Mental Health

For some, mental health might impact your ability to consistently engage in important productive tasks, such as working or caring for yourself and others. An occupational therapist can help:

• Work with clients and their families to identify the occupations and activities that are important for family and personal life.
• Plan, initiate and track short and long-term goals that enable participation in those activities.
• Teach practical ways to cope with the effects of mental illness e.g. relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, body scans, movement practices like yoga/Tai Chi and mindfulness.
• Explore strategies for tolerating distress associated with mental conditions (trauma, driving anxiety, and low mood) and application of these strategies in real-life contexts.
• Work with clients to better understand the impact of mental illness.
• Help introduce meaningful activities into the routine which can have positive impacts on mental health.
• Assess skills, interests, values, and strengths in order to help clients maintain, modify or find appropriate employment.
• Implement activities that teach valuable skills e.g. social skills training with a peer support group. Social support training can assist with the promotion of social engagement and community inclusion.
• Structure lives and organize daily activities so that clients can balance everything they want, need or are expected to do.
• Occupational therapists have additionally training in cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy, motivational interviewing, mindfulness meditation.

Returning to Work 

When mental health challenges arise, it can be difficult to manage your personal needs while also maintaining your performance at work. An occupational therapist will complete a client-centered, functional assessment to help maximize your function at work while also considering the level of occupational balance in your life as a whole. OTs bring a perspective that considers the individual’s strengths and abilities as a whole, the environmental context, and the demands of the occupation(s) at hand. Interventions to facilitate a successful return to work are diverse and can range from teaching self-management skills to enable engagement in the task at hand, to working with the client and employer to determine adaptations that can be made in the workplace. 

Restoring Balance for Daily Activities After Return to Work

Returning to work and maintaining a successful return to work requires a focus on the job itself and the leisure and self-care activities that an individual engages in outside of work. Learning how to achieve occupational balance – that is, finding a balance of engagement in self-care, productive, and leisure activities – is a crucial part of a successful return to work, and one that your occupational therapist can work with you to create.  

Routine Building and Maintenance 

Mental health challenges can largely influence the activities and routines we engage in daily. From our morning self-care routine, to medication management and meal preparation, it can be difficult to establish a consistent routine when symptoms of depression or anxiety act as functional barriers. With the holistic approach that occupational therapists take to treatment, a variety of contextual factors are taken into account to better support your engagement in a daily routine that works for you. Our daily routines play an essential role in our mental health and wellbeing, and with support from an occupational therapist, you will be supported through building a routine that works for you. 

Regardless of the nature of an individual’s mental health challenges, our goal is to work with you to develop the necessary skills and strategies to re-engage in the activities that are meaningful to you. 

Promoting mental wellbeing is an important part of promoting overall health and wellness, and our team is here to help you achieve your goals. Please contact us for more information.