Sunday 28 June 2015

Understanding Occupational Therapy In Mental Health

By Edna Booker


Treating a mental health problem cannot be a one day event; it is a journey that requires a collaborative effort by several people, some working as the medical professional team while others coming in as those you interact with in your daily environment. The medical team consists of doctors, nurses, support providers, caregivers, counselors, social workers, and therapists while the others involved include the teachers, aides, and the family members. They work together as a team with a collaborative approach to reach a specific goal which is to improve the life of an individual through identification and meeting the desired behavior and skills. This is the same goal for the occupational therapy in mental health.

The mental health occupational therapy is described as a client-centered approach that the therapists use to gain an idea of different factors that relates to the client's occupation and the environment and have an influence on their mental functioning as well as their subsequent functionality. The therapist assesses the occupation or occupations that are most meaningful to the clients.

In this case, the "occupation" in this case does not solely mean work. It is used to refer to any activity that an individual is engaged. It therefore includes activities at the workplace as well as home. Some examples include the personal hygiene, socializing, preparing a meal, painting, managing finances, and engaging in leisure activities. The therapists in this category use occupation to enhance the client's ability to live a meaningful and a more satisfying life.

The professionals in this occupation have a big role in the general medical service provision. They work together with other professionals in the medical sector to help in service delivery in a number of ways. First, they assess the client's ability to function properly. This means that the work management abilities and the ability to actively participate in the pursuit of the home roles are assessed.

The therapists deliver their services in three main ways. First, they assess the functional ability of the client. This involves determining the ability of the patient to manage work, the home roles, and participate in the activities of these pursuits.

The process starts by the assessment of the functional abilities. In this stage, the client's ability to manage work related roles and home related roles are determined. The ability to participate in activities in pursuits of the same is also assessed.

When dealing with an individual that has any form of a mental condition, the occupational therapist can employ a variety of the assessment techniques to help get the necessary information. The information is then used to create a personalized occupational profile that can be used for the purpose of goal-setting, and for treatment planning. The common areas of intervention include the life skills training, the cognitive rehabilitation, supported education, social and interpersonal skills training, life balance intervention, supported education and the modalities like the mindfulness and biofeedback.

The target of the this therapy in the area of mental illness specifically targets to offer a full treatment to the person as a whole. The practice is widely used in several areas of medical profession. It can be seen in settings such as hospitals, nursing facilities, outpatients, in the work places, home based health programs, and community programs. It is a beneficial practice particularly in life skill training, cognitive rehabilitation, life balance intervention, interpersonal skill training and several other areas in life.




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