Occupational Therapy is skilled treatment that helps individuals achieve independence in all facets of their lives. Occupational Therapy assists people in developing the “skills for the job of living” necessary for meaningful and satisfying lives. Services typically include:
- Customized treatment programs to improve one’s ability to perform daily activities
- Comprehensive home and job site evaluations with adaptation recommendations
- Performance skills assessments and treatment
- Adaptive equipment recommendations and usage training
- Instruction in modified methods to perform activities successfully, which may including pacing, strategy implementation, new methods and other techniques
Occupation refers to everything that people do during the course of everyday life (not just paid employment!). The primary goal of Occupational Therapy is to enable people to participate in the occupations (activities) which give meaning and purpose to their lives.
Occupational Therapists have a broad education that provides them with the skills and knowledge to work collaboratively with people of all ages and abilities experiencing obstacles to participation. These obstacles may result from a change in function (thinking, doing, feeling) because of illness or disability, and/or barriers in the social, institutional and/or physical environment.
About Occupational Therapy Practitioners
Occupational Therapy practitioners are skilled professionals whose education includes the study of human growth and development with specific emphasis on the social, emotional, and physiological effects of illness and injury. The Occupational Therapist enters the field with a Master’s degree. Practitioners must complete supervised clinical internships in a variety of health care settings, and pass a national examination. Occupational Therapists are Regulated Health Professionals.
Is Occupational Therapy Right For You?
Occupational Therapy helps to solve the problems that interfere with your ability to do the things that are important to you. It can also prevent a problem or minimize its effects.
When an injury, illness, disability, or other problem limits your ability to:
- take care of yourself,
- participate in paid or unpaid work, or
- enjoy your social and leisure time,
then you may want to learn some new skills for the job of living from an Occupational Therapist.