Occupational Therapy
What does an Occupational Therapist do?
As Occupational Therapists we are very familiar with the question “What is an Occupational Therapist?” or “What does an Occupational Therapist do?” If we’re totally honest, it took us more than half of our degree to also figure it out, but the important thing is that we got there in the end.
So, if you scroll down, we will happily explain why you need us in your life.
What are Occupations?
According to the dictionary, occupations are jobs or professions, and yes we can assist you with finding a job if that is what your goal is. BUT, jobs and occupations can also be every day activities. Ever heard the term, “Jobs around the house”?
We view occupations as the every day tasks and activities that you need, want and have to do. This can be anything that gives meaning or purpose to your day and can be viewed through the lens of self- care, productivity or leisure occupations. Anything from the moment you wake up, through to the moment you fall sleep (including sleep) as occupations, you name it, it’s most likely an occupation.
How can a Mental Health OT Help?
During university, we are taught the exact same things as our generalist peers and leave with the same skill set (dependent on our practice placements of course). It’s after university that we specialise in mental health diagnoses and psychosocial disabilities.
Where we stand apart from general OT’s is that we know lots about one thing, compared to little about lots of things. Think of it like a GP compared to a specialist doctor. We’ve been through years of extra training and skills building to learn and understand mental illness and neurodevelopmental disabilities, so we can understand how it impacts on your ability to engage in the occupations you need to attend to.