Care, kindness and collegiality in occupational therapy practice and academic life

This paper explores the reflections of occupational therapy academics about the experience of kindness in academic and professional life. Data were derived from a reflective group conversation in the context of a larger overarching research project exploring occupational therapy academic development. The findings elaborate how kindness and care played out for us as participant-researcher academics, including how it was mediated by expression of values and behaviours in our roles, and how we experienced the values and behaviours of others in the academy. We found that degrees of kindness and care were distributed along a continuum from more kind to less kind. A notable aspect of our conceptualisation of kindness involves recognising others' potential and a willingness to work collectively. We argue that it is critical to create and maintain communities that value and are capable of acting with authentic care and kindness. Prioritising our time to engage in emotion-based, relational work beyond ‘duty of care’ is vital to support collective success and longevity in the academy. Recognition of, and action to challenge, the forces that erode kindness and care are vital next steps in creating academic and professional contexts that will support our flourishing.