THERAPEUTIC USE OF HUMOR IN OCCUPATIONAL-THERAPY

Interviews with five occupational therapists who Use humor therapeutic ally in their practice were conducted and analyzed with a phenomenolog ical method so that the lived experience of therapeutic humor use in o ccupational therapy could be examined. Sixteen themes were identified through data analysis: The Concept of Therapeutic Use of Humor; Sponta neous Versus Deliberate Humor; Humor, the Great Equalizer; Humor and P rofessionalism; Contraindications of Humor; Humor Among Co-Workers; Hu mor and Play; Humor and the Environment; Humor Providing Balance; The Intrinsic Quality of Humor; The Transformative Power of Humor; The Eff ects of Humor on the Subjects; Themselves; Humor as an Evaluation and Treatment Tool; Humor as Therapeutic Use of Self; Humor as a Coping Me chanism; and Other Uses of Humor With Patients. This study revealed th at the use of therapeutic humor in occupational therapy is a multiface ted phenomenon, much richer than bad been previously presented in the literature.