Returning to our roots: Occupational therapy in mental health
Content Section
Background/rationale: For the first time in many years, opportunities are on the horizon for occupational therapy practitioners to return to our roots in mental health. As currently less than 3% of occupational therapists report working in a mental health setting, there exists a concern that the profession is not prepared to meet the increased demand for practitioners in this re-emerging area of practice. Feedback from practicing OTs indicates a lack of knowledge and confidence to work mental health.
Project description/objective: A workshop to prepare practitioners with the needed knowledge, skills, and confidence to best support individuals with serious mental illness to live the life they want (and deserve) to live. Content focused on strengthening skill sets for inter-disciplinary teamwork in recovery-oriented behavioral health settings, with knowledge of policy, systems, & evidenced-based tools.
Project implementation: 24 practicing occupational therapists participated in an 8-hour 2-session interactive workshop based on transformative learning theory, co-led by a person with lived experience. Core competencies included best practices for intervention and support, ability to work across systems, and the ability to enhance clients’ skills to cope and manage their own health needs.
Outcomes/evaluation results: Evaluation results indicate that the workshop built the capacity of occupational therapists to feel confident and able to implement evidence-based treatment, to advocate for recovery-oriented services for their clients, and to articulate the distinct value of occupational therapy in mental health practice.
Dissemination method(s): Results indicate that the curriculum shows promise in addressing the lack of continuing education training programs that are currently available to OTs who wish to work in behavioral health. Specifically, plans are to offer workshops through AOTA and ILOTA, to incorporate competencies in UIC’s entry-level OT curriculum, as training for new hires in mental health settings, as a recruiting tool to prepare OTs to apply for positions in mental health, and as an on-line continuing education webinar.