occupational therapy: the what and the where

I get asked all the time, “what exactly is an occupational therapist?” and “what do occupational therapists do?”

My answer to you is that I really don’t know. I’ve only completed 2 semesters (out of 9) of OT school and I’m just now sort of kind of forming my own opinion and understanding of our profession and what it is that “we” do.

So, please remember that as a first year OT student, my answer will look much different than one written by a third year student or by an actual practicing OT.

My understanding of what we do is this…

We help people achieve whatever it is they want to achieve but can not do so independently because of a disability (both physical and cognitive), illness, difficulty, impairment, etc.

We exist so that YOU may live life more fully. We work to help you do whatever it is that you want to do but can no longer do it by yourself.

For example, if you were in a car accident and sustained a traumatic brain injury and your first and true love was gardening but now your brain will no longer allow you to put together the systematic sequential steps it takes in order to garden, we would come in and help you. We might help you with sequencing (cognitive) and we might help you with strengthening (to hold your garden utensils or whatever) and we might help you modify or adapt anything you can no longer do by yourself. Essentially, we will do whatever it takes so that you can participate in an activity that is vital to you or meaningful to you.

It could be anything... cooking, tennis, education, work, horse-back riding, yoga, music…whatever it is that you need to do and that you enjoy doing…we step in to be sort of a gentle guiding hand to see that you are able to do those things again.

We work in all kinds of settings... hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, private practice facilities, schools, psych units, addiction centers, hospice homes, you name it—we’re there.

As you can probably already tell, there really is no limit as to what we do or where we do it.

We do it all.

We are, by nature, very holistic. We address the whole person…not just the physical aspect (which is more of what Physical Therapists do). We address your emotional state, your cognitive state, your spiritual state, and your physical state.

So, that’s it in a nut-shell.

Why am I, personally, choosing Occupational Therapy as a profession?

Because it just fits with what I feel my purpose here on earth is—to help others.

To help others live life to the fullest; To help others find purpose and passion either for the first time, or again; To make sure people know that no matter what they go through, they are still vital and important; They are still worthy and they are still capable of finding “it” again…whatever that “it” is for them. That spark, that little flicker of joy, the missing puzzle piece..... the magic of life.

In what setting do I want to work?

I think that I would most like to work in the mental health field. 

I am also highly interested in getting an advanced degree/certificate in emotion-regulation and in working as a consultant. Both of those sound wonderful to me. But who knows. At the end of my 3 years, all of this may change. I may want to work in an elementary school. Ha! (probably not, although I do love children).

And of course, my long term goal is to have my PhD in Clinical psychology by the time I’m 40. Which means that I’ll work in the field for several years before going back to school.

I hope that this has been helpful.

If not, please ask away! I’ll do my best to answer with what limited knowledge and understanding I have.

All I know is that I chose the best field for me and I am VERY excited about my future career.

What an honor it is to do something that I love and feel passionate about. I wish more people would choose their careers based on passion and purpose rather than money.

The majority of people I know hate their jobs. This actually may have to do more with the person than their chosen profession…but it’s just an observation.

Do you like your job? Why? Why not?