Innovating the Occupational Therapy Education Model
A Transformative Narrative Approach
(First Edition)
©2026, 312 pages
Paperback list price: $49.95
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Innovating the Occupational Therapy Education Model: A Transformative Narrative Approach supports an innovative curriculum for the education of occupational therapists, through the lens of the assessment and treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs). The text draws from diverse media such as film and poetry to integrate narrative and compassion into occupational therapy education.
The book is organized into three sections that address the rationale behind this transformative learning approach and then provide detailed teaching modules and expansive resources, including sample materials and enrichment activities. It champions narrative medicine and uses a "train the trainer" methodology, providing educators with a holistic and engaging teaching framework. Designed for flexibility, the book encourages innovative teaching methods and active learning, fostering ownership of learning among students.
Innovating the Occupational Therapy Education Model is relevant across a range of educational settings, supporting occupational therapy assistant programs as well as interdisciplinary education involving medical humanities and health-related courses.
The book is organized into three sections that address the rationale behind this transformative learning approach and then provide detailed teaching modules and expansive resources, including sample materials and enrichment activities. It champions narrative medicine and uses a "train the trainer" methodology, providing educators with a holistic and engaging teaching framework. Designed for flexibility, the book encourages innovative teaching methods and active learning, fostering ownership of learning among students.
Innovating the Occupational Therapy Education Model is relevant across a range of educational settings, supporting occupational therapy assistant programs as well as interdisciplinary education involving medical humanities and health-related courses.
Rondalyn Whitney is a retired professor and former chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy Quinnipiac University. She held the inaugural role of Director of Faculty Scholarship and Development at West Virginia University. Her contributions to families and children have received national recognition, including induction into the Roster of Fellows (FAOTA). She is a prolific author and a nationally funded researcher. Dr. Whitney holds a Ph.D. in international health science from TUI International, a master’s degree in occupational therapy from the Samuel Merritt College, and a certificate in Narrative Medicine from Columbia.
Wendy Walsh is an emerita clinical associate professor and former chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Saint Joseph’s University. She practices occupational therapy with the adult population and is actively engaged in nationally funded research. Dr. Walsh holds a Ph.D. in health policy and a master’s degree in occupational therapy from the University of the Sciences.
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Adopting instructors will receive an annotated bibliography, PowerPoints, and a sample syllabus.
"I am excited to see the development of a transformational curriculum using andragogical approaches to eliciting occupational stories that will facilitate a deeper understanding of the complex potential roles that use of substances may play in a person's life and engagement in occupations that impact health, well-being, and participation. I'm thankful that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) supported the work of Dr. Whitney to later produce this text with Dr. Walsh and I hope that OT and OTA educators across the world will recognize it as a tool that will enhance the educational process for future OT practitioners."
Virginia Stoffel, Ph.D., OT, FAOTA
"Two leading OT educators have authored a groundbreaking textbook on substance use disorder (SUD), addressing a major gap in OT education. As therapists often work with clients affected by personal or family substance use, this book equips educators to move beyond lectures and engage students in deeper, activity-based learning. It promotes a comprehensive understanding of SUD, making it an essential addition to every occupational therapist’s professional library."
Sharon A. Gutman, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
"Occupational therapy practitioners are increasingly dealing with individuals and families who are presenting with multiple co-mobilities and complex occupational challenges. One of these occupational issues is substance use, which can include alcohol, tobacco, inhalants, cannabis, and prescription medications. When substance use as an occupation becomes addictive, risky, or hazardous, then occupational therapy practitioners need to have the knowledge and skills to provide evidence-based interventions and services to support the occupational needs of their clients. Therefore, the publication of Embedding Substance Use Disorder into Occupational Therapy Curriculum: A Case-Based Approach by Rondalyn Whitney and Wendy Walsh is a welcome and needed educational resource. This is an innovative and inspiring publication about an approach that can be applied to the education of occupational therapy students using the principles of andragogy (instead of the traditional pedagogy) and transformational teaching and learning approaches. The book includes a salient background section that sets the scene, five content topics and over a dozen relevant, complex case studies that can be readily and easily applied by occupational therapy educators. I highly recommend this teaching resource given its novel andragogical and transformational educational approach to an increasingly in-demand occupational therapy practice area and ready-to-apply educational materials.”
Ted Brown, PhD, MSc, MPA, BScOT(Hons), GCHPE, OT(C), OTR, MRCOT, FOTARA, FAOTA
“Rondalyn Whitney and Wendy Walsh care. They care about people, they care about students and they are giving Occupational Therapy educators a gift. It this text they show how to use a teaching strategy that offers a visionary approach to develop, implement and evaluate The Narrative Approach, a method that supports students learning that fosters an empathetic relationship with clients, which is known to be very faciliatory in a client’s recovery and growth. This text presents the principles, strategies and examples to help the student acquire the skills to work with diverse populations, ages and conditions affecting any person experiencing occupational disruption to insure equity, inclusions, justice, and acceptance. The student will come to understand that they have an important role in helping their clients overcome loneliness, despair and manage stigmatization threats. They have used a very innovative approach to inform the reader about the narrative approach to learning as they use substance use disorder to demonstrate the importance of the narrative in helping the person gain skills and the will to carry out behavioral change. The model of teaching uses and an occupational approach, and though substance abuse offers a clear model for learning, the approach can be used with any person whose life situation because of a developmental delay, an injury, a chronic health condition or even a life change because of a death, a move or even a natural disaster requires the services of an occupational therapist to adapt or recover so they can live their daily lives as they want.”
Carolyn Baum, PhD, OTR, FAOTA
Virginia Stoffel, Ph.D., OT, FAOTA
"Two leading OT educators have authored a groundbreaking textbook on substance use disorder (SUD), addressing a major gap in OT education. As therapists often work with clients affected by personal or family substance use, this book equips educators to move beyond lectures and engage students in deeper, activity-based learning. It promotes a comprehensive understanding of SUD, making it an essential addition to every occupational therapist’s professional library."
Sharon A. Gutman, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
"Occupational therapy practitioners are increasingly dealing with individuals and families who are presenting with multiple co-mobilities and complex occupational challenges. One of these occupational issues is substance use, which can include alcohol, tobacco, inhalants, cannabis, and prescription medications. When substance use as an occupation becomes addictive, risky, or hazardous, then occupational therapy practitioners need to have the knowledge and skills to provide evidence-based interventions and services to support the occupational needs of their clients. Therefore, the publication of Embedding Substance Use Disorder into Occupational Therapy Curriculum: A Case-Based Approach by Rondalyn Whitney and Wendy Walsh is a welcome and needed educational resource. This is an innovative and inspiring publication about an approach that can be applied to the education of occupational therapy students using the principles of andragogy (instead of the traditional pedagogy) and transformational teaching and learning approaches. The book includes a salient background section that sets the scene, five content topics and over a dozen relevant, complex case studies that can be readily and easily applied by occupational therapy educators. I highly recommend this teaching resource given its novel andragogical and transformational educational approach to an increasingly in-demand occupational therapy practice area and ready-to-apply educational materials.”
Ted Brown, PhD, MSc, MPA, BScOT(Hons), GCHPE, OT(C), OTR, MRCOT, FOTARA, FAOTA
“Rondalyn Whitney and Wendy Walsh care. They care about people, they care about students and they are giving Occupational Therapy educators a gift. It this text they show how to use a teaching strategy that offers a visionary approach to develop, implement and evaluate The Narrative Approach, a method that supports students learning that fosters an empathetic relationship with clients, which is known to be very faciliatory in a client’s recovery and growth. This text presents the principles, strategies and examples to help the student acquire the skills to work with diverse populations, ages and conditions affecting any person experiencing occupational disruption to insure equity, inclusions, justice, and acceptance. The student will come to understand that they have an important role in helping their clients overcome loneliness, despair and manage stigmatization threats. They have used a very innovative approach to inform the reader about the narrative approach to learning as they use substance use disorder to demonstrate the importance of the narrative in helping the person gain skills and the will to carry out behavioral change. The model of teaching uses and an occupational approach, and though substance abuse offers a clear model for learning, the approach can be used with any person whose life situation because of a developmental delay, an injury, a chronic health condition or even a life change because of a death, a move or even a natural disaster requires the services of an occupational therapist to adapt or recover so they can live their daily lives as they want.”
Carolyn Baum, PhD, OTR, FAOTA
