Intervention Strategies Used by Occupational Therapists Working in Mental Health and Their Theoretical Basis

ABSTRACT

The theoretical basis of occupational therapy interventions was investigated in two mental health facilities in the Midwestern United States. Using retrospective cohort and grounded theory designs, 121 medical records were reviewed and five occupational therapy practitioners were interviewed. Theoretical reasoning was not explicitly documented, but according to analysis, the behavioral/cognitive-behavioral model, client-centered models, and the model of human occupation were the most frequently used theories to guide interventions. Lack of documentation of theory use has significant implications for the value accorded to occupational therapy skills in health care. A larger study is recommended to increase external generalizability of the findings.

KEYWORDS:

• Interventions
• mental health
• occupational therapy
• theoretical conceptual practice models

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank our research assistants, Katie Beech, Anna Smith, and McKinsie Fuoss, for all their assistance with data gathering, data analysis, and literature review.