Occupational Therapy (OT) is a science degree-based, health and social care profession. We are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council. Occupational therapy takes a “whole-person approach” to both mental and physical health and enables individuals to achieve their full potential.

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Occupational Therapy can help you manage your life and mental wellness in a variety of ways.  ‘Occupation’ refers to the things you do day to day. This might be self care activities, work/education or things that you enjoy. Occupational Therapy works with you to build skills to enable you to complete the activities of daily living that you need or want to do. It also helps you to adapt the activity or environment that you do it in.

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What is it?

“Occupations” are meaningful, practical, and purposeful activities that we participate in as part of our daily lives. We have occupations as children and as adults.

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The Royal College of Occupational Therapists (2011) have framed self-care, leisure, and productivity as the broad categories of occupation;

• Learning or Working – Learning (College, University, Post-graduate Study), household jobs, paid employment, voluntary work, writing, sitting in a classroom or assembly.

• Playing or Having Fun – interaction with others, our hobbies, interests and social environments.

• Self-Care – dressing, washing, feeding yourself, grooming, resting/sleep, emotional resilience.

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Who is it for?

Occupational Therapy is for anyone who is experiencing difficulties engaging in occupations within their life that are important to them. We work with children who have barriers to them accessing their learning, playing and self-care occupations. It is important us as to Occupational Therapists to understand everyone’s valued occupations. Our mantra is “Helping people to live, not exist” (Royal College of Occupational Therapists).

There could be several reasons why a person might have difficulties or barriers to engaging in their meaningful occupations, including physical, sensory, emotional, or cognitive difficulties. As Occupational Therapists, we work with the person and other people to help to remediate or compensate for these difficulties.
 

What does it look like?

Occupational Therapy might look different for each individual person. It might be adapting the way that occupations are done, practicing learning new skills, or practicing old skills. As much as possible, we don’t want our assessments or interventions to feel like ‘therapy’ for the people we work with.