Occupational Therapy! What is it? Can it help me?

HAPPY (last day of) OT MONTH!!! As an occupational therapist, I tell people daily I have the best job in the world. I believe it. The moment I first learned of OT I didn't really understand it but my gut said it was the right fit. I probably didn't fully understand what occupational therapy was until two years into my five year program.

So what is it? What is occupational therapy? Let's start even more simply with the

word "occupation" itself. An occupation is something you do that occupies your time. Activities like getting dressed, sleeping, texting, reading a book, working, driving, eating, having sex, going to school, playing guitar, toileting, cooking, and everything else that just crossed your mind.

Occupational therapists work with individuals who have difficulty participating in their daily occupations. We do this in hospitals, clinics, rehab facilities, homes, schools, and communities. We work with some days after birth and others days before death. Most frequently, we work with clients impacted by injury, disability, or disease. Though they are the most common reasons a person comes through the door, a diagnosis or a specific label is not what determines a need for OT. I have had clients who feel limited by stress, fatigue, pain, or just difficulty figuring out what to do next. If you or someone you love is having trouble being independent and enjoying their occupations, we've got your back.

Sometimes at my job, I get asked something along the lines of, "so you went to school to learn how to help someone put a shirt on?" Well, kind of. It's a bit more complicated than that. I went to school to learn theories to understand how to find what is motivating to each client and how to facilitate success (plus a WHOLE LOT about the human body and mind, evaluations, and interventions). Occupational therapists are trained to assess a person rather than a diagnosis or a specific set of symptoms.

To better understand how one is able or unable to perform an occupation, we break down the requirements of a task into three categories: physical, cognitive, and psychosocial. Physical refers to your the way your body is working: strength, balance, sensation, vision, etc. Cognition is the mental or thinking requirements of a task: memory, attention, problem solving, etc. Psychosocial is exactly what it sounds like: psychological + social = psychosocial. These broad categories help us organize the make up of what it takes to be successful.

Occupational therapists do this by what is called "activity analysis." For example, right now I am sitting outside a coffee shop typing. Seems pretty simple right? Well...to be successful in this moment I need to be able to: use my body to stay upright in this surprisingly unsupportive chair, track the line of text while it appears on my screen, be able to pay attention to typing while there is music playing, take a sip of my coffee while not losing the train of thought, and politely answer the person who just interrupted me to ask if I know the time the store next door opens. Those are just a few of the requirements of sitting here to write this. If you think about it, every task from brushing your teeth to hosting a party has so many subparts. An occupational therapist is trained to look at a person struggling, pinpoint what it is that is causing that disruption in performance, and work with them to fix it. It's a pretty cool skill to have.

Now, its important to note that OT does not occur in a vacuum and I am not claiming to be a cure-all for every situation. I think it's crucial that every healthcare provider knows their professional scope of practice as well as their own expertise within that scope. At work when someone asks how they can improve their walking, I am not the most qualified person in the room to give the best answer. Can I give some pointers and improve their safety? Sure, absolutely! Can I give the details and strategies as clearly as my physical therapy counterparts - no. If someone asks about swallowing strategies, I look to the speech language pathologists on the team to provide the level of expertise that the client and their family deserves. A healthcare team relies on each member, works together, and creates what sometimes feels like a miracle.

Within occupational therapy, there is a wide range of expertise. I am grateful to have had a really well rounded education (shout out QU Bobcats!)... but I have not thought much about, say, pediatric practice since I took my boards exam. When I get asked questions about kiddos I know I'm not the right occupational therapist to answer. Instead, I reach out to the therapists who practice in this area day in and day out because a good occupational therapist uses all the resources that they know of even if it means admitting that I don't have an answer. Plus, it's a good opportunity to show off how knowledgeable and rad some of my colleagues, classmates, and peers are (because they blow my mind).

So, the gist is: occupational therapists work to help people thrive in the parts of life they hold dear. We help people reach what seems unreachable (literally and figuratively). If you feel like you are being held back by your body, your mind, your environment, or something else you cannot put your finger on, OT can help you move forward. We are there to brain storm, problem solve, try strategies, try more strategies, advocate, educate, and make a change. We want you to live a fulfilled life.

#occupationaltherapy #healthcare