The Use of a Ward-Based Art Group to Assess the Occupational Participation of Adult Acute Mental Health Clients

Abstract

This opinion piece explores the use of a ward-based art group with the Model of Human Occupation Screening Tool (MOHOST) to assess the occupational participation of adult acute mental health clients. Clients who are in an acute phase of mental illness and are unable to engage in an initial interview require alternative methods of assessment. Although groups are widely used by occupational therapists as an assessment tool, there is limited research on this topic. It is the authors' opinion that task-based groups facilitate a comprehensive assessment of clients with varying functional abilities and enable therapists to obtain detailed information on occupational participation.