OT and Purpose

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.

1. You will recognize how a sense of purpose can be incorporated into your outcome measures.

2. You will be able to identify how your OT interventions can more directly address a sense of purpose.

• Intro

• Breakdown and analysis of journal article

• Discussion on practical implications for OTs

  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?

Primary

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

Additional

• Purpose in Life as an Explicit Outcome of Occupational Therapy

• Sense of purpose in life and allostatic load in two longitudinal cohorts

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.

OT Potential pays guest speakers an honorarium for their participation, either directly or to an institution of the speaker's choosing at their request. We invite guests whose expertise often comes from practices, programs, or building products in their field. Where a speaker has a financial interest in the subject of a course, we disclose it below so you can weigh it for yourself.

OT Potential's interest in this topic: We have no financial stake in this topic.

Speaker interests: Alix Sleight directs the Cancer Survivorship, Health, and Life Transitions (C-SHIFT) Lab at USC and conducts grant-funded research in this area. She has no financial interest in this topic to disclose.