Spreading the word about OT

As occupational therapy practitioners and students, we have a deep understanding of OT and the impact it could have on many areas of life and health. Unfortunately, there is a lack of understanding in the general public and in healthcare regarding what OT is. This lack of knowledge limits our reach, and there is a need for advocacy to help us break into new areas of practice.

Maternal mental health

One emerging practice area in OT is maternal mental health. The physical health of mothers after birth has historically been the primary aspect of health that is emphasized, at the deficit of other aspects of health such as their mental wellbeing (Atif et al., 2015). In order to holistically care for mothers post-partum, all aspects of health must be addressed. Depression is one of the primary mental health challenges that mothers experience after childbirth. It is estimated that around 20% of mothers experience post-partum depression (Atif et al., 2015).

OT in this setting

Occupational therapists are uniquely equipped to support mothers in transitioning after a child is born because our profession recognizes the need to address the health of the whole person including factors related to the mind, body, and spirit (AOTA, 2020). With OT’s unique foundations in both psychology and physiology OT professionals are competent to address the interactions between these factors and support new moms in a more holistic way. OT professionals also have a unique perspective on roles and routines which go through major changes after the birth of a child (Khan, 2023). OT professionals would be a great asset to the healthcare team in this setting and could address factors that may be overlooked otherwise. One of the main barriers to women receiving occupational therapy post-partum is a lack of knowledge regarding how OT could fill this care gap. It is up to us to spread the word about the potential impact of OT in this emerging practice area.

Discussion and call to action

• Think about how you could add to the spread of knowledge regarding OT and our scope of practice. Do you know a new mother who could benefit from OT? Do you have colleagues or friends in the area of maternal healthcare? How could you inform about the value OT could bring to this practice setting?

• Consider the potential reach of OT. This week, have a conversation with someone about the unique strengths of OT’s holistic approach to health.

References

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (4th ed). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(Suppl. 2), S1–S87. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001

Atif, N., Lovell, K., & Rahman, A. (2015). Maternal mental health: The missing “m” in the global maternal and child health agenda. Seminars in Perinatology, 39(5), pp. 345–352. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.semperi.2015.06.007

Khan, S (2023). Occupational therapy’s unique role in maternal health and well-being. American Occupational Therapy Association. 28(8), pp.12-15. https://www.aota.org/publications/ot-practice/ot-practice-issues/2023/occupational-therapys-unique-role-in-maternal-health-and-well-being 

Thank you to Sarah Schlagel, OT student at Concordia University for this blog post!