Occupational Therapy

An occupational therapist focuses on developing and maintaining people's skills to carry out their everyday occupations such as work/school, self care, leisure and play.

Occupational therapists work with clients who may have temporary or permanent disruption to their lives caused through illness or disability. They are also involved in health promotion. Therapists work with clients, families and carers and are a key member of health care teams.

Occupational therapists work with people of all ages from infants to the aged. They work in community centres, pre-schools, schools, charitable organisations, industry, hospitals, rehabilitation centres, private practice, universities and pharmacies.

Some of the core service provided by occupational therapists include:

• Retraining and functional activities to address factors such as cognitive and perceptual disabilities; enhance upper limb use
• Home assessment to enhance safety
• Therapy to adapting, designing and prescribing specialised equipment and seating
• Task simplification
• Vocational rehabilitation
• Stress management and relaxation
• Social skills training
• Assessment of early development in children
• Therapy to enhance development and participation in school activities
• Driving assessment, retraining and modification to vehicles
• Promotion of health lifestyles
• Pain management
• Consultancy to Industry
• Collaboration in policy development in health and other related areas

Areas of Practice

Access
Provision of services to evaluate the way people can enter, exit and move around in buildings or public/private areas. Provision of advice to improve accessibility for people with physical or sensory disabilities.

Aged care
Service to enhance the older population to maintain independence in completing daily tasks in a safe manner. Enhancement methods include the provision of adaptive equipment, home modifications and community supports.

Brain Injury
Specialised services for people with acquired brain injury which aim to maximise the performance of self maintenance tasks, leisure activities and work/school tasks through cognitive and perceptual retaining or remediation, and teaching of compensatory techniques in the home, school or work environments.

Chronic Pain Management
Provision of bio-mechanical techniques, cognitive behavioural therapy and relaxation therapy for people with chronic pain.

Driving
Therapists who have certification to assess an individual's ability to drive following an illness or injury

Hand Therapy
Provision of advice, thermoplastic splints, soft splints, mobilisation exercises and functional information to individuals with hand problems or following hand surgery.

Medico Legal
The provision of a comprehensive report following the assessment of an individual outlining an opinion on the future needs of the individual in the areas of care, equipment, employment/education, professional services and accommodation. The report is usually used as evidence in settlement of court proceedings.

Mental Health and/or Counselling
Therapeutic interventions for individuals with psycho social and psychiatric difficulties.

Musculo-Skeletal
Provision of equipment, advice, home modifications and community supports for individuals with musculo skeletal problems.

Occupational Health and Safety
Assessment and remediation of the work environment and procedures to ensure physical and emotional well being for the worker. Usually in a preventative context.

Occupational Rehabilitation
Provision of assessment and intervention to enable an injured worker to return to occupational tasks in an appropriate work setting.

Paediatrics
Specialised services for children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 years. Provision of assessment and intervention to maximise performance of self care, leisure and school activities.

Seating
Provision of advice and modification of seating equipment for use in wheelchairs, commodes or other adaptive seating options.

Spinal Injury
Provision of services to maximise self care, work and leisure activities for people with neurological loss following a spinal injury. Maximisation includes the prescription of adaptive equipment, home/work modifications, technique training and service referral.