Profile, Practice and Perspectives of Occupational Therapists in Community Mental Health Teams in Ireland

Abstract

The Mental Health Commission (2006a) and the Department of Health and Children (2006) have identified a gap in the knowledge relating to the interventions carried out by mental health workers in community mental health teams (CMHTs) in Ireland. The purpose of this research was to address this gap by exploring the profile, the work practices and the perspectives of occupational therapists working in CMHTs in Ireland. A mixed methodological approach was chosen: survey questionnaires (quantitative) were sent to 40 occupational therapists working in CMHTs, with 21 responding (52.5% response rate), and semi-structured interviews (qualitative) were carried out with six occupational therapists. The results suggest that occupational therapists working in CMHTs are experienced and are generally satisfied in their positions. Occupational therapists in this setting offer a wide variety of interventions, guided by models of practice, frames of reference and outcome measures. The issues facing occupational therapists include a lack of resources, role blurring and the need for access to supervision and postgraduate education specifically tailored to mental health. Finally, the findings suggest the need for occupational therapists to establish a channel in which to inform wider mental health practice of their contribution to clients' recovery journeys.