Affiliations: Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Minnesota, Minnesota, USA
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Michael Jensen, Ed.D., OTR/L, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota, Minnesota 55455, USA. Tel.: +1 612 626 2799; Email: [email protected].
Abstract: BACKGROUND: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. OBJECTIVE:To explore the experience of organizational employees participating in a workplace wellness program centered in the occupational therapy domain and process. METHODS: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. RESULTS:Three themes emerged (sustainable change across context, process matters, and therapeutic relationship supporting wellness), along with subthemes, describing the participant experience. CONCLUSIONS: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.
Keywords: Occupational therapy, work wellness, health promotion, occupational health, prevention
