Occupation is a central concept in occupational therapy that “…refers to groups of activities and tasks of everyday life, named, organized and given value and meaning by individuals and a culture.

Our beliefs about occupation are based on the following premises:

• that every individual has inherent worth and is unique
• that every person has a basic need to be engaged in occupation
• that occupation is a determinant of health and well-being
• that individuals and occupations influence and are influenced by the environment
• that an individually determined balance of work, rest and play is essential for health (Townsend & Polatajko, 2007).

Occupational performance and occupational engagement represents the dynamic relationship between a person, environment and occupation over a person's lifespan. Occupational performance refers to “..the ability to choose, organize and satisfactorily perform meaningful occupations that are culturally defined and age-appropriate...” (CAOT, 2002, pg. 30). Recently we have moved beyond performance to acknowledge occupational engagement as a representation of “all we do to ‘involve oneself or become occupied; participate” (Polatajko et al., 2007, p. 34).

Occupational Therapy uses the art and science of occupation to optimize occupational performance and engagement in the areas of self-care, productivity, and leisure. Occupational therapists work with people of all ages to prevent disability and to promote, maintain, or restore occupational health and well-being. Our broad vision is to enable occupation in people who face emotional, physical or social barriers to develop healthy patterns of occupation.

Our professional framework also includes important principles of the concept of client-centred practice . We believe that occupational therapists collaborate with the individual and his/her family throughout the process of assessment, program planning, intervention, and outcome evaluation. The definition of client is often expanded beyond the individual to include families, agencies, communities, and other populations.

Although service to clients constitutes the primary focus of the profession, the scope of practice also encompasses research, education, and administration. Occupational therapists can assume many roles throughout their professional careers (e.g., assessor, intervenor, educator, team member, supervisor, advocate, mediator, consultant, case manager, program manager, department director, administrator, clinical teacher, professor, and researcher), and can work in a variety of settings within the health, educational, and social services systems (for example, hospitals, rehabilitation centres, chronic care facilities, group homes, nursing homes, schools, industry, medical supply firms, outpatient clinics, private practice, insurance companies, home care agencies, consulting firms, and correctional facilities).

Our program is currently adopting the Profile of Occupational Therapy Practice in Canada (“OT Profile”) (CAOT, 2007) as a guiding document. Within the OT Profile, a model of essential competencies for the occupational therapy profession is depicted (see image below). The seven key areas of competency have been identified within our educational program as key outcomes.