Conducting Occupational Therapy In Mental Health

By Edna Booker


Mental health management is a journey. It requires input from various team members who include the patient, the therapist, social workers, care givers, counselors, support providers, nurses, doctors, aides and teachers. Every member in that team has a role to play and the goals each one has culminates to improvement of a patient life quality and degree of enjoyment. These they achieve by pinpointing and meeting the skills and behavior change required to get to this. Below is an outline of the significance of occupational therapy in mental health.

This kind of therapy is one of its kind but most people do not understand it well. The association of occupational therapy in America summarizes its goal as to offer support and empower each person to take part fully in his life and health by commitment in a particular occupation. When the client is allowed to take part in purposeful activity, his or her well-being, self-esteem and sense of attainment are boosted.

Occupation is not to be taken to mean only work. It includes time spent working on personal hygiene, preparation of a meal, attending a leisure course in the community and interactions with others too. The therapists improve the client ability to lead a meaningful live and derive satisfaction in it too.

The purpose of this psychotherapy can best be outlined as to live to the fullest. Every person has a right to this. When they are managing their clients, this professionals focus on the strengths, needs, interest and abilities of the person but also the social, cultural and physical environment in the settings they are living in. The therapist is able to understand the various activities the patient is involved in which can be termed occupational and the aspects in his or environment interacting to influence his or her state of mental condition.

The psychotherapists believe in treating all the aspects that make up the person. It does not matter whether the issue relates to the physical or mental domain. They can be found in various places like new born intensive care entity, workplace, community programs, home health, transitional care facilities, nursing facilities, outpatient clinics and hospitals. Those specifically dealing with this matter can be found in residential hospitals, community health programs and private clinics outpatient departments.

Various type of assessments are done to collect data to be used in creation of a patient personal profile concerning the occupations they are engaged in. This is what is used to set treatment goals and plan how to proceed. Commonly assessed areas are leisure, work, play, education, social participation, activity demands and communicating and skills used in interactions. Motor skills, client factors and cognitive and mental dispensation skills are assessment areas too.

The interventions which can be implemented in treatment process include cognitive rehabilitation, training on life skills, supported education, supported employment and interventions on life balancing. Modalities like biofeedback and training on interpersonal and social skill are intervention too.

The work of these professional can be intersecting with that of other key players in an interdisciplinary team. However their roles stands out as unique when it comes to clinical and theoretical contributions they make to facilitate the team recovery and also treatment process. In the integrated and all-inclusive program of treatment they are a vital part.




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