The Stony Brook Occupational Therapy Program has a five-part mission statement:
- LEARNING: providing comprehensive graduate and professional education of the highest quality to current and future occupational therapy practitioners to meet the demands of 21st-century practice across the life span, enhancing their becoming critical reflective thinkers and lifelong learners;
- SCHOLARSHIP: engaging in research and intellectual endeavors of the highest international standards in collaboration with other service providers in order to contribute to the body of knowledge related to the study of occupation and its immediate and long-range practical significance;
- SERVICE: providing service to meet societal needs in neighboring communities and the wider geographic region through enhancing occupational performance and the facilitation of economic, personal, social, and aesthetic contributions by individuals and populations;
- LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY: training occupational therapy practitioners to provide state-of-the-art innovative health care to assist persons to engage in meaningful occupation and full participation in society, serving as resources to health care providers, educational institutions, and human service communities, while striving to promote and strengthen the occupational therapy profession; and,
- GLOBALIZATION: supporting diversity in local and global contexts through positioning the Stony Brook University Occupational Therapy Program in regional, national, and global community initiatives and opportunities.
The vision of the occupational therapy faculty for the program recognizes a changing world that requires practitioners to have the knowledge, skills and training to be leaders to address global, community and individual health concerns; while at the same time, promoting the human need to engage in life activities and maintaining a quality of life throughout the lifespan. The faculty believes that an individual’s interests and experiences are key elements in learning; that people have an unlimited potential to develop through education. We believe that it is important for learners, graduates, and faculty to recognize the importance of being motivated and self-directed. All individuals, we believe, must take responsibility for their own learning. The conceptual framework that most closely supports this vision and set of beliefs is a combination of “Progressive” and “Humanistic” educational philosophies.
Progressive Philosophy of Education (P):
Purpose of education is to:
- promote societal well-being
- enhance an individual’s effectiveness in society
Education provides learners:
- with practical knowledge
- problem solving skills
Humanist Philosophy of Education (H):
Purpose of education is to:
- enhance personal growth and development
- facilitate self-actualization
Education provides learners:
Self –reflection abilities & skills
Self –directed learning abilities & skills
The Occupational Therapy program design stresses the importance of:
- Individuality
- Pragmatic knowledge
- Problem solving
- Experiential learning
- Empowerment
- Self-directedness
- Lifelong learning
- Democratic ideals
- Social responsibility
