Occupational Therapy: Working with Displaced Persons

Up-skill for successful working with displaced persons and marginalised communities.

“All people regardless of being a refugee or not, want a meaningful life, feel they are useful and use their skills to the maximum of their potential" - Theo Bogeas.

Who is this for? 

In this course you step into the shoes of displaced persons and occupational therapists through their stories and the immersive experience of virtual reality.

Designed for occupational therapist practitioners and students, the program may also benefit other professionals working with refugees and displaced persons.

This is anytime, anywhere learning to suit your work and life. You can access the course using your desktop/laptop, mobile or tablet device.

What will I learn?

After completion of this module students will be able to:

• Understand people living in transition and crisis and how to help them at different points to move forward in their lives.
• Understand the humanitarian sector and diversity existing in global displacement.
• Identify and use new approaches of socio-political occupational therapy.
• Analyze the underlying premise that people are inherently occupational beings.
• Apply strengths-based, occupation-based, collaborative interventions to develop meaning and structure in daily living that facilitate community integration, improve mental health, and improve functional independence. (WFOT 2012)
• Think critically on the future of the profession being in sync with changes in climatic, geographical and economic contexts.

You will be led through world-wide interventions and case studies that:

• Capture the nuance, breadth and complexities of working within a human rights paradigm.
• Professionally realign our work to meet the challenges of rapidly increasing people displacement due to climate, war, persecution, violence, poverty. 
• Teach us from the lived experiences of displaced persons, refugees and therapists.
• Engage us with diverse perspectives, contexts, geographic environments, age and gender.

How long is the course?

35 hours. All section is self-contained so you can complete them in your own time.

What do I need to know to take the course?

There are no course prerequisites other than your willingness to learn about this topic.

Do I receive a certificate at the end?

On completion of all requirements including the final exam, a certificate of completion stating the normal number of student study hours will be issued from the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.

How much does the course cost?

There is no cost to enrol in the course. WFOT resources are developed by expert occupational therapists who provide their time on a voluntary basis. The online learning platforms are funded by subscriptions from occupational therapists committed to the global development of the profession. WFOT needs your support to ensure that we can continue to provide learning materials free-of-charge to the international community. Please consider a donation to support the development of global learning resources.