Hi Biraj
Thanks for your thoughtful response

 To describe the fact that OTs can
> work in mental health as being the most significant difference between the
> professions of OT and PT is, with due respect, at best a somewhat
> superficial distinction.

I'm not sure that I wrote that it was the most significant difference 
and I certainly don't believe that.  What I was thinking about when I 
wrote that was that PTs are primarily concerned with physical function 
and dysfunction - I know PTs work in mental health (I worked with a 
fantastic PT) and thoroughly support that but it's still a physical 
focus and rarer. So my concern was really that on a joint course it 
might draw the focus towards looking at people in physical terms rather 
than the holistic view which makes it possible for us to generalise 
what we do to anyone with occupational function needs and therefore 
allows us to work with people with mental health diagnoses as well. 
 
It's hard enough now with students on an OT specific course who think 
that mental health and physical OT are very different professions.  
The reality in clinical practice is that there often seems to be a big 
divide between physical and mental health practice and students see 
that.


  Our core beliefs, our knowledge base,
> our focus, the methodologies we use, our philosophical perspective deriving
> from the concept of occupation and oh there is so much more....it is these
> aspects of our profession that essentially and truly distinguish OT from
> PT.

I agree entirely and that's exactly what I would be trying to protect - 
having said that I am speaking from a point of view of no knowledge - 
for all I know having a joint course makes it easier to mark out the 
differences between OT and PT.  I'm only hypothesing here.

Rayya Ghul

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