Actions of Competence in Occupational Therapy Practice: A phenomenological study of practice in narrative form

This study examined the phenomenon ?what are occupational therapists doing when they feel competent?. Data were provided by eleven occupational therapists who narrated clinical cases in which they had felt themselves to be competent. The empirical phenomenological psychological (EPP) method was used to analyse and interpret the data. The result revealed that on a general level the experience of feeling competent as an occupational therapist derived from achieving results in the rehabilitation project that were satisfying for both participants (the therapist and the client). The strategies for accomplishing this were related to the empathic competence of the therapists. This competence involved interpreting clinical situations as well as understanding the relationship between motive, meaning, decision and time. Further it involved bringing objects, in the form of adaptations, technical aids, structures, simplifications or compensations, into the clinical situation. These abilities together had a great impact on the therapeutic outcome by shaping the clients' lifeworld to make it richer and more active.