About Occupational Therapists

In the broadest of terms, an occupational therapist:

• Uses meaningful occupations to help a person regain, improve or maintain abilities or skills
• Helps clients and their families learn new ways of doing things and build on their strengths and abilities
• Adapts the environment to increase access to occupations and reduce the risk of injury

Occupational therapists partner with the person – sometimes with the family and community as well – and use a process of assessment, intervention and evaluation to:

• Identify and prioritize issues that negatively impact how a client engages in meaningful occupation
• Identify personal factors and environmental conditions impacting the client
• Identify personal strengths and resources available to assist the client
• Select an approach to guide interventions and track progress
• Develop and implement a personalized action plan based on specific goals Evaluate and analyze results