Free online occupational therapy guide launched for people in mental health recovery

A NEW free online resource highlights the numerous benefits of occupational therapy for people working to improve their mental health and wellbeing by focusing on “the daily activities that give meaning and purpose to life”.

Introducing Occupational Therapy for Mental Health Recovery is “an informative, interactive guide” co-developed by Midwest RAME and the HSE Mid West Mental Health Occupational Therapy Service.

The guide is the latest in a growing line of educational resources offered by Mid West ARIES to support recovery and mental health.

The new guide is the first of its kind in the country, making good use of a range of IT tools to raise awareness of how occupational therapy works, including video testimonials, interactive quizzes and live online links to community-based support services, all conveniently accessible on a laptop, PC or smartphone.

All you need is internet access. This guide is free and available here.

“This is a unique online education resource,” said Mike O’Neill, manager, Mid West ARIES. “It fulfills all aspects of our mission to identify gaps in people’s knowledge of mental health care and support and deliver innovative solutions that make a tangible difference to people’s lives, not least by making access as easy as possible , to improve the support they need.”

Mike’s colleague at Mid West ARIES, Margaret Keane, the agency’s education, training and development officer, explained: “Occupational therapy can play a hugely positive role in people’s mental health recovery. But many people don’t know exactly how occupational therapy works. Further challenging our awareness mission is today’s era of rapid, instantaneous exchange of unverified opinions, disinformation, and disinformation. Such a whirlwind of myths and misconceptions can often be a barrier to people seeking help.”

In the Myth Busting section of the tool, the educational process is gamified through a simple True/False quiz, which shows the user, for example, that occupational therapy is not ‘talk therapy’ or counseling, but a practical therapy that focuses on the activities that someone does. in their daily lives; or that this is not what you are looking for if you are sick at work (that is occupational health).

Incorrect answers to the questions will cause you to try again before giving the correct answer.

Video is also used to show people how occupational therapy works from the perspective of the service user and practitioner.

Áine Frawley, Occupational Therapist at St Anne’s Community Mental Health Centre, Roxboro Road, Limerick, explains the role of occupational therapy in mental health recovery.

Service user Mary O’Carroll discusses how the therapy has helped her achieve significant weight loss goals, effectively manage her tendency to hoard and transform her social life to play a more active role in her community.

“I want to give hope to the people who are struggling right now; With the right support, recovery is possible,” says Mary.

Eithne Kennedy, occupational therapist manager at Limerick and North Tipperary Adult Mental Health Service, described the guide as “a great help” for anyone visiting mental health services, and for their families and loved ones: “By understanding what a profession has to offer, you can people are empowered to ask for the kind of input they think will be helpful. Many people who have provided informal feedback on our services have said that if they had known what occupational therapy was earlier, they would have sought it much earlier in their recovery.”

“I’m thrilled that this modern resource is so easily available and accessible. I hope that by using the guide, service users, families and staff can all learn more about the role of occupational therapy in mental health recovery,” she added.

The resource is just the latest in the ARIES range of inclusive and transformative recovery learning resources available online and in the community across the Midwest, covering topics such as anxiety, creativity for wellness, self-care and resilience.

All Mid West ARIES workshops are co-produced by people with mental health conditions, their families, carers and supports, mental health staff and community partners.

Co-production comes from Mid West ARIES’ collaborative ethos, creating an edge over their resources where everyone’s contribution – whether service users and their family members, and service providers – is valued equally, making for powerful, meaningful and relevant learning outcomes.

For immediate information about additional support, the Occupational Therapy Guide also shares links to a wide range of community-based partner organizations including EmployAbility, Grow, Jigsaw, Limerick Mental Health Association, Limerick Youth Service and the National Learning Network.

If you’re recovering from mental health issues and want to learn more about occupational therapy, the answer may be just a smartphone tap away.