Reclaiming the vision of reaching for heart as well as hands

Sexuality and Occupational Therapy: Exploring the Link

Holism is perceived to be one of the major tenets of occupational therapy. This article discusses the relevance of sexuality to holistic health care and contributes to the continuing discussion regarding the legitimacy of sexuality as an area of concern for occupational therapists. Sexuality is an important part of the human experience and is linked closely with spirituality. However, it is often neglected by occupational therapists.

The article explores the occupational nature of sexuality and demonstrates its connection with the core concept of occupation. Moreover, considering the importance of spirituality in holistic care, the article also presents an overview of the relationship between sexuality and spirituality and illustrates sexuality as a dynamic identity component. It is proposed that occupational therapists should recognise sexuality and its importance in the individual's life and incorporate it into therapy.

Toward a flexible framework for understanding spirituality

Occupational therapy and nursing literature share a common theoretical journey of the concept, spirituality. This paper draws on the nursing literature's theoretical progress in the area of spirituality in order to propose a theoretical framework for occupational therapy models. It is suggested that discourse analysis and the examination of personal and professional worldviews will contribute to theorizing of the concept of spirituality within the discipline of occupational therapy and that it is preferable to represent spirituality as a flexible framework rather than a fixed definition.

Senator Bill Frist and the medical jeremiad

This essay analyzes Senator Bill Frist's 2001 address to the American Society of Thoracic Surgeons. The author argues that the address represents an attempt to reframe physicians' political identity to authorize more active participation by them. Frist authorizes and demands such participation through the construction of a medical jeremiad. He argues that American physicians must have greater involvement to preserve the health of the body politic and to reassert physician control over the biomedical system. Although Frist's arguments are built on an apparently democratic form of address, his jeremiad illustrates aristocratic possibilities in medico-political rhetoric.