OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

use of self-care and work and play activities to promote and maintain health, prevent disability, increase independent function, and enhance development. This form of therapy evolved from the recognition that work helps to restore the mentally and physically ill, particularly after the acute phase of illness has passed. Because any form of therapy must be dependent on others, any treatment program designed by an occupational therapist is coordinated with the work of doctors, nurses, and other related professional personnel in setting up a specific program for a patient. Additional reading Mary S. Jones, An Approach to Occupational Therapy, 3rd ed. (1977); Helen L. Hopkins and Helen D. Smith (eds.), Willard and Spackman's Occupational Therapy, 8th ed. (1993); The American Journal of Occupational Therapy (monthly); The British Journal of Occupational Therapy (monthly).