Contribution of
Occupational Therapy
The number of occupational therapists
registered to work across the health and social care sectors in the
UK totals over 26,000. It is estimated that about 30% of these work
in mental health. Occupational therapy is provided by both
qualified and support staff. Within mental health, occupational
therapy is provided in a wide range of services including the more
traditional places, such as acute inpatient wards and
rehabilitation, and also the new developing services such as home
treatment and assertive outreach. These new types of services have
brought with them opportunities and acknowledgement that
occupational therapy has a role to play in evenings, at weekends
and even on call.
Occupational therapy is concerned with
the nature, balance, pattern and context of occupations and
activities in the lives of individuals, family groups and
communities. The desired outcome of occupational therapy is that
the client achieves a satisfying performance and balance of
occupations that will support recovery, health, well-being and
social participation.
The core skills of occupational
therapy are built around occupation and activity.
These include:
• Collaboration with the
service user: building a collaborative relationship with the client
that will promote reflection, autonomy and engagement in the
therapeutic process.
• Assessment: assessing
and observing functional potential, limitations and needs including
the effects of physical and psychosocial environments.
• Enablement: enabling
people to explore, achieve and maintain balance in the activities
of daily living in the areas of personal care, domestic, leisure
and productive activities.
• Problem-solving:
identifying and solving occupational performance problems.
• Using activity as a
therapeutic tool: using activities to promote health, well being
and function by analysing, synthesising, adapting, grading and
applying activities for specific therapeutic purposes.
• Group work: planning,
organising and leading activity groups.
• Environmental
adaptation: analysing and adapting environments to increase
function and social participation.(Creek J 2003, p36)
Occupational therapy education is
broad based, covering mental and physical health, development,
learning and the influence of context and culture in fulfilling
occupations.
The profession of occupational therapy
originates from within mental health in the early years of the 20th
century. It was noted that people’s mental health improved when
structure, purpose and fulfilment were introduced into the large
psychiatric institutions through programmes of activity.
‘Occupational Therapist’ is a
protected title under the regulations of the Health Professions
Council (HPC). Pre-registration education and Continuing
Professional Development requirements are regulated by the HPC for
occupational therapists and are necessary to gain and maintain
registration.
The HPC publishes the standards of
proficiency for safe and effective practice for occupational
therapists (HPC 2004). The Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
is published by the professional body, the College of Occupational
Therapists (COT 2000) and is a public statement of the values and
principles in promoting and maintaining high standards of
professional behaviour in occupational therapy.
Both these documents provide guidance
on the limitations of the professional role of occupational
therapy.
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