Understanding the European conceptual framework for occupational therapy: for what it is worth

Abstract

In the past, occupational therapists have found it difficult to use a common professional language or have failed entirely. Clarification of and agreement on the concepts behind key terms in occupational therapy remains an unsolved problem as there is still a lack of uniformity in their use and comprehension. Several organizations have attempted, at various times, to deal with this issue. In the last decade, a terminology project of the European Network of Occupational Therapy in Higher Education produced consensus definitions of the core terms in the discipline. Based on this work, a European conceptual framework was produced by the project working group, with the aim of clarifying the complex ways in which occupational therapists think about human action. Some experiences of using the framework with students and occupational therapists are presented. It is expected that this conceptual framework will help students, practitioners and educators to better understand how occupational therapy can act to influence the occupational performance of our clients.