MOW in the UK

As part of the MSc Occupational Therapy course, Imogen White and Natalie Wilson undertook a 12-week Role-Emerging
Placement in a lay service without onsite occupational therapy input, where the Occupational Therapy process was applied to
assess service users’ needs and develop a sustainable project for post-placement implementation. Leeds Gender Identity Service,
an online service supporting individuals aged 17+ with gender dysphoria or incongruence, was assigned, and supervision was
provided by an onsite educator and an o-site occupational therapist. An app proposal, Occupying Transition, was created to
reframe occupational therapy provision by facilitating service user agency in their own care, guided by the Model of Occupational
Wholeness (Yazdani, 2023), which emphasises doing, being, belonging, and becoming. The project aimed to enable meaningful
occupational participation during waiting periods, prioritising service user expertise and safe engagement in occupations while
addressing social and community experiences. Theory was adapted to a unique, underexplored client group, and the placement
was used to advocate for occupational justice by applying justice-based theory to design a person-led tool combating
occupational marginalisation and alienation, thereby expanding the scope of occupational therapy beyond face-to-face sessions
toward systemic and preventative interventions.