The occupational therapy process in workplace wellness: A qualitative study of client experience.

Abstract

Occupational therapy presently has a limited presence within the workplace wellness industry and the profession's contribution within this area of practice is not fully understood. Occupational therapy's holistic, occupation-based, and client-centered approach has the potential to provide a valuable contribution to the field of workplace wellness. To explore the experience of organizational employees participating in a workplace wellness program centered in the occupational therapy domain and process. Six occupational therapy workplace wellness program participants completed in-depth semi-structured interviews one month after program completion followed by deductive thematic analysis of transcripts. Three themes emerged (sustainable change across context, process matters, and therapeutic relationship supporting wellness), along with subthemes, describing the participant experience. The structured and individualized process of occupational therapy delivered within a workplace wellness program was appreciated by participants as a means of addressing workplace wellness and providing sustainable wellness results.