Philosophy and Occupational Therapy: Informing Education, Research, and Practice

Philosophy and Occupational Therapy: Informing Education, Research, and Practice provides an overview of the most influential philosophical movements from past to present and shows how these philosophies are a foundational, yet underutilized, element of occupational therapy education, research, and practice.

Editor Steven D. Taff, PhD, OTR/L, FNAP, FAOTA, fills a gap in existing occupational therapy literature by exploring the major thinkers and concepts of numerous different philosophical movements and examining their implications. Taff and a multitude of chapter authors demonstrate that the vital points of human existence are found in philosophy as well as science, and that occupational therapy should incorporate a clearly articulated philosophical perspective into its evidence-based and measurement-driven paradigm.

Each chapter offers a basic description of a philosophy, outlines major thinkers and concepts and ultimately summarizes the implications for occupational therapy education, research and practice.

Philosophy and Occupational Therapy: Informing Education, Research, and Practice is a unique and essential book for occupational therapy educators, researchers, and clinicians that will enrich the teaching-learning process, ground research with depth and clarity, and spark discussion among professionals about reviving the use of philosophy in current occupational therapy practice.

Steven D. Taff, PhD, OTR/L, FNAP, FAOTA, is Associate Professor in the Program in Occupational Therapy and Department of Medicine and Director of the Teaching Scholars Program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He is also co­founder of the Cross-­Campus Educational Research Group, a multidisciplinary community of educational scholars and innovators at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Taff served as Chair of the Commission on Education of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) from 2016 to 2019 and is also a member of the leadership group of the AOTA Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Program. He is a co­author of the AOTA Educational Research Agenda (Revised) and the Educator’s Guide for Addressing Cultural Awareness, Humility, and Dexterity in Occupational Therapy Curricula, and co­editor of the book Perspectives on Occupational Therapy Education: Past, Pre­sent, and ­Future. Dr. Taff was a recipient of the Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award in 2017.