Mental illness affects a person’s ability to engage in activities of life e.g. personal activities, social interaction and employment. Occupational therapy helps people re-engage in the meaningful activities, which in essence is the important aspect of recovering from mental illness.
The occupational therapists role will be to provide a client centered treatment plan that will work to promote the health of mental health users and prevent the disabling nature of mental illness through the use of meaningful occupations.
Occupational Therapy interventions in mental health include
- Lead therapeutic groups which focus on: life skills, job readiness, Therapeutic cooking, money management, Therapeutic gardening, and Independent living.
- Provide calming and grounding strategies: anxiety management training, projective arts, creative writing
- Assess discharge preparedness
- Addressing physical wellbeing