Occupational therapy, often abbreviated as "OT", uses meaningful and purposeful occupations
to promote health. These can be work related activities to leisure activities. Occupational therapists work with
individuals, families, groups and communities to facilitate health and well-being through engagement or
re-engagement in occupation. Occupational therapists are becoming increasingly involved in addressing the impact of
social, political and environmental factors that contribute to exclusion and occupational deprivation.
The World Federation of Occupational Therapists defines occupational therapy as a profession concerned with
promoting health and well-being through occupation. Occupational therapists address the question, "Why does this
person have difficulties in his or her daily activities (or occupations), and what can we adapt to make it possible
for him or her to manage better to impact his or her health and well-being?” Occupational therapists use careful
analysis of physical, environmental, psychosocial, mental, spiritual, political and cultural factors to identify
barriers to occupation. The primary goal of an occupational therapist is to enable individuals, groups and
communities to participate in actitivies which are meaningful to them, reflect their beliefs and values, and
produce a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction. Occupational therapy has been described as addressing the
"skills for the job of living" necessary for "living life to its fullest." Occupational therapy draws from the
fields of medicine, psychology, sociology, anthropology, ethnography, architecture and many other disciplines in
developing its knowledge base. A new discipline of occupational science has been developed to enhance the evidence
base of the profession.
Occupational Therapy Psychology Career
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Brien_Hode]Brien Hode
Occupational Therapists help people to improve their ability to perform a variety of daily tasks. This is
especially useful for people who have disabilities that are mental, physical, emotional or developmental. Thus,
Occupational Therapists help disabled people to overcome their disabilities - whether in their daily life or in
their work environment.
The basic function of Occupational Therapists is to enable their clients to have productive, fulfilling and
independent lives - despite their disabilities. The Occupational Therapist also helps their clients to improve
their basic motor functions, reasoning abilities, and also to compensate for a permanent loss of any function. In
this way, people with disabilities can benefit from the help offered by Occupational Therapists and become
functional individuals and overcome their disabilities.
A Treasure For The Children And Anyone Who Knows A Child With Autism
If you have a special-needs child, this could be a very valuable way to interact and build skills.
This DVD introduces parents to Occupational Therapy (OT) and what it can do for a child.
Occupational Therapist, Britt Collins, combines traditional Occupation Therapy exercises with
Applied Behavior Analysis to teach parents and caregivers various skills which can assist in
desensitizing a child and help them on the path to reprogramming their brain function. Britt
guides us through this program in both clinical and easy to follow terms. She also provides
families with a guideline on how to integrate sensory diets into their home.Britt and the
children demonstrate basic OT activities that are easily accessible at home with items such as
shaving cream, hula hoops, and rice and beans. Britt shows how to keep children interested by
keeping sessions fun, at the same time she explains how each exercise is helping the child.
Typically, as an Occupational Therapist, you will be involved in assisting your clients with the performing of a
number of activities like dressing, cooking, eating, and even using the computer. You will be involved in using a
number of physical exercises to increase the strength and dexterity of your clients, and even a number of
activities to improve vision, and so forth - depending on the disability of the client.
As an Occupational Therapist, you would also be able to help the elderly by helping them to be more productive
and active via a number of methods. You can also help in assessing an individual's ability to drive using a
combination of clinical and on-the-road tests.
As an Occupational Therapist in a mental health setting, you will be able to treat patients who are mentally
ill, emotionally disturbed or mentally retarded. You will use a number of activities to treat such patients. These
activities include helping your patients with shopping, home making, and the use of public transportation. You may
also work with patients suffering from depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, eating disorders or stress related
disorders.
In order to create your Occupational Therapy career, you would have to obtain a Masters Degree in Occupational
Therapy and then pass a national certification exam to get become a Registered Occupational Therapist. You can also
advance your career by specializing in a particular ailment or a particular type of patient and even engage in
teaching classes. As an Occupational Therapist your earnings will largely depend on the kind of patients you care
for and the place where you work. The annual salary can therefore range from anywhere between $45,000 to $67,000.
Thus with your career as a Occupational Therapist, you can be in the unique position of helping people with
disabilities achieve independence and lead fuller, more satisfying lives.
To Know more about
[http://www.psychologyschoolsu.com/program.php?discipline=occupational-therapy&id=99]Occupational Therapy
Psychology Degrees offered at Psychology College visit http://psychologyschoolsu.com