October is Occupational Therapy Month
Helping people do what matters to them
Occupational therapists help people take part in the everyday activities that give their lives meaning, from getting dressed and going to work to playing, learning and connecting with community.
This October, we’re celebrating the students, alumni, researchers and clinicians of our Department of Occupational Therapy. From classrooms to clinics to communities across Alberta, their work shows what enhancing life through rehabilitation looks like.
Find their stories and research below.
Meet our OT community
Students and graduates share what drew them to occupational therapy and where it has taken them.
From the lab
OCCTH 571 · Pediatrics lab
Two ropes. One jumper. Plenty of problem-solving.
Our occupational therapy students took on double Dutch in their OCCTH 571 pediatrics lab to practise the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach.
The idea is to use active problem-solving to build skills for everyday activities. Try a strategy, see what works and adjust along the way.
Along with a new approach to bring into practice, students got some fresh air, laughter and a welcome break during a busy term.
OT research and impact at FRM
Our researchers and graduate students are changing how occupational therapy is taught and practised, from Alberta to Indonesia. Here are a few recent stories.
From four students to a national movement
Shaniff Esmail and Sharon Brintnell, Department of Occupational Therapy
Four Indonesian clinicians who trained at the U of A in 1994 went on to found their country’s first OT program. Decades later, Esmail helped build Indonesia’s first national OT curriculum.
PTSD therapy walks patients through past trauma
Suzette Brémault-Phillips, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, with Phillip Sevigny, Faculty of Education
A therapy that has patients walk on a treadmill while revisiting images and music tied to their trauma is showing strong results for PTSD, with improvements that can last at least a year.
Decolonizing occupational therapy education
Katelyn Favel, PhD candidate and Vanier Scholar, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
An occupational therapist from Poundmaker Cree Nation, Favel is studying how OT education could be rebuilt with Indigenous ways of knowing at its centre.
Celebrate with us
Have an OT story to share?
Whether you’re a student, graduate, faculty member, clinician or client, we’d like to hear how occupational therapy has shaped your life or work.
Share your story