Episode 9: Meaning vs. Medicine: OT’s First Fight (1790-1899)

Episode 1: OT Started as Rebellion (1790–1899) In this first episode of the 8-part “Occupation Under Pressure” series, we go back to the days before occupational therapy had a name — when meaning, craft, community, and dignity shaped healing long before healthcare systems tried to reduce it to checkboxes and units. We explore the philosophical and sociopolitical roots of OT from 1790 to 1899, including the Moral Treatment Movement, settlement houses, the arts-and-crafts era, and the rise of graded activity in tuberculosis sanatoria. This episode reveals how occupation originally functioned as identity-building, purpose-restoring, skilled engagement — not “ADL practice.” Then we connect the past to today’s challenges: our profession’s confusion about what occupation actually is, the rise of ADL-only thinking, and how insurance systems now weaponize that misunderstanding against us. Finally, we close with a small but powerful action step to help practitioners reclaim occupation as meaningful work, not just functional task performance. If history has taught us anything…it’s to stay outspoken. 🔥 Key Topics The true origins of occupation-based healing Why early OT was built on craft, purpose, and contribution How medicine’s rise created the first battle between meaning and measurement Where the “ADL = skilled” myth really came from How modern documentation and AI auditing distort our roots What clinicians can do right now to reclaim authentic occupation ⚡️ Action Step Choose one client this week and document a meaningful, identity-building occupation — not an ADL — using the real historical logic of our profession. 📚 Series Source Occupation Under Pressure: A Sociopolitical History of Disability, Power, and the Occupational Therapy Profession