History

A Brief Historical Overview

The history of occupational therapy in Greece is rich and closely linked with the development of the fields of rehabilitation and psychiatry in the country. The first therapeutic “occupational” programs started in Greece after World War II as part of the efforts of that era to rehabilitate wounded soldiers. These programs were established in 1946 with the support of the Greek Red Cross and the UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration). They were organized by Belle Grieve, a physiotherapist from the USA and president of the International Society for the Protection of the Disabled, and Billie O’Caffrey, of Greek descent, who had encountered occupational therapy in the UK as a volunteer with the British Red Cross. The early “occupational therapy” programs included craft activities such as bookbinding, embroidery, weaving, leatherwork, painting, etc. Initially, the programs were conducted at the Rizareio Hospital and later at the newly established Traumatology Rehabilitation Center (KAT). Subsequently, they expanded to other general and psychiatric hospitals in Athens. The contribution of these programs to the rehabilitation and improvement of the quality of life of patients was significant.

To staff these programs, Billie O’Caffrey persuaded the Greek Red Cross to create the Occupational Therapy Committee, which comprised notable figures from Athenian society, as well as volunteers who had worked as nurse sisters in the Red Cross. The Occupational Therapy Committee operated all occupational therapy programs in Greece and staffed them with volunteer occupational therapy assistants who were trained in three educational series (1950-51, 1956-57, 1960-61) organized by the Committee. The initial occupational therapy courses were taught by Roula Grigoriadou, the first qualified occupational therapist in Greece, who earned her degree in 1949 from the Dorset House School of Occupational Therapy in England, where she had been sent with a scholarship from the Greek Red Cross as a former volunteer. Later, other key figures in the profession in Greece, such as Lina Syrou-Kostaki and Anna Deligianni-Panoui, who returned from their studies in America, joined as instructors. In 1961, Sofia Douma-Anesti returned to Greece after completing her studies in occupational therapy in America and organized and worked as the head of occupational therapy at the Greek Association for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Children (ELEPAP). The contributions of these early qualified occupational therapists were crucial in establishing the profession, creating the Association of Occupational Therapists, and later, the Department of Occupational Therapy.

In the 1960s, Lina Syrou-Kostaki and Sofia Douma-Anesti were highly active and founded the first Association of Occupational Therapists. In 1962, Article 54 of Royal Decree 451 legally mandated the hiring of “occupational therapists in neuropsychiatric clinics” (Government Gazette, 1962). Under these circumstances, and because the few qualified occupational therapists and the volunteers from the Red Cross series were insufficient to cover these positions, graduates from the Higher Schools of Home Economics (Harokopio, Ariadne) were also appointed. The term “occupational therapy” was initially used to describe this specialty, meaning therapy achieved through any occupation. Later, it was called “ergotherapy,” and in 1985, the Association of Greek Occupational Therapists voted to change the profession’s name to “occupational therapy” as the term “occupation” encompasses a set of activities required to achieve a goal.

In 1977, the Department of “Ergotherapy” was established at the Higher School of Health and Social Welfare in the Center for Higher Technological and Vocational Education (KATEE) in Athens. The appointment of professionals from other specialties to occupational therapy positions ceased the year the first occupational therapists graduated from this department. In 1984, the department was integrated into the School of Health and Welfare Professions at the Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Athens, where the education and development of the field continued. Since March 2018, it has operated as a department of the University of West Attica, and in 2019 it relocated to the campus building “Alsos Egaleo.” The department, after a steady and consistent course of over 45 years since its establishment, is a recognized hub for the production and transmission of knowledge in the Science of Occupational Therapy. Simultaneously, the department systematically monitors international developments in contemporary therapeutic protocols and occupational therapy intervention and laboratory research, evaluates new trends, and adjusts its curriculum accordingly so that graduates can successfully meet the modern demands of the profession.

The undergraduate program of the Department of Occupational Therapy is aligned with the guidelines of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) Minimum Standards of Occupational Therapy Education, so that graduates:
1.1.1. Have broad academic and occupational therapy education and be able to function in all areas of occupational therapy.
1.1.2. Be able to practice evidence-based general occupational therapy, based on a problem-solving approach, using fundamental theoretical knowledge.
1.1.3. Be able to collaborate with other health, social care, and education professionals, developing communication skills.
1.1.4. Be prepared for lifelong learning and continuous professional development.
1.1.5. Be able to participate in research aimed at improving the Science of Occupational Therapy and highlighting social needs.