What Is Occupational Therapy?

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapists hear this question all the time. The title of the profession can be a bit confusing because most of us automatically associate the word, “occupation”, to “job” or “employment”. If you are having difficulties related to work, Occupational Therapists can help, but can do much more than that!

Further, occupational Therapists work with people that are having difficulty doing the daily things. These things include what they want to do, need to do, or are expected to. They activities can take place at home, at school, at work, and in their community. These include any activities that occupy your time, which where the name“Occupational Therapists” comes from!

Additionally, as individuals, what we do and the meaningful roles we fulfill make up a big part of our sense of self and identity. Oftentimes, when someone has difficulty with or are unable to live life the way they want to, need to, or are expected to, they can quickly feel lost and disconnected from their identity. Understandably, this can often lead to feelings of anxiety and depression.

How do they help?

Occupational Therapists help to enable people to engage in activities related to taking care of themselves:

– getting dressed;
– bathing/showering;
– managing medications;
– sleep hygiene;
– fulfilling productive roles (i.e. school, work, volunteering, caregiving);
– things that you do for fun (i.e. fishing, crafting, exercising).

Occupational Therapists are detectives when it comes to activities. We take a close-up and big-picture look at the physical and cognitive (thinking) demands of an activity. Also, they look for clues that tell us why there is difficulty doing that activity. This helps bridge the gap through building skills, providing tools and equipment, making changes to the environment, providing education, and/or adapting the activity (and much more!).

Therefore, if you are having difficulty doing the activities that are important to you, that you have to do for daily maintenance, or that are part of the many roles you fulfill, an Occupational Therapist can help! To an Occupational Therapist, you’re the boss in the process. Your goals help us to map out our work together.

Finally, contact HeadWay Clinic if you’d like to know more about how an Occupational Therapist can help you! Find out more about occupational therapist services in Sudbury.

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