Occupational Therapy's Roots are in Treating Mental Health
- Amanda
- Jan 6, 2024
- 2 min read
The Occupational Therapy profession started as a service to support mental health. It's a fascinating field that has been helping people overcome mental health challenges for decades. Let me tell you more about it!
Occupational therapy was established during World War I, and even in its earliest stages, included mental health initiatives. Towards the conclusion of the war, when so many American soldiers were coming home with panicked mindsets (a condition later coined “shell shocked”), the United States War Department employed reconstruction aids (RA) to assist wounded and worrisome soldiers in their recovery.
These RAs were civilian women who served in military hospitals, at home, and abroad to help reconstruct the realities of the lives the soldiers had known before becoming disabled. Occupational therapy RAs taught crafts and vocational skills to distract the injured while increasing their productivity and morale.
The National Society for Promotion of Occupational Therapy changed its name in 1921 to the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (AOTA). By 1933, AOTA was affiliated with the American Medical Association Council on medical education and hospitals.
Occupational therapy practitioners offer mental health services to help patients restore daily function, independence, and valued activities across the lifespan.
Several OT skills are still utilized in the mental health field today. These include:
Activity analysis
Behavior health
Cognition
Communication
Evaluation
Human development
Independent living management
Interpersonal skills
Intervention and identifying barriers to improve
Psychology
Relaxation and restorative sleep management, and
Sociology
Occupational therapy practitioners can help clients of all ages to improve their mental health and acquire everyday life skills. Professionals specializing in mental health occupational therapy can work in diverse settings, including acute and long-term care psychiatric facilities, employment programs, juvenile justice centers, military institutions, public and private schools, skilled nursing facilities, and others.
Everyday Wellbeing Occupational Therapy is available to support you in managing the challenges of life so that you can live your best life. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to schedule an initial evaluation.
Phone: 218-503-0171
Fax: 218-610-4041
REFERENCES
AOTA. (n.d.). History of AOTA Accreditation. AOTA.org. Accessed January 4, 2024 from AOTA.org.
Goodwin University. May 14, 2021. The Origins of Occupational Therapy. Accessed January 4, 2024. <https://www.goodwin.edu/enews/origins-of-occupational-therapy-and-mental-health-practices-within-ot/>
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