The Role of Occupational Therapy in Mental Health

Table of Contents

What is Occupational Therapy in Mental Health?

Occupational therapy in mental health focuses on helping individuals with mental health issues to participate in daily activities that bring stability, purpose, and joy.

If you have a mental health condition, occupational therapy will help you to develop skills to manage your condition and regain your ability to participate in daily living. The focus is on how your mental state impacts your ability to function and live your life.

Treatment is highly tailored to the individual and occupational therapists often come up with creative solutions to fit the specific situation and person.

Despite being an established field of practice, mental health occupational therapy is still gaining awareness and recognition for the role it can play in supporting mental health and well-being and improving mental health outcomes.

The Role of Mental Health Occupational Therapists

Occupational therapy provides unique support to people with mental health concerns, taking a holistic, person-centred approach. This means it takes into consideration your entire health situation and life circumstances.

Therapists working in mental health will consider:

Values and beliefs, mental and sensory function
Motor, process, and social skills
Environment or context
Performance patterns (or habits, routines, roles).

Occupational therapists will work with your other treating professionals such as GPs, psychologists, psychologists and other specialist doctors to ensure solutions are appropriate and suit your individual situation and needs.

Mental Health Occupational Therapy Approaches

Occupational therapists provide evidence-based approaches to support your to increase your function and independence to return confidently to day-to-day life.

Occupational therapy focusses on implementing the recovery model, which acknowledges that recovery is a long-term process that requires long-term ‘structures’ such as stable employment, independent living and ongoing recreational participation.

Mental health occupational therapy can help to break a vicious cycle of withdrawal from activities that accelerate recovery.

Mental health occupational therapy focusses on helping individuals to achieve goals in four key areas:

Physical activity, which has been shown to improve mental health as well as physical health
Engaging with work or school, which improves self-esteem and creates purpose, as well as creating opportunities for social interaction
Social connection, which research shows to have a positive impact on mental health
Hobbies and recreation, especially spending time outdoors and in nature.

Occupational therapy mental health interventions

The ways in which occupational therapy can support you to manage your mental health challenges are quite varied. Interventions can include:

cognitive restructuring techniques and cognitive behaviour therapy
teaching problem-solving, self-regulation and coping skills
activity exposure
identifying barriers and factors that block success
modifying the environment to support progress toward goals
educating family, friends, teachers, peers and colleagues
supportive structure, including family and friends support network, as well as positive habits and daily routines
psychodynamic therapies
calming and sensory strategies
motivational interviewing.

Occupational therapists may use relaxation and stress reduction techniques, such as yoga, exercise and pursuing hobbies.

They also help with developing good habits and routines, coping strategies and skills, which can help you to manage your condition and improve overall well-being.

Occupational Therapy in Mental Health Settings

Mental health occupational therapists work in both inpatient and outpatient settings, with goals focused on increasing client awareness of their condition and expanding their skills and tools for managing their disorder.

Mental health occupational therapists may work in community mental health settings, providing services such as finding and keeping employment, going to school, and living independently.

Occupational mental health services may be delivered in:

schools
aged care
private practice
telehealth services
acute and rehabilitation primary care services
government-funded programs such as NDIS and workers’ compensation

Benefits of Occupational Therapy Mental Health Services

The benefit of occupational therapy for mental health conditions is that is doesn’t just focus on the clinical symptoms, as some other therapies are designed to do. Because mental health occupational therapy is focussed on improving your functional capacity to participate in daily life, you can see more practical and tangible results.

Occupational therapy can play a significant role in your recovery by helping you reconnect with work, school, recreation, hobbies, and social activities.

What kind of mental health condition does an occupational therapist help with?

Occupational therapists work across the spectrum of mental illness, providing early intervention, prevention and treatment services to people with mild to severe mental health issues.

They work with children and young people as well as adults.

An occupational therapist can help people with a psychosocial disabilities and mental health condition such as:

depression
anxiety
developmental challenges
sensory processing disorders
psychosocial dysfunction
physical and cognitive impairments
autism
ADHD
psychosis
trauma-related disorders (such as post traumatic stress disorder)
addiction
co-occurring disorders

The symptoms of these mental health conditions can include fatigue, difficulty remembering things, emotional dysregulation, poor organisational capacity and executive function, loss of motivation and meaning, fearfulness and hypervigilance, all of which have a functional impact on a person’s life and their ability to participate in everyday activities.

Occupational therapists help to identify the issues and improve skills, develop strategies and enhance motivation to overcome those challenges.

Finding a Mental Health Occupational Therapist

Mental health is a specialised area of occupational therapy, and you will likely get better results if you can find an occupational therapist who has experience working in the mental health sector.

When choosing a mental health occupational therapist, consider factors such as their approach, experience, and availability.

Strategies for finding a mental health occupational therapist

Ask your doctor: To find an experiences mental health occupational therapist, the best place to start is by asking your current treating practitioners, like your GP, psychiatrist, psychologist or other allied health professionals. They already know you and your situation and will be able to recommend an OT who can help with your individual challenges.
Do some research: Look on online directories for an OT who has experience working with mental health issues or the specific challenges you’re facing (for example, executive function). You can also contact mental health organisations to ask if they know of occupational therapists specialising in mental health.
Make a phone call: Phone potential OT services and ask about their approach, the interventions they use and their philosophy, and ensure it aligns with your values and goals.
Don’t be constrained by geography: Remember that telehealth appointments (sessions held over video conference) can be highly effective. Being flexible in terms of your OT’s location may open up a whole lot of possibilities compared to looking for a service that’s located nearby.

Is Mental Health Occupational Therapy Covered Under the NDIS?

If you have an NDIS plan, funding for mental health occupational therapy may be included, under the funding category Capacity Building (Improved Daily Living). If you have available funds in this category, you will be able to use these funds to pay for occupational therapy sessions, with no out of pocket expenses. Explore our guide to navigating the NDIS for Occupational Therapy.

Conclusion: Occupational Therapy and Mental Health

Occupational therapy and mental health are closely linked, with occupational therapists playing a critical role in providing mental health services and interventions.
Mental health occupational therapy can help individuals with mental health conditions to participate fully in daily activities, overcome barriers to participation, and improve their overall well-being.
By understanding the role of occupational therapy in mental health, individuals can better navigate the mental health system and access the support they need to recover and thrive.