Understanding occupational therapists' use of acceptance and commitment therapy in New Zealand
Author: Dominique du Toit
Supervisors: Linda Robertson
20 July 2023
du Toit, D. (2023). Understanding occupational therapists' use of acceptance and commitment therapy in New Zealand. (Unpublished document submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Occupational Therapy). Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga, New Zealand. https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.6515
Abstract
Acceptance and commitment therapy is a gold standard third wave behaviour therapy effective in treating a range of conditions including depression, anxiety, phobias, schizophrenia and pain, yet there is little empirical research supporting its use by occupational therapists. Acceptance and commitment therapy aims to increase engagement in meaningful activities in a strengths-based non-judgmental way. It combines talk therapy with real world skills building. Importantly in a New Zealand context, there is evidence to suggest that acceptance and commitment therapy is able to work well alongside indigenous models of health to improve equitable outcomes. Anecdotally there is much support for its use by occupational therapists.
However, occupational therapy interventions are research informed and therefore research is needed to demonstrate effectiveness within the occupational therapy paradigm. The current research is a mixed methods study incorporating surveys and focus groups to gather qualitative and quantitative data. The goal of the research was to ascertain whether New Zealand occupational therapists believe that acceptance and commitment therapy is congruent with occupational therapy, including a clear clinical rational as to their answer. Occupational therapists who engaged in this research identified a range of theoretical underpinnings, such as the importance of context and flexibility within assessment and intervention, shared between ACT and occupational therapy. They also identified and were able to identify ACT processes and interventions useful within an occupational therapy perspective, including metaphors, values-guided meaningful occupation, doing-based interventions, and mindfulness.
The outcomes of this research support tertiary institutions and workplaces to fund this gold standard treatment as part of an occupational therapist’s toolkit.
Keywords
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, occupational therapy, behaviour therapy, New Zealand
License
A copy of the thesis is publicly available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International
This licence applies except where otherwise indicated, especially for images.
