Feminist occupational therapists and therapeutic relationship: a discourse analysis with a Foucaultian perspective

Abstract Introduction Considering the researching gap and the socio-political context in which we find ourselves, discussing feminism and the therapeutic relationship in occupational therapy contributes to the development of a critical disciplinary perspective. Objective This research aims to identify distinctive elements in the discourse of feminist occupational therapists regarding their therapeutic relationship, through an understanding of discursive formations related to power relations. Method A post-qualitative design was used, with a methodological framework grounded in a critical approach to hegemonic occupational therapy and post-structuralist feminist epistemology, aiming to explore discourses on the therapeutic relationship from a decentralized and flexible perspective, using open interviews as the information production technique. Results Through the analysis of results, three categories are presented: Construction of the Feminist Occupational Therapist Individual, Feminist Occupational Therapists and Therapeutic Relationship, and Tensions between Feminist Occupational Therapists and the Socio-labor Context. Findings highlight the experience of feminist occupational therapists as a valuable source of knowledge, challenging dominant narratives and proposing the co-construction of spaces of resistance in the therapeutic relationship. Conclusion Additionally, reflective and interventional tools related to self-monitoring and active listening are introduced, promoting situated practices that are relevant to political and social contexts from a counter-hegemonic perspective, valuing the diversity of knowledge in praxis.