Interpreting and Enriching Occupational Contexts

Dr. Mahoney mentors students interested in Interpreting and Enriching Occupational Contexts. Enriching occupational contexts involves fostering resources and supports necessary for children, youth and adults with developmental disabilities to engage in occupations in health care, educational and community settings. Interpreting occupational contexts involves historical inquiry into issues in occupational therapy and how they developed and changed over time.

General Description of Student Activities

Students will use qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods or historical inquiry for program enhancement to support youth transitioning to adult life, or explore the historical roots of contemporary issues in occupational therapy. Students will work individually or in small groups to review relevant literature, provide input on designing the research study, and collect and analyze data. Students will contribute to scholarly work that leads to publications and presentations.

Examples of Projects

Enriching occupational contexts

  • Program development/enhancement in partnership with community agency for youth and young adults with developmental disabilities to prepare for community living and adult life
  • Perceived usefulness and effectiveness of resources to support quality occupational therapy services for adults with developmental disabilities in traditional health-care settings

Interpreting occupational contexts

  • Occupational therapy history research with topic flexibility
  • Founding of the Network for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Concerns in Occupational Therapy
  • Gender, professionalism and the early development of occupational therapy
  • World Federation of Occupational Therapists and the international expansion of occupational therapy

Ranked as the Number Three OT Program in the Nation

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We are excited that you are considering applying to the Program in Occupational Therapy at Washington University. Please join us for a Zoom Information Session for either our entry-level MSOT or OTD degrees or our online Post-Professional OTD. Current faculty members will discuss the degree program and answer any question you may have. We are offering these sessions on the following days and times. The content is the same for each one, so you only need to sign up for one.

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