Your opinion of occupational therapists in mental health

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theone12

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I'm an occupational therapy student who just finished a placement in an inpatient physical rehab setting. It was a great learning experience but I found it boring, and felt more of a connection to whom people referred to as the 'difficult'/'unfun' characters on the ward. Some of the nurses used language that perpetrated mental health stigma which really annoyed me.

I shadowed an inpatient mental health OT for a day: I LOVED speaking to the patients but noticed that OT didn't say much during rounds and the nurses didn't seem to respect her duties.

Do you guys see a lot of OTs in psychiatric settings? (whether inpatient or outpatient) If yes, what do you think of their role in the team? I've heard that meds help patients the most, and wonder if OTs are taken seriously. I know we can do psychotherapy, but so can RNs, MSWs, MDs...

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as you're probably aware occupational therapy was born out of the asylum and the moral treatment movement of the 19th century. Adolf Meyer, the most influential psychiatrist in America in the first half of the 20th century was a major proponent of the importance of occupational therapy in mental health (you can read his papers if you like history).

Each institution has its own culture, but there are going to be places out there where they value having an OT (this is almost certainly going to be in an inpatient or rehab setting). You are not going to be doing psychotherapy without additional training and then your OT background may well be moot. OTs are probably most often used for assessment these days and tend not to have much of a therapy role because they are often so overstretched. However if you have a small caseload you may be able to do some more meaningful therapeutic work (most likely in groups but also some individual work) but this is not going to be psychotherapy. That said, there is very little therapy or treatment happening on an inpatient unit. I have heard some prominent psychiatrists argue that no treatment occurs on an inpatient psychiatry unit. On many units there is very little in the way of groups of therapeutic services of any kind. In private pay settings (i.e. cash only) you are more likely to provide the kind of moral treatment of the 19th century.
 
I haven't interacted at all with OTs in psychiatry. I'm not really sure why that is. I have no disrespect for OT, I just haven't seen it.

I know we can do psychotherapy, but so can RNs, MSWs, MDs...
OTs and RNs can not deliver psychotherapy in those roles. Both fields contribute in other ways, of course.
 
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I know OTs have a growing niche in the private practice treatment of autism, but I dont know enough about the treatment of autism to know if they are offering anything more than extremely expensive tutoring/day care/play date services (described with nice buzzwords of course) to kids that are tough to work with.

I think most PhDs in the autism field say the majority of autism OTs are voodoo, but I recognize that the PhDs have some very lucrative turf to protect when it comes to autism, so I wouldn't neccesarily consider theirs the final word.
 
In the inpatient unit at the hospital where I'm training (one of the large academic hospitals in Manhattan) the OT's are an integral part of the interdisciplinary team. It's sad to hear the jaded view expressed by Splik's mentors because I have seen great work done on the unit by OT's. They are a part of the team's morning rounds and often provide snapshots of mental status that help determine the overall progress on the unit. There are two senior OT's, both who have published in the psychiatric literature, who's opinions I always valued highly. They were able to glean data during art therapy that we then used in our meetings with the patient or family the next day.

For those applicants applying to residency programs, I highly recommend asking the residents about the involvement and proficiency of the OT's, RN's, and social workers. There is a lot to learn from seasoned professionals in these fields and they make the treatment of your patients more likely to be successful (and satisfying).
 
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They are used quite extensively in Australian Forensic Hospitals. They are well respected and have a voice on ward rounds.
 
They are used quite extensively in Australian Forensic Hospitals. They are well respected and have a voice on ward rounds.

Same with some inpatient units here, particular Eating Disorder treatment programs - apparently after being on a bed program for 6-8 weeks it's deemed therapeutic to play with paddle pop sticks and wool.

And hello from a fellow Aussie :D
 
OTs and RNs can not deliver psychotherapy in those roles. Both fields contribute in other ways, of course.

This.

I work with some great OTs and they are great at their job (teaching ADLs, etc.)....though therapy is not part of their job, nor should they try to do it.

QFT! Hang out long enough on some patient centred Psychotherapy forums and you'll invariably come across people who have been seriously damaged by well meaning 'therapists' operating outside their levels of expertise. Having a good bed side manner, being able to create rapport, and just talking to someone does not equate to Psychotherapy.
 
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I refer lots of kids to OT for outpt tx of sensory integration, issues with fine motor skills and greatly appreciate all they do. I never saw them when doing inpt work.
 
Lots of working with OTs in the inpatient setting. They were mostly doing ADLs and group work. I found their input very helpful during rounds as they would often spend an hour with patients in a group setting, which was a lot more time than I spent with each patient on the unit, so they were sometimes able to pick up on things I didn't. As to their doing psychotherapy, it definitely depends on your definition of the word.
 
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Thank you guys so much for your input about occupational therapists! I can see that opinions about OTs and their role are dependent on the setting as well as the culture of the workplace.

OTs and RNs can not deliver psychotherapy in those roles. Both fields contribute in other ways, of course.
This. I work with some great OTs and they are great at their job (teaching ADLs, etc.)....though therapy is not part of their job, nor should they try to do it.
QFT! Hang out long enough on some patient centred Psychotherapy forums and you'll invariably come across people who have been seriously damaged by well meaning 'therapists' operating outside their levels of expertise. Having a good bed side manner, being able to create rapport, and just talking to someone does not equate to Psychotherapy.

In OT class we discussed CBT and psychotherapy, so this is really confusing to me. I live in Canada, which could explain some of the differences.

According to the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO) Standards of Psychotherapy, OTs in Ontario have been authorized to provide psychotherapy. They define 'psychotherapy' as the same definition used by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).
From http://www.coto.org/pdf/COTO_Standards_Psychotherapy.pdf:
Occupational Therapy Act, 1991 S.o. 1991, last modified 2007, chapter 10 Schedule R
3.1 (1) "A member is authorized, subject to the terms, conditions and limitations imposed on his or her certificate of registration, to treat, by means of psychotherapy technique delivered through a therapeutic relationship, an individual’s serious disorder of thought, cognition, mood, emotional regulation, perception or memory that may seriously impair the individual’s judgement, insight, behaviour, communication or social functioning. 2007,c.10, Sched. R,s.17(1)."

Perhaps it is something OTs do in private practice as opposed to an inpatient setting where MDs can provide psychotherapy? Someone enlighten me :(
 
In OT class we discussed CBT and psychotherapy, so this is really confusing to me. I live in Canada, which could explain some of the differences.

I am unsure if/how the training may be different in Canada, though being able to (ethically and competently) conduct psychotherapy requires not only classroom training but also dedicated supervision, practica, etc. There are significant differences between a supportive therapy and utilizing a full-fledged model like CBT and implementing a treatment plan. You can have exposure to a range of approaches, but that is quite different than doing it. Unfortunately everything thinks they can do therapy, which is not actually the case. These are all good questions, as it is important to clarify what is involved, scope, etc.
 
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Just because you discussed CBT and psychotherapy doesn't make you qualified to do it. I spent significant time discussing and doing major and minor surgery in medical school as well as residency to a lesser degree. If push came to shove (zombie attack), I could do some basic surgery but I am not a surgeon and you are not a psychotherapist.

I think scope of practice is something many fields are trying to advance. I don't want to start a flame war but you see this with NPs, PAs, psychologists etc who want to prescribe because they have taken a few classes. They will given a plethora of reasons why their limited education is enough. However, when is comes to encroachment on their turf, it's a totally different story.

The truth is that we are aggressive by nature and try to look for the easy way. However, these fields are not easy and time, effort with adequate supervision/guidance is required. Also, just because someone passes a law that you can do something, doesn't mean you can. :)
 
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In OT class we discussed CBT and psychotherapy, so this is really confusing to me. I live in Canada, which could explain some of the differences.

Yes, but specifically what types of Psychotherapy (besides CBT) did you discuss? Because 'Psychotherapy' covers a lot of different modalities (Psychodynamic, CBT, MBCT, ACT, TFP, DBT, Intepersonal, Interelational, Metacognitive, etc etc). Did you do a clinical rotation? Were you attached to a Psychotherapy training clinic? Did you undergo supervised training from an experienced and qualified Psychotherapist? Psychotherapy is a lot more than just providing basic therapy support within the constraints of a therapeutic relationship.

Edited to add: If you read through the COTO pdf in full you will see there's a lot more to an OT in Canada being given permission to practice Psychotherapy, and the kind of training that is required before an OT is actually allowed to practice Psychotherapy.

"This authorized Act applies to registrants in all regulatory health colleges with access to the controlled act of psychotherapy. As indicated in the defi nition, using psychotherapy techniques is a controlled act only when the client has a serious disorder that may seriously impair him or her. Regardless of whether or not psychotherapy is a controlled act, occupational therapists who practice it are responsible for managing their practice in accordance with the Standards for Psychotherapy."

Standards of Psychotherapy, according to what I'm reading from the COTO pdf, is a lot more than just having discussed CBT and Psychotherapy. It includes Scope of Practice, Competency Attainment, Continuing Competency and Supervision Standard, Evidence Based Practice, Informed Consent, Risk Management, Record Keeping, Delegation, Accountability, Professional Boundaries and Discontinuation. If you haven't undergone and completed proper training in all of these areas, then you are not actually permitted to be practicing Psychotherapy as an OT.
 
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That said, there is very little therapy or treatment happening on an inpatient unit. I have heard some prominent psychiatrists argue that no treatment occurs on an inpatient psychiatry unit.QUOTE]

very true.....and yes it is a bummer to think about that while you are working on an inpatient unit. But that's just life.
 
Just to chime in on the psychotherapy issue, the amount of supervised experience that a clinical psychologist typically has is a couple of years half-time work during doctoral program, a year of full-time experience with intensive supervision (about 4 hours per week) during internship, and one more year of full-time experience with once a week supervision.
 
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Thank you guys so much for your input about occupational therapists! I can see that opinions about OTs and their role are dependent on the setting as well as the culture of the workplace.





In OT class we discussed CBT and psychotherapy, so this is really confusing to me. I live in Canada, which could explain some of the differences.

According to the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO) Standards of Psychotherapy, OTs in Ontario have been authorized to provide psychotherapy. They define 'psychotherapy' as the same definition used by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).
From http://www.coto.org/pdf/COTO_Standards_Psychotherapy.pdf:
Occupational Therapy Act, 1991 S.o. 1991, last modified 2007, chapter 10 Schedule R
3.1 (1) "A member is authorized, subject to the terms, conditions and limitations imposed on his or her certificate of registration, to treat, by means of psychotherapy technique delivered through a therapeutic relationship, an individual’s serious disorder of thought, cognition, mood, emotional regulation, perception or memory that may seriously impair the individual’s judgement, insight, behaviour, communication or social functioning. 2007,c.10, Sched. R,s.17(1)."

Perhaps it is something OTs do in private practice as opposed to an inpatient setting where MDs can provide psychotherapy? Someone enlighten me :(


Sorry that you're getting this rubbish up there. If it's any consequence, I remember my time at Uni in s'toon going through something similar but it equated to 'write a paper' and then you were blessed with the skills and knowledge to conduct the therapy.
 
If that is your passion, go for it. I ended up going for another master's in Mediation and conflict mediation and just left the psychologist idea behind right now. I specialized in addiction and was stuck with all of the court papers needing to be signed for 13 years. I know you could very easily work with mental health clients where I live in an outpatient setting and be fine with no issues. I often get dragged into a couple of those issues. I also had manic episodes for years and my last one was in 2007 and I can verify that I have seen more than one OT working in my life.

Don't feel too intimidated by those genius level, psychotic manic bipolar types because if you do inpatient, you'll see them at their worst and I just finished my 2nd bachelors and I get MANIC as in really manic. LOL I think you'd do great, it is a passion. I say go for it.
 
I have worked with a lot of OTs in child psychiatry settings and they are brilliant. They do well in things that they are trained todo. So if want to do psychotherapy you could easily train along with your daily work( this isinUK) and make it happen. Autism and adhd are excellent fields where OT skills are very much needed and sought after
 
I've found OTs extremely useful in psych settings. At U of Cincinnati an OT was on our treatment team. Why? They helped us measure ADLs, determine if a patient could take care of themselves in the community using objective testing (E.g. Kohlman Evaulation of Living Skills), and were useful in malingering assessments or guardianship evaluations. They provided objective collateral data on a patient's performance in various activities.
 
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Thank you guys so much for your input about occupational therapists! I can see that opinions about OTs and their role are dependent on the setting as well as the culture of the workplace.





In OT class we discussed CBT and psychotherapy, so this is really confusing to me. I live in Canada, which could explain some of the differences.

According to the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO) Standards of Psychotherapy, OTs in Ontario have been authorized to provide psychotherapy. They define 'psychotherapy' as the same definition used by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).
From http://www.coto.org/pdf/COTO_Standards_Psychotherapy.pdf:
Occupational Therapy Act, 1991 S.o. 1991, last modified 2007, chapter 10 Schedule R
3.1 (1) "A member is authorized, subject to the terms, conditions and limitations imposed on his or her certificate of registration, to treat, by means of psychotherapy technique delivered through a therapeutic relationship, an individual’s serious disorder of thought, cognition, mood, emotional regulation, perception or memory that may seriously impair the individual’s judgement, insight, behaviour, communication or social functioning. 2007,c.10, Sched. R,s.17(1)."

Perhaps it is something OTs do in private practice as opposed to an inpatient setting where MDs can provide psychotherapy? Someone enlighten me :(

Y know this brings up a good point, why Can't Occupational therapists provide psychotherapy in the united states?? Maybe thats why OT's are falling behind in the mental health Arena.
 
Because they're not trained for it?

My point being is in these other countries they can get additional training for it through their respective schools of occupational therapy.
 
My point being is in these other countries they can get additional training for it through their respective schools of occupational therapy.
I personally would be against it. We already have too much deterioration in the training requirements to provide therapy in this country with the proliferation of online degrees leading to various types of licensed counselors. They are taking over community mental health and school counseling in this state. I had one (unlicensed and supervised by phone) from the CMH say that the day treatment program was a waste of time. I guess the SMI should be able to get by on one hour a week "therapy session" where they tell the person what to do and if they don't listen then they must need to be hospitalized at the overloaded state hospital. The last thing that the mentally ill need are more amateurs pretending to do therapy. I would not presume to take a few classes in OT and then say that I was qualified to be one so why does everyone else want to do that with something that I have spent many years learning?
 
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I personally would be against it. We already have too much deterioration in the training requirements to provide therapy in this country with the proliferation of online degrees leading to various types of licensed counselors. They are taking over community mental health and school counseling in this state. I had one (unlicensed and supervised by phone) from the CMH say that the day treatment program was a waste of time. I guess the SMI should be able to get by on one hour a week "therapy session" where they tell the person what to do and if they don't listen then they must need to be hospitalized at the overloaded state hospital. The last thing that the mentally ill need are more amateurs pretending to do therapy. I would not presume to take a few classes in OT and then say that I was qualified to be one so why does everyone else want to do that with something that I have spent many years learning?

I think your missing the point, these individuals in other countries have EXTENSIVE training in psychotherapy of that's the route they decide to go and they are more than qualified to do so... Its like a social worker they can either go into social services or focus on a psychotherapy tract in their grad program.
 
So, why not be a social worker than an OT? Or do both?

Let me put it like this, a psychiatrist has the option to learn psychotherapy ALONG with medication management , a nurse has the option get get a masters in psych nurse to practice psychotherapy ALONG with their nursing duties, a social worker has the option to get post grad training to practice psychotherapy ALONG with their case work and advocacy duties...

Soooo why can't an occupational therapist in mental health have the option to practice psychotherapy ALONG with their assisting with everyday functions duties... Make sense now?
 
So, why not be a social worker than an OT? Or do both?

It's an option OT's have in other countries such as Canada, Australia UK etc and it works great for them, they are one of the most valued members of the mental health teams.
 
I'm an occupational therapy student who just finished a placement in an inpatient physical rehab setting. It was a great learning experience but I found it boring, and felt more of a connection to whom people referred to as the 'difficult'/'unfun' characters on the ward. Some of the nurses used language that perpetrated mental health stigma which really annoyed me.

I shadowed an inpatient mental health OT for a day: I LOVED speaking to the patients but noticed that OT didn't say much during rounds and the nurses didn't seem to respect her duties.

Do you guys see a lot of OTs in psychiatric settings? (whether inpatient or outpatient) If yes, what do you think of their role in the team? I've heard that meds help patients the most, and wonder if OTs are taken seriously. I know we can do psychotherapy, but so can RNs, MSWs, MDs...

I've found OT to be invaluable in the psychiatric setting, particularly with the very mentally and when there is a question of neurocognitive deficits/safety issues at home. As a psychiatrist, I can treat depression, psychosis, etc., but I'm not great at figuring out whether a patient can say, navigate public transportation, I can't tell if a demented patient with depression can live independently, or if a schizophrenic can pay her bills. Also, OT has always been an invaluable source of telling me if a patient is getting better (are they more organized in groups, can they act appropriately in a social situation, follow directions, etc)
 
It's an option OT's have in other countries such as Canada, Australia UK etc and it works great for them, they are one of the most valued members of the mental health teams.

You can move there and ply the trade if you wish?
Not an option here. Why must you develop some measure of saber rattling? You won't make any changes on here for the educational curriculum of OT's in training.

https://www.utica.edu/academic/gce/ot/media/Sequence of Courses_ Entry-level Master's.pdf

Not sure where I see CBT, DBT, Psychodynamic therapy, or any other talk therapy skill development in the 2000 clinical hours applied towards an OT degree that psychologists and SW need to complete.
 
In my area, there are social workers and occupational therapists working at Day Treatment Centers. Social workers run group psychotherapy sessions, individual therapy sessions, and psycho-educational groups. Patients get assigned to social workers, and they function as their primary mental health counselor (PMHC).

Occupational therapists run psycho-educational groups, and they also function as PMHCs for patients that get assigned to them. An OT can function as a PMHC to any patient (diagnosis does NOT matter) that attends the Day Treatment Center. When patients are experiencing a crisis, they see their PMHC, and this person may be an occupational therapist. If a crisis occurs during one of the OT's psycho-ed groups (it does happen), the OT will handle the crisis by himself/herself. They have enough training to do this.

But, with psychotherapy in general, the social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists have a much more extensive background in group and individual psychotherapy than an OT does.
 
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You can move there and ply the trade if you wish?
Not an option here. Why must you develop some measure of saber rattling? You won't make any changes on here for the educational curriculum of OT's in training.

https://www.utica.edu/academic/gce/ot/media/Sequence of Courses_ Entry-level Master's.pdf

Not sure where I see CBT, DBT, Psychodynamic therapy, or any other talk therapy skill development in the 2000 clinical hours applied towards an OT degree that psychologists and SW need to complete.

OK AGAIN, that is the curriculum for Utica College which is in The United States, so no, they will not have those clinical house in psychotherapy because as I said, OT's in this country don't have that option.

Also, as I've also mentioned, in those countries it's an OPTIONAL tract so even still it would be included in their general curriculum. You would need to specialize after, say like how an OT has the option to become a hand specialist.
 
In my area, there are social workers and occupational therapists working at Day Treatment Centers. Social workers run group psychotherapy sessions, individual therapy sessions, and psycho-educational groups. They are also assigned as primary counselors to patients.

Now occupational therapists run psycho-educational groups and are also assigned to patients as their primary counselor. An OT can be assigned to any patient that arrives at the center. When patients are experiencing a crisis, they see their counselor, and the counselor may be an occupational therapist. If a crisis occurs during one of the OT's psycho-ed groups, the OT will handle the crisis by himself/herself. They have enough training to do this.

But, with psychotherapy in general, the social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists have a much more extensive background in group and individual psychotherapy than the OT does.

Thank you for your insight, may I ask what area you are from? Is it outside of the states?
 
Another way to look at it is that many patients benefit more from learning life skills than they would from psychotherapy. I think it is a big mistake to push into the realm of psychotherapy when it would make more sense for OT to advocate for more OT for patients. We already have a messed up system that pays for what patients don't benefit from and won't pay for what they need. It's the same with case management from social workers. Why do case management when psychotherapy pays? Guess what happens, no more case management.
 
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Another wY to look at it is that many patients benefit more from learning life skills than they would from psychotherapy. I think it is a big mistake to push into the realm of psychotherapy when it would make more sense for OTa to advocate for more OT for patients. We already have a messed up system that pays for what patients don't benefit from and won't pay for what they need. It's the same with case management from social workers. Why do case management when psychotherapy pays? Guess what happens, no more case management.

Again I think you guys are misunderstanding and looking at the subject with blunders on.. No one is saying to REPLACE OT interventions for psychotherapy but rather to ADJUNCT it.
 
Again I think you guys are misunderstanding and looking at the subject with blunders on.. No one is saying to REPLACE OT interventions for psychotherapy but rather to ADJUNCT it.
No, I completely get what you are saying. I am just cautioning against the potential this has to devalue OT itself. Do you really want people to go into OT because they "just want to be a therapist and that is easier than x,y, or z path"?
 
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Again I think you guys are misunderstanding and looking at the subject with blunders on.. No one is saying to REPLACE OT interventions for psychotherapy but rather to ADJUNCT it.
Do OTs have that much free time that they can start adding in psychotherapy without having to do less OT?
 
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Thank you for your insight, may I ask what area you are from? Is it outside of the states?

You're welcome. I am definitely in the United States. But, I am only referring to Day Treatment Centers in which they do psycho-educational groups, group counseling, and individual crisis counseling.
 
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Again I think you guys are misunderstanding and looking at the subject with blunders on.. No one is saying to REPLACE OT interventions for psychotherapy but rather to ADJUNCT it.

Oooohhhhhh, now that makes sense.... you're talking about ad-junction with the therapeutic approach. Why didn't say this.. oh wait, it's because you didn't. Don't yell.
 
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It's an option OT's have in other countries such as Canada, Australia UK etc and it works great for them, they are one of the most valued members of the mental health teams.

I live in Australia, and I have a family member who has a Masters Degree in Social Work. Yes both Social Workers and Occupational Therapists are valued members of mental health teams, but they are not trained to practice Psychotherapy, and the practice of Psychotherapy is outside their legal and ethical scope of practice as set out by the ruling body of Social Workers in Australia. They can conduct therapeutic interventions to help patients manage life stresses, adjusting to a new diagnosis, aiding in connecting people with further community support programs, and so on; they can also conduct Psychoeducational interventions to help patients and their loved ones to better understand and manage their illness - just to give a few examples. What they cannot do is provide the level of Psychotherapeutic treatment that a fully trained Psychiatrist or Psychologist is able to. They are valued members of mental health teams here, because they work as part of a team, with everyone understanding their given roles within that team structure. So yes they work in an *adjunctive* capacity, but that is a far cry from the OPs original statement about knowing 'we can do Psychotherapy'.
 
you are missing the point. I am from the UK - OTs don't do psychotherapy as an adjunct to OT. This isn't possible. If they are doing psychotherapy they only do psychotherapy. At actually the OT training is quite irrelevant anyway. In the UK and most other countries anyone can be a psychotherapist. Most OTs are so overstretched doing assessments that they don't even do much in the way of OT.
 
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you are missing the point. I am from the UK - OTs don't do psychotherapy as an adjunct to OT. This isn't possible. If they are doing psychotherapy they only do psychotherapy. At actually the OT training is quite irrelevant anyway. In the UK and most other countries anyone can be a psychotherapist. Most OTs are so overstretched doing assessments that they don't even do much in the way of OT.

Right but my point is they can get additional training to be able to provide psychotherapy and be called a "psychotherpist"... I read that there are five professions in the UK that are given permission to practice psychotherapy with proper training and those are, social work, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology and psychiatry. Is this correct?
 
I live in Australia, and I have a family member who has a Masters Degree in Social Work. Yes both Social Workers and Occupational Therapists are valued members of mental health teams, but they are not trained to practice Psychotherapy, and the practice of Psychotherapy is outside their legal and ethical scope of practice as set out by the ruling body of Social Workers in Australia. They can conduct therapeutic interventions to help patients manage life stresses, adjusting to a new diagnosis, aiding in connecting people with further community support programs, and so on; they can also conduct Psychoeducational interventions to help patients and their loved ones to better understand and manage their illness - just to give a few examples. What they cannot do is provide the level of Psychotherapeutic treatment that a fully trained Psychiatrist or Psychologist is able to. They are valued members of mental health teams here, because they work as part of a team, with everyone understanding their given roles within that team structure. So yes they work in an *adjunctive* capacity, but that is a far cry from the OPs original statement about knowing 'we can do Psychotherapy'.

While I was researching, I read that a social worker or OT's general scope of practice as you said does not include psychotherapy, BUT they can get addition training beyond their regular training to be able to practice psychotherapy and be legally called and regulated as a psychotherapist. As in the UK there are five "psychotherapeutic" professions if you will that are legally allowed to practice psychotherapy WITH the additional proper training and those are social work, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology and psychiatry. Correct?
 
Right but my point is they can get additional training to be able to provide psychotherapy and be called a "psychotherpist"... I read that there are five professions in the UK that are given permission to practice psychotherapy with proper training and those are, social work, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology and psychiatry. Is this correct?

no anyone can train to be a psychotherapist in most european countries you don't need any special background. Social workers do not typically do psychotherapy in the UK. also anyone can call themselves a psychotherapist in the UK, it is not a protected title. Interestingly in the US, anyone can call themselves a psychoanalyst outside of NY State, as it isn't a protected title.
 
While I was researching, I read that a social worker or OT's general scope of practice as you said does not include psychotherapy, BUT they can get addition training beyond their regular training to be able to practice psychotherapy and be legally called and regulated as a psychotherapist. As in the UK there are five "psychotherapeutic" professions if you will that are legally allowed to practice psychotherapy WITH the additional proper training and those are social work, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology and psychiatry. Correct?

Where I live, in South Australia, there is an option to complete a Masters Degree in Psychotherapy and Counselling, after one has first completed a Graduate Diploma in the same course. So yes it is possible for a Social Worker or Occupational Therapist to complete that course and work as a Psychotherapist, but then they'd be a Psychotherapist not a Social Worker et al who just happens to practice what they think is Psychotherapy, and would probably be employed as such (a Psychotherapist that is). Put it this way, I'm a patient being treated at a training clinic in South Australia, there are trainee Psychotherapists there who may very well have a Social Work or Occupational Therapist background but within that clinic they are Provisional Psychotherapists not Social Workers or Occupational Therapists.

edited to add: As Splik said anyone can call themselves a Psychotherapist in the UK, and it is more or less the same here, so I don't give much credence to anyone who claims the ability or title of 'Psychotherapist' unless they have gone through proper training channels (and no some 6 month online course at BS College Inc. doesn't count). There are Psychotherapists and then there are 'Psychotherapists'. If you don't truly know the difference between a properly trained Psychotherapist, and someone who is just claiming the title because it sounds better than just saying you're a 'Counsellor' then I'm sure there are plenty of *trained* Psychotherapists on here who would be happy to explain the difference.
 
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Where I live, in South Australia, there is an option to complete a Masters Degree in Psychotherapy and Counselling, after one has first completed a Graduate Diploma in the same course. So yes it is possible for a Social Worker or Occupational Therapist to complete that course and work as a Psychotherapist, but then they'd be a Psychotherapist not a Social Worker et al who just happens to practice what they think is Psychotherapy, and would probably be employed as such (a Psychotherapist that is). Put it this way, I'm a patient being treated at a training clinic in South Australia, there are trainee Psychotherapists there who may very well have a Social Work or Occupational Therapist background but within that clinic they are Provisional Psychotherapists not Social Workers or Occupational Therapists.

edited to add: As Splik said anyone can call themselves a Psychotherapist in the UK, and it is more or less the same here, so I don't give much credence to anyone who claims the ability or title of 'Psychotherapist' unless they have gone through proper training channels (and no some 6 month online course at BS College Inc. doesn't count). There are Psychotherapists and then there are 'Psychotherapists'. If you don't truly know the difference between a properly trained Psychotherapist, and someone who is just claiming the title because it sounds better than just saying you're a 'Counsellor' then I'm sure there are plenty of *trained* Psychotherapists on here who would be happy to explain the difference.

I'm not trying to argue or question you but I thought I read each governing body for each profession regulates psychotherapy separately? For instance the National association of occupational therapy regulates psychotherapy under their association? For those properly trained of coursecourse.
 
you don't seem to be understanding that psychotherapy has nothing to do with OT. In the UK, psychotherapy is regulated by UKCP or BACP regardless of whether you are a magician, soothsayer, occupational therapist, psychiatrist, nurse, and the vast majority of therapists have no other professional background. OT regulatory bodies do not regulate psychotherapy. that's crazy talk.
 
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My sister is an OT. I greatly respect what she does and don't foresee myself thinking her work is any less significant than mine when I finally become a psychiatrist. The impact she has on her patients' lives is tremendous. She knows more about autism than I probably ever will, to be honest.

That said, I think she would tell you she is not qualified to provide psychotherapy to anybody. She also has no illusions about being able to manage patients medically. She also has no desire to do these things. That's why she's an OT and not a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist.
 
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Although, they were leading many psycho-educational groups at the partial/day treatment programs, functioning as individual and group counselors, they were not doing psychotherapy.

I rotated through a day treatment center during my mental health rotation in a Physician Assistant program. I worked as a PA-C in mental health for years. I have never provided psychotherapy to patients. I would not feel comfortable doing so without the years of extensive training that is needed.
 
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