Occupational Therapy in Crisis

Abstract The occupational therapy profession in the United States is in crisis. This is not a new phenomenon in occupational therapy’s history; we have previously experienced two crises, in the 1940s and 1970s. Crises arise when the current professional paradigm insufficiently addresses occupational therapy practice challenges. Similar to the past, there are issues in society, health care, and the profession prompting this identity crisis. Occupational therapy practitioners no longer have a consensus about the field’s theoretical base, view of humans, and scope of practice. By calling attention to this crisis, we hope to awaken occupational therapy practitioners to actively decide the future of our profession.