Henry B. Favill and the School of Occupations: Origins of Occupational Therapy Practice and Education

Abstract

The Henry B. Favill School of Occupations, a pioneer program in the history of occupational therapy, was named for the visionary physician Henry Baird Favill, M.D. who practiced in Chicago, Illinois. The School had two types of classes or programs. One was a curative workshop for disabled clients in need of occupational training and the other was a teaching program designed to train people to work with clients. The curative workshop, called the Occupational Center, began in 1915 at the Illinois Society for Mental Hygiene under the guidance of Dr. Favill and the direction of Eleanor Clarke Slagle, a founder and leader in the profession of occupational therapy. The teaching program began in 1917 initially in cooperation with the American Red Cross, Chicago Chapter, and later with the Chicago School of Civics and Philanthropy and the Illinois Department of Public Welfare. This article traces the development and history of the workshop to treat clients and the training programs to educate teachers of occupation who would become known as occupational therapists.

Keywords:

• Eleanor Clarke Slagle
• Henry Baird Favill
• Henry B. Favill School of Occupations
• history of occupational therapy