Our Identity, Promise, and Responsibility: Our Perspective

Abstract

In this personal reflection, the miscasting of Dian Fossey, the primatologist, conservationist and occupational therapist, in the 1988 movie "Gorillas in the Mist" provides a lens to explore the seemingly enormous challenge of describing one of healthcare’s most important - and most misunderstood - health professions: occupational therapy. This challenge leads directly into longstanding, ongoing debates around defining occupational therapy: who are we, what do we do, and why does that distinction matter, perhaps now more than ever?