Sally Wasmuth
Associate ProfessorOccupational Therapy
ude[dot]ui[at]htumsaws
Identity Development Evolution and Sharing (IDEAS), and Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy for the Occupational Therapy Practitioner
My initial work outlined a theoretical framework for conceptualizing addiction-as-occupation, emphasizing how addictive disorders shape people’s roles, relationships, environments, temporal structure, and meaning-making processes. Two qualitative studies – an initial exploratory study and a follow-up grounded theory study – bolstered the relevance of this conceptual model as it pertains to lived experiences. I completed a systematic review and several studies of metacognition that further characterized addiction as contributing to occupational deprivation, poor metacognitive mastery, and as responsive to occupation-based interventions in the areas of social participation and leisure. The most critical take-home message from this body of research was that people in early recovery experience extreme occupational deficit and that providing new occupations to facilitate meaning-making and community engagement alongside other evidence-based interventions was a promising means of enhancing outcomes.I have directed my line of research toward creating and testing occupation-based interventions not only to support meaningful life participation for addiction recovery, but also to support meaningful participation as a preventative measure for people at risk of developing substance use disorders and/or other life challenges related to social dislocation and occupational injustice. These include ‘Identity Exploration & Sharing’ (IDEAS) – a model of telling true stories of populations harmed by stigma through theatre to prompt healthcare providers and community members to explore and confront their implicit biases; and the translation of Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy for the occupational therapy practitioner (MERIT-OT). My research is directed toward illuminating the human condition in ways that de-stigmatize mental health conditions and improve our ability to apply occupation-based interventions that enhance metacognition, meaningfulness, social participation, and other wellness-related outcomes.