I attended a lecture tonight by Judith Friedland, on the history of Occupational Therapy in Canada and its links with and influences from the Arts and Crafts movement. It was inspiring and fascinating.
She's an excellent lecturer, weaving together the historical strands of mental health care, rehabilitation for soldiers after WWI, the gift of pride in one's work, the healing of spirits and bodies through rewarding work for the hands, and so much more. My thoughts were invigorated by those early ward aides, later to be more intensely trained occupational therapists, many of whom were war widows, and the dedication they showed in their training and subsequent postings to all over Canada.
Friedland's book, Restoring the Spirit: The Beginnings of Occupational Therapy in Canada, 1890-1930, is available online at Amazon (although I see they're temporarily out of stock).
No comments:
Post a Comment