Occupational Therapy and Finding One's Calling (Part 1)

The phoenix rising from the ashes symbolizes occupational therapy

What's the best career advice you’ve ever gotten?

The best career advice that I got as a teenager was from my mom. It gave me the clarity of mind to pursue occupational therapy as a profession. We were in Pampanga then during the summer before I was supposed to take the university entrance exams. I had been deliberating on whether I should take up a pre-med course or major in the liberal arts.

After helping me weigh different options, Mama concluded by saying, “Ask God to make His will your heart’s desire for your career.” That deeply resonated with me because at that time, many of my schoolmates were struggling in school, and I felt like they were not getting the help that they needed.

Math Anxiety

I could empathize with the struggles of average and below average students even if I was in the honor roll because I was having a hard time with math. I could not concentrate during math class. Hence, I didn’t fully grasp mathematical concepts and how to apply them to solve word problems. My math anxiety unfortunately affected other aspects of my life. I dreaded physics and chemistry. Moreover, my mind would often go blank whenever I had to do simple calculations that were related to daily activities. I was ashamed of myself! After all, I was supposed to know the arithmetic stuff as an honor student.

The learning difficulties that I experienced gave me the conviction to meet the needs of other struggling students. I thought to myself that I wanted to help children and adults with disabilities develop their God-given abilities in ways that are most suitable to their needs instead of forcing them to be just like everyone else. That simple tenet is one of the foundations of occupational therapy.

Ang Panawagan

According to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT), occupations are daily living activities that give meaning and purpose to a person’s life. Occupational Therapists (OTs) are professionals that equip people with the skills to engage in occupations. The question is, which activities give human beings meaning and purpose?

The fad these days is to believe that people can only be fulfilled if they can engage in all the activities that they desire. Liberal OTs call this “occupational rights”, which are different from human rights. While I’m sure that these colleagues have good intentions, I disagree with the notion that people’s lives will become meaningful mainly by giving them unearned privileges.

Rather, what gives life meaning is having responsibilities, even for persons with disabilities (PWDs). In fact, having responsibilities will promote the PWD’s well-being! OTs refer to responsibilities as “roles”. But because I’m a Christian, I prefer the term “calling”. In Tagalog, it’s called panawagan. As OTs, our duty is to help individual PWDs fulfill their responsibilities or their calling in ways that are respectful of their needs.

History is on my side because this was the principle on which architect George Barton founded the Consolation House, the first outpatient occupational therapy clinic. When Barton suffered from the ravages of tuberculosis and underwent amputation, he became despondent over the lack of cure for his disability. The Episcopalian minister Rev. Elwood Worcester then exhorted Barton to use his talents and resources to help other PWDs. That’s because Rev. Worcester believed that helping others could restore a person’s health. Barton followed this godly counsel by inviting PWDs to pursue hobbies at the Consolation House, which he built.

Barton experienced enough recovery for him to accomplish many tasks, although he was never healed of all his physical impairments. More importantly, he found joy in pursuing his new vocation of providing therapeutic activities to PWDs. Now, generations of patients and their healthcare providers have reaped the fruits of Barton’s calling through a profession called occupational therapy.

Beauty for Ashes

I love Barton’s story because it illustrates our discipline’s core belief that something good can come out of one’s suffering. In fact, our greatest contributions to the world are often the fruit of our deepest hurts that the Lord has used for our good. That’s why the motto of the Consolation House is, “To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for His own glory.” (Isaiah 61:3, NLT).

PWDs must have responsibilities to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health. I believe that this tenet has profound yet practical implications for the direction of occupational therapy. I’ll discuss them in the next article.