Occupational therapy professional education and research in the social field

Abstract

This paper discusses methods of professional education and intervention that highlight the technical-ethicalpolitical role of occupational therapy in dealing with contemporary social problems. The paper describes how experiences of occupational therapy in the social field were used with students as strategies for understanding social reality, accomplishing academic education and developing research and reflections about caring technologies in this field.The overall aims of the project are to promote undergraduate and graduate education and to increase the knowledge base of social occupational therapy, especially in the area of youth problems that, for social, cultural and historical reasons, disrupt social support networks. To achieve these objectives, we developed technologies for social actions directed toward socially vulnerable groups of Brazilian youths, through university extension activities and academic research. Occupational therapy provides interventions at the population level and contributes to the development of mutual social living. Our experiences of these interventions are used to demonstrate principles underpinning the promotion of the practice of democracy and rights deriving from citizenship.