The educational programs in occupational therapy at Columbia University reflect the philosophical beliefs on which the profession is founded:

• A person is an active being whose development is influenced by the use of meaningful activities and roles of everyday life (i.e., occupation);

• Human life includes a process of continuing adaptation that promotes survival through self-actualization, through mastery of life skills and satisfying performance in a wide range of activities. This adaptation may be interrupted by biological, psychological, and environmental factors at any time during the life cycle;