What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy is a skilled healthcare service
that uses occupation to promote meaningful living by adapting activities, tasks and the
environment which enables people to fulfill their chosen life roles. Occupations, the key
tools of occupational therapy, are the clusters of meaningful doing that all people express
in their day-to-day living through their roles and activities.

Occupational Therapy Assistants can find a variety of career options working with people of all ages. The assistant provides services to individuals with a variety of disorders and disabilities and who are at risk of losing the ability to participate in valued occupations. A career as an occupational therapy assistant may
include:

• Teaching patients who have had strokes, and their families, ways to adapt the home
  environment with assistive technology for greater independence and safety.
• Helping parents of a child with cerebral palsy learn ways to feed, dress and play with
  their child
• Preparing high school students with developmental delays with the skills needed for
  independent community living
• Educating elders about strategies to maintain their independence and lifestyles
• Providing on-the-job coaching in employment skills for individuals with chronic
  mental illness
• Leading an activities program for teens with behavioral disord

Career Opportunities can be found in traditional medical settings, schools, specialized community care and wellness programs, and home care agencies. Change and variety are widely available in an occupational therapy assistant’s career. As an occupational therapy assistant you will offer your skills to individuals of all ages and from diverse backgrounds.