Occupational Therapy in Community Mental Health, Part 2: Factors Influencing Intervention Choice

Part 1 of this article examined how frequently various intervention media were chosen by 12 occupational therapists working in community mental health. An emphasis on anxiety management, problem solving and supportive counselling techniques was evident. In part 2, these therapists' rationale for therapy choices is explored. The influence of personal perspective and context, that is, policy, organisation of services, division of labour within the team and resources at their disposal, set the boundaries for the therapists' intervention repertoire. Individual interventions were chosen on the basis of utility and client-centred values. The therapists expressed a preference for instigating activity participation by their clients in their locality and homes rather than doing activities with them in a contrived simulation of daily life. These influences are discussed and the extent to which activity-centred analysis or client-centred problem solving is dominant in this setting is questioned. It is clear that some therapists would see certain elements to be important to enable good practice in this working context. These and further implications for educators and practitioners are explored.