Explaining Psychiatric Occupational Therapy: An Art in Itself?

Abstract

This article discusses the particular problems involved in explaining psychiatric occupational therapy to patients and other professionals, and considers that insufficient attention is paid to doing so clearly and well. An experiment was carried out in which students and new staff made tape recordings explaining the department and its therapeutic possibilities, as they would to patients. An analysis was made of these tapes and revealed jargon, repetition, and vagueness to be among the main problems. A list of points for consideration when describing occupational therapy is provided and the author concludes that much benefit can be derived from attempting to improve presentation.