Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement - Further Developments

Further Developments

In July 2007, the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists launched Canada's 8th landmark occupational therapy practice guidelines entitled Enabling Occupation II: Advancing an Occupational Therapy Vision for Health, Well-being, & Justice through Occupation. The new publication is a companion to Enabling Occupation: An Occupational Therapy Perspective 1997/2002 and reflects the growth and development of the profession’s knowledge in occupation-based, evidence-based and client-centred practice.

Enabling Occupation II advances the core concepts of occupation and enablement, and their application in practice with clients, education and research. Drawing on the experience and research of over 60 authors in Canada, Enabling Occupation II raises complex sociocultural issues, such as diversity, individualism and collectivism, language, economy and regulation.

Several significant developments are captured in these new guidelines, including a deeper discussion of occupation, clear specification of enablement, the practical characterization of occupation-based enablement, and an emphasis on scholarship, accountability, funding and workforce planning as leadership strategies.

The 2007 publication can be considered the ‘triple model’ guidelines:

• the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance was expanded to include the concept of engagement;
• the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement (CMOP-E) portrays an occupational perspective that includes and extends beyond occupational performance; and
• the Canadian Model of Client-Centred Engagement (CMCE) captures the profession’s historical concern for client-centred practice, now linked to the broader concept of enablement.
• and the new Canadian Practice Process Framework (CPPF) portrays eight action points for the process of occupation-based, client-centred enablement.

CAOT encourages readers of Enabling Occupation: An Occupational Therapy Perspective 1997/2002 to continue to advance their understanding of occupational therapy by reading the companion document Enabling Occupation II: Advancing an Occupational Therapy Vision for Health, Well-being, & Justice through Occupation. Readers are strongly encouraged to use the CMOP-E in place of the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance (CMOP); the CPPF in place of the Occupational Performance Process Model (OPPM); and refer to the CMCE to bring client-centred practice to life.