Clients’ Perspectives of Spirituality in Occupational Therapy: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: : While occupational therapy (OT) identifies itself as a holistic profession, there is little guidance in the literature and in academia to assist practitioners in addressing spirituality. An assignment was developed to provide a platform for occupational therapy assistant students to explicitly screen for clients' perspectives of spiritual occupations. This paper summarizes the client responses to that assignment. Method: Occupational therapy assistant students in a Midwestern community college conducted a 5-question spirituality screening in the context of their Level I and Level II fieldwork placements. While this exercise began as a student assignment, the value of the client feedback was recognized, themes emerged, and a retrospective content analysis ensued. Results: Clients overwhelmingly identified as spiritual. Initially their associated spiritual occupations were largely religious-oriented activities. However, when questioned further, responses expanded to include nonreligious occupations that could inform occupation-based therapeutic interventions. Most clients maintained or deepened their spiritual beliefs despite their illness. Lastly, clients identified the practitioner's therapeutic use of self as spiritually supportive, while others associated spirituality with functional goals. Conclusion: : A single inquiry regarding a client's spirituality appears insufficient to adequately guide clientcentered occupation-based treatment intervention. Clinicians are encouraged to articulate OT's distinct value related to spirituality to all clients. Comments The author reports no potential conflicts of interest.

Spirituality in Occupational Therapy Practice: Where is Our Spirituality Now?

“…OTs and OT students believed that their education did not adequately prepare them for addressing the subject of spirituality in practice, as the topic was either excluded completely or not demonstrated as important (Engquist et al, 1997; Morris, 2013; Mthembu et al, 2017), despite existing guidelines to address spirituality in the OT program curriculum (AOTA, 2018). Despite this call to action aimed at improving use of spirituality in practice, the present study participants emphasized personal spiritual reflection and development as an impactful method of preparing oneself to better address spirituality (Milliken, 2020). These findings are consistent with Mthembu et al (2015) where OT students felt that it was up to the individual to initiate “personal and experiential learning” to address and update their knowledge about spirituality (p. 2190).…”

“…Prominent organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, have recognized the value of spirituality in health care (C. M. Puchalski, 2001;WHO, 2015). Occupational therapy (OT) clients value and see spirituality as an essential aspect of their identity and well-being (Humbert, 2016), expressing a desire for emotional support from therapists to help meet spiritual needs (Milliken, 2020). The dimension of spirituality is also included in evolving OT models, frameworks, and assessments (Billock, 2019;Dubouloz, 2014;Kang, 2017;Polatajko et al, 2013;C.…”

“…Within the latest Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process-Fourth Edition , spirituality is defined as “a deep experience of meaning brought about by engaging in occupations that involve the enacting of personal values and beliefs, reflection, and intention within a supportive contextual environment” (AOTA, 2020, p.15). Even though spirituality was found to be an integral aspect of the OT profession (Engquist et al, 1997), there remains confusion regarding the role of spirituality in practice that has persisted through the years (Milliken, 2020; Morris et al, 2014).…”

Spiritual Care Professionals as Unit-Based Interdisciplinary Team Members? Considering Patient and Staff Perceptions in a Forensic Mental Health Care Setting

“…In 2008, spirituality was included as a client factor in the American Occupational Therapy practice framework and maintained in later editions (Roley et al, 2008;Gibbs et al, 2020). Despite this focus, there has been an identifiable struggle and debate within the Occupational Therapy profession related to concepts of more practical assessment and application (Milliken, 2020). This does not seem to be due to lack of effort or intention, however, as multiple spirituality-related theories and practice models to guide care have been proposed (Kang, 2003, Kang 2017Newbigging, 2017).…”

Significados y retos de la Terapia Ocupacional en cuidados paliativos: una perspectiva desde la experiencia práctica estudiantil

“…Definir y entender la espiritualidad, así como generar posibilidades para su uso en la Terapia Ocupacional ha sido y sigue siendo un reto, al no ser un fenómeno de estudio tangible (Rose, 1999;Hasselkus, 2011;Billock, 2011;Mthembu et al, 2018). Establecer una atención centrada en la persona que permita identificar lo trascendental y lo relevante, sin imponer valores personales y prejuicios ante las interpretaciones de la vida y de lo sagrado, puede posibilitar la sensación de paz, profundizar y mantener las creencias espirituales, incluso ante el avance irreversible de la condición de salud (Milliken, 2020), pues facilita el tránsito hacia el fin de la vida con un sentir único e, inclusive, (re) construir la historia de vida (Nascimento y Delboni, 2021).…”