How Do Occupational Therapists Assess Work Readiness Among Mental Health Consumers?

Abstract

Mental health consumers identify work as a major goal, yet their unemployment rates remain high. Occupational therapists must continue to examine the practices they use in providing vocational rehabilitation services. The purpose of this article is to explore the processes that occupational therapists use to determine work readiness among mental health consumers. Ten occupational therapists working in mental health were interviewed once. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze data, and five main themes emerged. Findings suggest a need for development of best practice guidelines that could assist occupational therapists in assessing work readiness and lead to improved outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• mental health
• occupational therapy assessment
• qualitative studies vocational rehabilitation
• work readiness

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge all the occupational therapists who generously volunteered to participate in the study.