It's simple and complex. At the heart of your clinical reasoning; at the heart of how you frame problems and how you navigate solutions - is an understanding of humans as occupational beings.
This may sound vague, but it actually defines who we are and what we do! For example, OTs should only deal with what we do best - occupational problems. This is not because we don't have the capacity to address other issues, it's just more strategic in a world plagued by occupational suffering and injustice. So practice boundaries are sharpened with an occupational focus, yet broadened into areas such as refugee work which are dominated by occupational issues.
Another way to check if your practice and clinical reasoning is occupation centred is the "means and end" test. Am I using occupation (means or how we work) to promote occupational wellbeing (end or why we work). This is unique compared to a pharmacist who uses drugs to promote the absence of disease or a physiotherapist who uses physical modalities to promote biomechanical health.
Resources to get you started (or refreshed)
The project that got the team intrigued with OOFRAS in 2004 Addressing the needs of newly arrived refugees - an OT perspective
Christiansen, C., & Townsend, E. (Eds.). (2004). Introduction to Occupation: The Art and Science of Living. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
Clark, F. (1993). Occupation embedded in a real life: Interweaving occupational science and occupational therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 47(12), 1067-1078.
Clark, F., Wood, W., & Larson, E. (1998). Occupation science: Occupational therapy's legacy for the 21st century. In M. Neistadt & E. Crepeau (Eds.), Willard and Spackman's Occupational Therapy. Philadelphia: Lippincott.
Crist, P., Royeen, C., & Schkade, J. (Eds.). (2000). Infusing Occupation Into Practice (Second ed.). Bethesda: American Occupational Therapy Association.
Kramer, P., Hinojosa, J., & Royeen, C. (Eds.). (2003). Perspectives in Human Occupation: Participation in Life. Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkin.
Law, M., Baum, C., & Baptiste, S. (Eds.). (2002). Occupation-Based Practice: Fostering Performance and Participation. Thorofare: Slack.
Pierce, D. (2003). Occupation by Design: Building Therapeutic Power. Philadelphia: FA Davis.
Scaffa, M. (Ed.). (2001). Occupaitonal Therapy in Community-Based Practice Settings. Philadelphia: FA Davis.
Wilcock, A. (1998). An Occupational Perspective of Health. Thorofare: Slack.
Zemke, R., & Clark, F. (Eds.). (1996). Occupational Science: The Evolving Discipline. Philadelphia: FA Davis.
