An important role of an occupational therapist is to be an advocate for their patients and to be an agent of change. Occupational therapists are armed with evidence-based practice and a client-centered focus to create the change we wish to see. Occupational therapists have many roles including advocate, teacher, researcher, therapist, manager, and program developer. Through advocacy, we can promote occupational and social justice at the meso level, with the goal to create macro level changes. At the micro level, we can impact individuals as teachers to educate future occupational therapy practitioners and as practicing occupational therapists to improve functional skills in our patients to enhance a positive recovery from a physical or mental health condition. In a researcher role, we can contribute to a wider knowledge to change how services are delivered and to begin the process of policy change at the meso level. Program development, such as starting needed service lines, create micro change in our facility that can lead to meso and macro service delivery changes nationally. As a manager, we can foster growth in our therapists' skills at a micro level to help them become more impactful and improve patient care. 

My current path is that of a program developer, a doctoral student, a researcher, and a treating therapist. The development of a cognitive behaviorally-based mental health occupational therapy service line at my hospital led me to discover the benefits of this treatment approach. I noticed how much better many of my patients were getting, evident by the pre- and post-administration of the COPM. They were returning to work, getting their chores done with less effort, attending social events without fear, bonding better with their babies, accomplishing more at school and work, exercising and eating healthier, participating in valued leisure activities, getting better sleep, and improving overall self-care due to learning cognitive strategies that improved performance and satisfaction in meaningful activities.

I feel it is my duty as an occupational therapist and human being to report on a positive and evidence-based approach for recovery from mental illness that is inclusive and accessible for all people. Through my research, I found that 90% of children, youth, and adults, taken as a whole, improve performance and satisfaction in meaningful occupations when a cognitive behavioral frame of reference was incorporated into treatment in an outpatient setting. There is a void of research for use of this approach, that is, there is no research to be located for this treatment in this setting. To not report on a treatment that improves recovery to such an extent that people are able to participate in their daily lives successfully again and that is reimbursable by all insurance carriers seemed to me to be a social injustice. That is what drove me to initiate and grow the mental health service line at my hospital and it is what drives me to complete my doctoral program. I seek to become an action-oriented agent of change by promoting this treatment through publication of my research and continued advocacy for individuals living with a mental health condition. 

                      You too can be an agent of change!