In this two-part post we will discuss the role of occupational therapy in facilitating client participation in the occupation of work. Part 1 focuses on the importance of work as an occupation.

If you have been an occupational therapy practitioner for any length of time, you have probably had the experience of someone assuming that your role as an occupational therapist is to help find them a job. Usually our reaction to this assumption is to educate the offending party on the true role and definition of occupational therapy, often with an undertone of frustration at the lack of general awareness of the merits of our profession. And yet, did you ever stop to consider that work is an occupation, too? So technically, we can help clients find a job…sorta…

As anyone who has themselves been unemployed or who has journeyed through unemployment with a loved one will tell you, work is an important occupation. Sure, we all complain about it (much like we complain about so many IADL tasks like taking out the trash or doing laundry), but as soon as we find ourselves without a job (and subsequently an income), we usually quit complaining pretty fast. So why is work such an important occupation?

Work often provides a source of financial income.
The biggest reason most people work is because work usually provides a source of financial income. Now, I say usually because technically some types of work, such as volunteer work, don’t earn an income, but in most cases, individuals are paid in some capacity (be it with money or through an exchange of goods or services) for the work that they do. This income earned from work, in turn, is what allows us to pay for food, shelter, clothing, and all of the other needs and wants of daily life. So work, then, is what gives us the ability to live, and the loss of work can subsequently increase financial stressors and decrease overall quality of life.

Work often provides a source of meaning and purpose.
For many people, the importance of work goes beyond the mere necessity of paying for daily living expenses; instead, work can also provide a sense of meaning and purpose to life. When work provides a source of meaning and purpose, the loss of that work can subsequently send individuals into a tailspin. You often see the effects of this play out in individuals who struggle adjusting to life in retirement, particularly when they were forced to retire sooner than they had wished. Or you may see it in individuals who are unable to work due to a disability, be it temporary or permanent. When faced with the loss of meaning and purpose associated with their careers, these individuals may become despondent or even develop depression.

Work can provide social interaction.
In many cases, individuals will interact with others during the course of their work day, and in this way, work can also provide them with an element of social interaction. They may not even realize the importance of this social interaction to their overall quality of life until they find themselves not working and subsequently missing simple everyday interactions with others. The effects of this can often be seen in new parents who choose to stay home with their young children but then miss the adult interaction they previously obtained through work.

Work can provide intellectual stimulation.
Many jobs often include an element of problem solving that can provide intellectual stimulation for employees as they develop innovative solutions to challenges large and small or new ways to complete tasks or responsibilities more efficiently. This daily challenge helps individuals to maintain mental acuity, and the loss of employment can leave them searching for some other cognitive outlet. Additionally, individuals who have worked in a particular setting for a period of time and developed routines and patterns that decrease the intellectual stimulation of their jobs, may also begin searching for new job opportunities or promotions in order to restore the intellectual challenge of their daily work.

Whether the reasons are intrinsic to the career itself or instead tied to the product of employment, work, itself, is a meaningful occupation for many individuals. And as a result, it is not an occupation to be discounted or overlooked in occupational therapy evaluations and treatments. In part 2 we will discuss the ways in which occupational therapy practitioners can and do support client engagement in this important occupation of work.