we are excited to welcome to the podcast one of occupational therapy’s leading thinkers about our role in sense of purpose: Dr. Alix Sleight. Together, we’ll unpack the science behind sense of purpose—and the small and large ways you can address it in your OT sessions. 

Primary Journal Article Explored

• Sense of Purpose in Life and Subsequent Physical, Behavioral, and Psychosocial Health: An Outcome-Wide Approach

Supporting Research and Journal Articles

• Purpose in Life as an Explicit Outcome of Occupational Therapy
• Sense of purpose in life and allostatic load in two longitudinal cohorts

Learning Objectives

• You will recognize how a sense of purpose can be incorporated into your outcome measures.
• You will be able to identify how your OT interventions can more directly address a sense of purpose.

Agenda

Intro (5 minutes)

Breakdown and analysis of journal article (5 minutes)

Discussion on practical implications for OTs (55 minutes)

1. Alix, how did you become interested in a sense of purpose? 
2. How has this interest played into your research and OT practice?
3. What were your impressions of this article? 
4. Why do you think so many OTs identify with addressing sense of purpose? And, how do you think we are already doing that? 
5. If we wanted to lean into addressing sense of purpose more, what could that look like in our assessment?
6. ….in our treatment?
7. How do we talk about sense of purpose with clients?
8. How do we talk about this work with our referral sources?
9. What are your hopes for the future OT and sense of purpose? 

Target Audience/Educational Level

Our target audience is occupational therapy practitioners who are looking to learn about AI and Clinical Decision Support.  The educational level is introductory.

Financial and Non-financial Disclosures

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

We here at OT Potential have no financial stake in this topic. 

Speakers

Alix G. Sleight PhD, OTD, MPH, OTR/L

Dr. Alix Sleight is an occupational therapist and behavioral scientist. She directs the Cancer Survivorship, Health, and Life Transitions (C-SHIFT) Lab at USC, which focuses on health and quality of life outcomes during cancer survivorship. Dr. Sleight is particularly interested in the ways in which cancer survivors experience everyday activities, health behavior change, post-traumatic growth, self-actualization, and self-transcendence.

Dr. Sleight conducts clinical trials as well as cross-sectional and qualitative studies in cancer survivorship. Her research interests include personalized health self-management interventions for chronic conditions, health-related quality of life, spiritual well-being, health behavior change, and the therapeutic use of self-generated ceremony during major life transitions. Dr. Sleight is also a NEDA-certified end-of-life doula and is interested in the death positivity movement and the contribution of occupational science and occupational therapy to the enrichment of end-of-life care.

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L

Sarah’s passion is helping fellow OT practitioners translate evidence into daily practice. Sarah earned her BA in religion from St. Olaf College, then earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University in 2011.

Since then, she’s worked in numerous facilities, including a critical access hospital, an acute trauma hospital, and a state inpatient psychiatric hospital. Sarah is the founder/owner of OT Potential. Read more about OT Potential here.

This course was designed to meet your continuing education requirements

We designed the courses in the Club to meet the requirements for “online” and “independent/self-study” courses. To verify the requirements from your specific state (within the US), check out our post, OT Continuing Education Requirements. If you are outside of the United States and have questions, please contact us.

We are proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider and to meet the requirements for your NBCOT renewal.

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