Department of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists work with individuals who have physically or mentally disabling conditions and yet aspire to return to normal life. They help to improve their basic motor functions necessary for daily living and their ability to interact with people. With a view toward training occupational therapists capable of performing all of these extensive functions, the Department offers a curriculum that emphasizes the human aspects of education. To develop skills in occupational therapy, in their third year, students take classes designed to enable them to put theory into practice by applying their skills on an experimental basis. They can also take part in an overseas training program at Teikyo University Group's Denver Campus in the United States, which is designed to help them acquire a broad international perspective and to improve their English language skills. The overseas program also includes visits to local institutions for occupational therapy, where students observe first-hand how American occupational therapists work, as well as classes for learning American culture and improving their communication skills. Classes in the fourth year are mostly for clinical training and are designed to help them acquire the abilities they will need as practitioners of occupational therapy, as well as acquiring the habit of thinking independently, by planning and carrying out their own research. Overall, the Department's curriculum encourages students to make the best possible use of their own qualities and helps them to acquire skills in occupational therapy, underpinned by intensive study on theory and reinforced by many hours of clinical practice.