Meaning making through occupational storytelling: Case study of a Chinese retiree

Occupational storytelling and occupational coaching can cultivate meaning for people living with various types of dysfunction but the processes are seldom systematically illustrated. A retiree with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a rehabilitation program participated in a process of occupational storytelling and occupational coaching. The in-depth life history approach reconstructed his life history as a part of communal horizon building and encouraged him to resume an occupation he had given up: playing a musical instrument. The interviews that were part of the occupational coaching process enabled him to re-visit the past in order to seek a more positive life path that was more congruent with personal values and goals. Storytelling and story coaching processes can address issues of occupational disruption, helping people regain life meaning through occupation.