Occupations are the activities people of all ages need and want to do—things like making meals, dressing, managing medications, driving, going to school or work, playing, or caring for family members.
Occupational therapy is a science-driven, evidence-based profession that enables people of all ages to participate in daily living or live better with injury, illness, or disability. This is accomplished through designing strategies for everyday living and customizing environments to develop and maximize potential.
By taking the full picture into account—a person’s psychological, physical, emotional, and social make-up—occupational therapy assists people in:
Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants help people participate in their desired occupations with the therapeutic use of everyday activities, based on the client’s personal interests and needs.
Occupational therapy (OT) considers the complex relationship between the client, the activity, and the environment in which the activity takes place. Examples of OT interventions include:
Services focus on the client’s goals and typically include:
OT services may also include comprehensive evaluations of the client’s home and other environments (e.g., workplace, school), recommendations for adaptive equipment and training in its use, and guidance and education for family members and caregivers.
Various health issues can pose barriers to participating in daily activities. Occupational therapists help people:
These solutions help people do as much as they can – safely and effectively – at home, school, work, and in other settings.
The word “occupational” in occupational therapy can be misleading. This profession is not about vocational counseling or work training. Occupational therapists are health care professionals who help people resume or maintain participation in a variety of tasks – their jobs, leisure, and social activities, getting around, caring for themselves and their home, and much more.
Occupational therapists often work on a team with physical therapists, but the two roles are distinct. Physical Therapists help people restore physical function; occupational therapists focus on how that function affects the ability to do things that are important to them.
