What are the roles of occupational therapy in mental health?

jannsody: The AOTA website also has more info re

The AOTA website also has more info re: "OTs role in community mental health": https://www.aota.org/About-Occupational-Therapy/Professionals/MH/Community-Mental-Health.aspx The OT field looks at the patients' daily functioning, including and especially self-care, which is basically what the other respondent mentioned, such as dressing, bathing, grooming, using the commode, and/or functional mobility (walking safely, such as from the bed to the chair). Whichever activities that patients take part in, such as a craft or meal prep, it's supposed to relate back to how the patient functions each day. Before taking pre-req courses for OT, please do some *job shadowing* (with prior staff approval). Please also keep in mind that the OT student will need to do a clinical fieldwork experience in other areas of OT, rather than just mental health, such as a physical rehabilitation hospital, acute care hospital, and/or nursing home or long-term care facility. Please keep doing your research and due diligence before taking pre-req classes and/or applying to OT school. Just an fyi that a "medical terminology" class may help with reading patients' charts and overall basic knowledge, even if the OT program doesn't require it. The AOTA has more info re: the profession and AOTA-accredited programs: https;//www.aota.org/Education-Careers.aspx For more general career info: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/ and can search.

Stella

They might teach self help skills. This wasn't really a "mental health" situation, but my sister was injured in an accident a few years ago. After she left the hospital an occupational therapist paid a visit to her house. My sister mentioned that the therapist taught her a few "tricks" to getting showered and dressed without assistance. I'm thinking that people with mental health problems might need to learn a lot of self help skills. Personal hygiene, basic cooking, budgeting and shopping, laundry, cleaning. Perhaps they might help someone with a hoarding problem sort through the mess and identify things to clear out. Simple tasks that most people do without thinking can be overwhelming for someone with a mental illness. If they're employed in an institution working with severely impacted people, their work might be more about teaching crafts or activities simply to give patients something to occupy their time.