HS896-7-SU-CO:
The thinking therapist
2024/25
Health and Social Care (School of)
Colchester Campus
Summer
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Tuesday 22 April 2025
Friday 27 June 2025
15
08 November 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
MSC B93024 Occupational Therapy (Pre-Registration)
This module focuses on a thinking therapist, who can evaluate and synthesise diverse experiences and sources of information, to lead innovations in occupational therapy and sustain continuing professional development.
The aims of this module are:
- To develop your knowledge of current trends and drivers for practice, including Government policies, research evidence, legislation, and practice guidelines. Your critical understanding of how these sources influence the context in which we work, and practice as occupational therapists will develop. To demonstrate your learning, you will be able to focus on a specific area of practice and design an appropriate innovation to improve service delivery. This will develop your potential for leadership and ability to appraise existing and develop new policy, which will enhance your potential future employability.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Identify innovative ways of working for occupational therapy, by critically appraising the social and political context for a specific setting for health and/or social care.
- Critically appraise existing policy to highlight service implementation gaps and make recommendation for innovation and leadership from an occupational perspective.
- Evaluate your learning process and the implications for your continuing professional development.
This module builds on learning from previous MSc Occupational Therapy modules, which will have given you deep insight into how occupational therapists approach the needs of service users and carers, based on an in-depth knowledge of occupational therapy philosophy and theory. In addition you will also have acquired practice-based skills and direct experience of several practice settings. It is therefore envisaged that you now have the underpinning knowledge and skills required to critically engage with our contemporary practice context, and identify the opportunities necessary to develop an innovative idea. This idea will reflect your own interests and plan for your future professional development.
Leadership, management and business development are all included in the module teaching, in order for you to critically appraise different service delivery structures and models (for example, social enterprise). Your self-directed and peer-led study will include reflecting on these different elements, along with models of change and ethical aspects of innovative practice.
The learning and teaching methods employed for this module can be divided into three:
Taught seminar-style sessions
Enquiry-Based Learning (EBL)
Independent self-directed study
-
Lencucha, R. and Shikako-Thomas, K. (2019) ‘Examining the intersection of policy and occupational therapy: A scoping review’,
Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 86(3), pp. 185–195. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1177/0008417419833183.
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Galvaan, R. (2015) ‘The Contextually Situated Nature of Occupational Choice: Marginalised Young Adolescents’ Experiences in South Africa’,
Journal of Occupational Science, 22(1), pp. 39–53. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2014.912124.
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EBSCOhost ebook collection (2016)
Global perspectives in professional reasoning. Edited by M.B. Cole and J. Creek. Thorofare, NJ: Slack Incorporated. Available at:
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1241591.
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Creek, J. and Lawson-Porter, A. (2007)
Contemporary issues in occupational therapy: reasoning and reflection. Chichester: Wiley. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=291008.
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Maria Galheigo, S. (2011) ‘What needs to be done? Occupational therapy responsibilities and challenges regarding human rights’,
Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 58(2), pp. 60–66. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.2011.00922.x.
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Adams, J., Egan, M. and Curtin, M. (eds) (2017)
Occupational therapy for people experiencing illness, injury or impairment: promoting occupation and participation. Seventh edition. Edinburgh: Elsevier. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/209451.
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Njelesani, J.
et al. (2014) ‘Articulating an Occupational Perspective’,
Journal of Occupational Science, 21(2), pp. 226–235. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2012.717500.
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Kronenberg, F., Pollard, N. and Sakellariou, D. (2011)
Occupational therapies without borders: towards an ecology of occupation-based practices, Volume 2. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingston/Elsevier. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1722343.
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Sakellariou, D. and Pollard, N. (eds) (2017a)
Occupational therapies without borders: integrating justice with practice. Second edition. Edinburgh: Elsevier. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/612570.
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Pattison, M. (2010) ‘Entrepreneurial opportunities in the global community’, in
Occupational therapy and physical dysfunction: enabling occupation. 6th ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, pp. 327–338. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1722082.
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Hocking, C. (2012) ‘Occupations through the Looking Glass: Reflecting on Occupational Scientists’ Ontological Assumptions’, in C. Hocking and G. Whiteford (eds)
Occupational Science: Society, Inclusion, Participation. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 54–66. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118281581.ch5.
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Scaffa, M.E. and Reitz, S.M. (2020)
Occupational therapy in community and population health practice. Third edition. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/1986107/.
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Cramm, H., White, C. and Krupa, T. (2013) ‘From Periphery to Player: Strategically Positioning Occupational Therapy Within the Knowledge Translation Landscape’,
The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67(1), pp. 119–125. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2013.005678.
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Sakellariou, D. and Pollard, N. (2017b)
Occupational therapies without borders: integrating justice with practice. 2nd edition. [Place of publication not identified]: Elsevier. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/612570.
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Buck, D., Wenzel, L. and Beech, J. (2021)
Communities and health. The King’s Fund. Available at:
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/communities-and-health.
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‘Sustainability Matters: Guiding Principles for Sustainability in Occupational Therapy Practice, Education and Scholarship’ (no date). WFOT. Available at:
https://www.wfot.org/resources/wfot-sustainability-guiding-principles.
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Corpuz, H.M.T.
et al. (2019) ‘The psychological well-being of emergency response personnel in the province of Cebu’,
World Federation of Occupational Therapists Bulletin, 75(2), pp. 105–111. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/14473828.2019.1649350.
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Lucas Molitor, W.
et al. (2020) ‘Promoting environmentally sustainable occupational engagement on a college campus: a case study’,
World Federation of Occupational Therapists Bulletin, pp. 1–3. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/14473828.2020.1717056.
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Zhu, Z.
et al. (2019) ‘Practice of occupational therapy in Tai Chi diagram: Adopted from traditional Chinese culture’,
World Federation of Occupational Therapists Bulletin, 75(1), pp. 50–58. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/14473828.2018.1455386.
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Pollard, N.
et al. (2019) ‘The occupation of accessing healthcare and processes of (dis)citizenship in UK Somali migrants: Sheffield case study’,
World Federation of Occupational Therapists Bulletin, 75(1), pp. 27–33. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/14473828.2018.1434989.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
1500 word policy brief |
03/07/2025 |
100% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
No
No
No
Dr Sunny Chan
UWE Bristol
Senior Lecturer
Available via Moodle
Of 75 hours, 75 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
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