The Path A Pilot Program Bringing the Hero s Journey to Occupational Therapy

The Hero’s Journey is a powerful narrative therapy tool that uses the hero metaphor to help clients reframe their life circumstances (Robertson & Lawrence, 2015; Williams, 2017). However, this concept has only been utilized in the department of psychology. Occupational therapists utilize narrative reasoning to guide client-heroes through a rehabilitative rite of passage through the collaboration (Kelly, 2007). As mentors, clinicians assist client-heroes to create their stories that will be acted out to reflect their identity. Therefore, the therapeutic process aims to empower the client and enact a real positive storyline through meaningful occupation (Clark, 1993; Mattingly, 1998). The challenge then, was to address the similarities between the Hero’s Journey and set forth to determine if this concept could be utilized within the scope of occupational therapy practice. The Path: Kairos pilot project was tested at a high school setting helping at-risk youth enhance their resiliency and occupational therapy.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesfall2021/1008/thumbnail.jp