Occupational Therapy in Supporting Trans People: Everyday Occupations and Tensions in Mental Health Contexts

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

This qualitative study explores the role of occupational therapy (OT) in supporting trans people in mental health contexts in Chile. In-depth interviews were conducted with occupational therapists working in clinical, community, and social settings. The analysis shows that OT interventions position everyday occupations as central to processes of gender affirmation, framing gender transition as a situated occupational process. Participants identified persistent tensions between safety, normalization, and authenticity, shaped by cisnormative institutional environments. The findings highlight both the potential and the limits of OT practice, emphasizing the need for reflexive, affirmative, and occupational justice–oriented approaches when working with trans people.