As an occupational therapist working in the field for more than 12 years, I have often had the opportunity to answer this question for my clients.

Occupational therapy is a client-centered and occupation-based healthcare profession, delivering intervention approaches that seek to restore, maintain, and promote independence. Allowing clients to continue actively participating in their choice of personal, cultural, and social activities.

What Exactly Does an Occupational Therapy Practitioner Do?

Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) work to restore and/ or maintain the functional level of independence of clients of all ages. From children to the elderly who due to injury, illness, or disability are limited or unable to engage in school, work, leisure, and/ or personal care. Using a client-centered occupation-based approach, occupational therapy practitioners develop treatment plans and deliver therapeutic interventions based on their client’s needs. For instance, an OTP working with school-age children may help them access their education by incorporating activities that will enable them to become more independent while in the school setting. Some examples of these are: holding a pencil correctly; building core and hand strength so that they can sit at their desk with an upright posture while copying text; writing legibly; and tying shoelaces.

Where Do Occupational Therapy Practitioners Work?

Occupational therapy practitioners work with clients with various injuries, disabilities, and impairments. Treatment plans are developed based on the client’s therapeutic setting. OTPs can work in diverse therapy settings which can include:

• Home care
• Hospitals
• Nursing homes
• Outpatient Facilities
• Schools

Here is a list of common medical conditions and types of neurodiversity that occupational therapy practitioners work with (keep in mind this is not a comprehensive list):

• ADHD
• Amputations
• Autism
• Birth injuries or birth defects
• Broken bones and other orthopedic injuries
• Burns
• Cancer
• Cerebral Palsy
• Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke)
• Developmental delays
• Hand injuries and repetitive stress conditions
• Learning disabilities
• Mental health
• Multiple sclerosis and other chronic conditions
• Osteoarthritis
• Post-surgical conditions
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Sensory processing disorders
• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries

11 of the Most Common Specialty Practice Areas for OTPs

• Pediatrics: Occupational therapy practitioners work with infants, toddlers, children, and adolescents to address difficulties and limitations in sensory processing, developmental skills, fine motor skills, visual-perceptual skills, and cognitive skills. They mainly work in school settings. However, they can also be found in homecare or outpatient settings.

• Hand Therapy: Occupational therapy practitioners who specialize in hand therapy work on hand rehabilitation after injuries or surgical procedures. They also treat aging-related ailments, such as osteoarthritis (OA), and work on pain management, such as Fibromyalgia. These OTPs are usually employed in outpatient settings or doctor’s offices.
• Geriatrics: Occupational therapy practitioners work on providing rehabilitation to the elderly addressing concerns related to aging such as low vision, limited mobility, difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs), fall prevention, and preventing cognitive decline. These OTPs are usually found in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, outpatient facilities, and home care settings.

• Mental Health: Occupational therapy practitioners work to improve the quality of life of individuals suffering from various mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, among others. They assist in providing strategies and skill-building techniques to improve coping skills, social interaction skills, as well as overall mental and emotional well-being. These OTPs are mainly found in inpatient and outpatient mental health facilities.

• Neurorehabilitation: Occupational therapy practitioners provide rehabilitation to individuals suffering from neurological conditions or injuries such as traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), cardiovascular accidents (CVAs), and spinal cord injuries, among others. They focus on improving cognitive function, activities of daily living (ADLs), and overall independence. These OTPs are mainly found in hospitals as well as short-term and long-term rehabilitation settings.
• Driving Rehabilitation: Occupational therapy practitioners assess and provide interventions and/ or recommendations to individuals suffering from medical, age-related, or physical conditions hindering their ability to drive a vehicle safely. These OTPs are mainly found in outpatient settings.
• Assistive Technology: Occupational therapy practitioners assess, provide interventions, and make recommendations to obtain communication devices, mobility equipment, and technology that facilitate activities of daily living (ADLs) for individuals with disabilities. These OTPs mainly work in schools, long-term rehabilitation facilities, and outpatient settings.

• Sensory Integration: Occupational therapy practitioners working in this area of practice work with children and adolescents, focusing on helping them manage and make sense of the information they receive through their senses. These OTPs are found in school settings and outpatient clinics.
• School-based: Occupational therapy practitioners assess, provide interventions for, and/or make recommendations to help children and adolescents access their learning. Some areas of focus are sensory processing skills, developmental skills, fine motor skills, visual-perceptual skills, upper body strength, hand strength, pencil grasp, handwriting legibility, and activities of daily living among others. The main objective is to help the student achieve their maximum level of independence within the school setting.
• Aging in place: Occupational therapy practitioners work on assessing, providing recommendations, and modifying the environment to make it easily accessible (handicapped accessible), safer, and user-friendly for the elderly and individuals with disabilities. These OTPs are mainly found in outpatient settings and private practices.

• Vocational Rehabilitation: Occupational therapy practitioners work on assisting individuals with disabilities in finding and maintaining meaningful employment and workplace accommodations. These OTPs are mainly found in outpatient settings.

These are just some examples of the growing field of specialty areas within occupational therapy. Occupational therapy practitioners can choose to work in one or more of these areas depending on their interests, expertise, and clients’ needs.

“Always remember, empowering our children goes a long way in helping them become independent and build their self-esteem.”

Resources:

If you or someone you know would like to learn more about occupational therapy, click any of the links below:

New York State Occupational Therapy Association https://www.nysota.org/

American Occupational Therapy Association https://www.aota.org/

World Federation of Occupational Therapists https://www.wfot.org/