Occupational Therapist
What is an Occupational Therapist and what do they do?
Occupational Therapists (OTs) help people who are having difficulty with their day to day activities find ways to overcome these and improve their health and wellbeing.
For more information on what an OT does check out the following website links:
What do Child and Adolescent Mental Health and AOD Occupational Therapists do?
A Child and Adolescent Mental Health Occupational Therapist helps children and young people with mental health needs to develop or improve the skills needed to participate in everyday life.
Some of the things OTs working in this field do are:
- work with children and young people to identify their strengths and needs
- support children and young people to set goals
- in partnership with the child or young person and other health professionals, plan and direct their treatment
- help children and young people to gain or regain skills for everyday life, school and relationships
- use physical and social activities, including outdoor adventure based activities, to increase a child or young person’s ability and confidence
- provide children, young people and their families/whanau with the information they need
- observe and report on a child or young person’s progress to the other professionals supporting them
- discuss the child or young person’s needs with them and, if appropriate, their families/whanau, teachers and employers
- work within a team, with people in other roles such as nurses, psychologists etc, and can be the ‘key worker’ for a child or young person
What's great about this job?
- you get to work alongside children and young people
- focusing on finding ways to help children and young people identify, improve or learn the skills they need to participate in everyday life
- occupational therapy activities are often fun and creative
"Getting to see young people who make changes in their life or who get some more joy and meaning out of their life is amazing." Rosie Brown, Whirinaki CAMHS, Counties Manukau DHB, Auckland
"I want to help people do the things they want to do and encourage them to enjoy themselves in the context of who they are and what they think is important and what they want out of life." Riwai Wilson, He Kākano Māori Clinical Team, Whirinaki CAMHS, Counties Manukau DHB, Auckland
What personal qualities do you need?
A Child and Adolescent Mental Health OT needs to be:
- understanding
- patient
- practical
- positive
- responsible
- approachable
- good at listening
- able to motivate people
- aware of cultural differences
- able to build up a rapport with a wide variety of people
Who could you work with?
Depending on where they work, Child and Adolescent Mental Health OTs can work with all ages of children and young people. An important part of being an OT is also working with families/whanau.
What kinds of places could you work in?
Child and Adolescent Mental Health OTs are usually based in a specialist service with other mental health workers. Working 'off-site' (away from the office) is a big part of the job with school, marae and family visits as well as other activities happening all the time. OTs can also work in private practice.
How much could you expect to earn?
Depending on where you choose to start your OT career, new graduates can expect to start on approximately $40,000 per year. Senior OTs can earn up to $80,000+ per year. OTs working as private practitioners and consultants can earn more than this.
Are there any scholarships you can apply for to help with the cost of studying?
Yes! There are a number of scholarships that you may be able to apply for. Click here for details.
For information on where you can study to become an OT, how long it takes and what you should study at school, click here for the Occupational Therapy page on the Career Services website.
