OTAS 203 - Occupational Therapy in Mental and Behavioral Health

 

MAJOR COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MAJOR COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be expected to:  

1. Identify and discuss profiles (signs/symptoms, settings treated, processes, etc.) of commonly treated mental health conditions (mental, behavioral, psychosocial, and psychological) in OT, identifying symptoms, common treatments and methods, and their impact on occupational functioning [B.2.6]. 

2. Identify components of executive functioning and functional cognition; etiology of mental illness from a neuroscience perspective, as well as the neuroscience principles involved in intervention/psychopharmacology [B.1.1; B.2.1; B.2.6]. 

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the effects and processes of mental health and disease to the individual within the cultural context of family and society [B.2.6]. 

4. Gather and share data for the purpose of screening and assessment, including, but not limited to, specified screening tools; assessments; skilled observations; checklists; histories; consultations with other professionals; and interviews with the client, family, and significant others; demonstrate competency in administering commonly utilized assessments in treatment by OTAs [B.3.3; B.3.5; B.3.6]. 

5. Provide therapeutic use of self, including one’s personality, insights, perceptions, and judgments as part of the therapeutic process in both individual and group interaction [B.3.1]. 

6. Provide training in self-care, self-management, home management, and community and work integration [B.3.6]. 

7. Promote the use of appropriate home and community programming to support performance in the client’s natural environment and participation in all contexts relevant to the client [B.3.20]. 

8. Articulate an emphasis on quality of life, well-being, and occupation of the individual, group, or population to promote physical and mental health and prevention of injury or disease considering the context (e.g., cultural, physical, social, personal, spiritual, temporal, virtual) [B.2.5]. 

9. Document occupational therapy services to ensure accountability of service provision and to meet standards for reimbursement of services. Documentation must effectively communicate the need and rationale for occupational therapy services and must be appropriate to the context in which the service is delivered [B.4.3]. 

10. Describe the role of the occupational therapy assistant in care coordination, case management, and transition services in traditional and emerging practice environments [B.4.6]. 

11. Identify other health professionals involved in mental health care and the role of OT in interdisciplinary teams (IT) care with focus on intra-/interprofessionalism and collaboration and demonstrate understanding of how to incorporate into practice (i.e., referrals, care coordination, discharge planning, etc.) [B.3.17; B.3.22; B.4.6]. 

12. Demonstrate an understanding of how developmental issues, illness, injury, or normal aging can impact cognition and/or mental health, including emotional regulation; articulate how changes in changes in physical functioning, role changes and other factors (i.e., substance abuse) can impact an individual psychosocially and on occupational functioning [B.1.1.; B.2.6]. 

13. Demonstrate an understanding of the effects of physical and mental health, heritable diseases and predisposing genetic conditions, disability, disease processes, and traumatic injury to the individual within the cultural context of family and society; utilize a holistic view of the client to understand his/her contexts and occupational performance needs [B.1.1.; B.1.2; B.2.6]. 

14. Demonstrate knowledge of the social determinants of health for persons, groups, and populations with or at risk for mental health impairment and distinguish epidemiological factors that may impact the public health and welfare of populations [B.1.3]. 

15. Articulate the way in which a model of practice/frame of reference/theory guides the clinician in choosing appropriate assessment tools and intervention processes in mental health practice; choose and apply appropriate frames of reference to provide effective service to mental health clients and their families [B.2.1]. 

16. Demonstrate the ability to locate and utilize evidence-based information to support occupational therapy practice in mental health and research, analyze, and retrieve information on assessments/interventions to be used for evidence-based practice within a mental health population [B.5.1; B.5.3]. 

17. When developing goals and interventions that meet occupational needs with an occupational therapist, apply and analyze the role of sociocultural, socioeconomic, and diversity, equity, inclusion factors and lifestyle factors [B.1.2].   

18. Collect/share data for the purpose of screening and evaluation including, but not limited to: specified screening tools, assessments, skilled observations, checklists, histories, consultations with other professionals, and/or interviews with the client, family, and significant others; demonstrate effective observation skills in screening, assessing, and treating clients; demonstrate the ability to successfully utilize screening and evaluation tools to gather data for treatment planning [B.3.5; B.4.1.]. 

19. Demonstrate effective interview and communication skills for data gathering and collaborative treatment planning with clients, families, significant others, and other professionals, including regard for safety, ethics, and use of professional reasoning in therapeutic process; be able to explain OT’s distinct nature and role in prevention [B.2.4; B.2.5; B.2.8; B.2.10; B.3.2; B.3.21].                          

20. Identify leadership styles and personal and professional strengths and areas of growth to become an effective leader; identify and demonstrate successful leadership skills during group leadership for the purpose of data gathering (assessment), rapport-building, and helping clients meet occupation-centered goals [B.2.11].                                                                                                        

21. Provide therapeutic use of self, including one’s personality, insights, perceptions, and judgments as part of the therapeutic process in both individual and group interaction [B.5.6]; adjust behaviors accordingly to establish rapport/develop positive working relationships with others; demonstrate understanding on ability to provide training in self-care, home management, and community/work integration [B.5.4].                                                                                                                  

22. As part of group dynamics, demonstrate the application of principles of instructional design and teaching and learning in content related to occupational therapy which includes at minimum: Development of learning objectives; Design of material; Development of learning assessment; Delivery of professional presentation; Self-reflection of process [B.2.12].                          

23. Demonstrate the ability to effectively teach, grade, adapt, and modify interventions regarding skills within all areas of occupation, especially ADLs/IADLs, etc. [B.2.12; B.3.6]. 

24. Utilize alternative methods and adjust behaviors to support increased motivation in clients to participate in skill building opportunities; identify barriers and teach adaptive measures to support participation [B.3.8]. 

25. Choose and utilize the client’s normal daily occupations to support skill building and participation and recognize the client’s contexts and support active participation in normal daily occupations [B.2.3]; demonstrate understanding on the importance of the role of various factors and lifestyles on occupational needs [B.1.2]. 

26. Provide adaptive equipment as needed to enhance successful engagement [B.3.8; B.3.15]. 

27. Promote the use of appropriate home and community programming to support performance in the client’s natural environment and participation in all contexts relevant to the client [B.3.20]. 

28. Collaborate with the client/family in developing skills and exploring new options to support active participation {B.3.19; B.3.21]. 

29. Articulate an emphasis on quality of life, well-being, and occupation of the individual, group, or population to promote physical and mental health and prevention of injury or disease considering the context [B.2.5]. 

30. Articulate the role of the occupational therapy assistant in advocating for mental health clients and their families [B.4.2] and demonstrate understanding of current public and political issues impacting provision of mental health services [B.4.1]. 

31. Document occupational therapy services to ensure accountability of service provision and to meet standards for reimbursement of services (note: documentation must effectively communicate the need and rationale for occupational therapy services and must be appropriate to the context in which the service is delivered [B.4.3]. 

32. Describe the role of the occupational therapy assistant in care coordination, case management, and transition services in traditional and emerging practice environments [B.4.6]. 

33. Identify the need in non-traditional (i.e., or within emerging practice) settings in which mental health intervention is not, but could be, provided [B.4.7]. 

• Common mental health disorders, how they impact occupation, and evidence-based interventions will be studied. Various common mental, psychosocial, behavioral, and psychological conditions covered including, but not limited to: 

• Impact of conditions on occupational performance, health and wellness, caregivers, society/economy, global. 

• Explores cognitive, social, and societal challenges and comorbidities often experienced within the mental health-impacted community. 

• Explores the contexts of culture, socioeconomics, stigma, spirituality, and other influencing factors and barriers present for this population. 

• Personal, professional, practice skills applicable to the practice of OTA within this population will be practiced, including: 

• Research, retrieval, and implementation of evidence-based practice interventions will be conducted.  

• Use evidence-based assessments, interventions to assess and decrease occupational performance challenges within all areas of occupation impacted within the mental health population. 

• Therapeutics: Use of Self, Therapeutic Activities, Therapeutic Exercise (including deep breathing, etc.). 

• Principles and the practice of observing, assessing, documenting, teaching, adapting, and grading tasks within impacted areas of occupation for individuals with psychological, psychosocial, and/or behavioral conditions.  

• Practice group dynamic skills and treatment strategies. 

• Review of current health care provision issues and policies and health and wellness promotion specific to the mental health community.