The case for environmentally-informed occupational therapy: Clinical and educational applications to promote personal wellness, public health and environmental sustainability

Abstract

Research shows that personal and public health are intrinsically intertwined with ecological conditions and that actions that promote environmental sustainability are good prescriptions for health and wellness. I call this awareness and its implications for occupational therapists ‘environmentally-informed occupational therapy’ (EIOT). EIOT is an approach to occupational therapy founded in the growing body of scientific evidence that demonstrates that what is good for the environment is good for human health and well-being. It looks to nature to inform interventions and helps occupational therapists support their clients, students and communities to make lifestyle choices that contribute to their personal health while protecting and ideally enhancing the environment, e.g. while reducing global warming, preserving natural resources, preventing biodiversity loss, and more. Clinical and educational examples of EIOT are described.