Explore how occupational therapists are redefining mental health care through practical, person-centered support.
Occupational therapy professionals (OTPs) have long been associated with physical rehabilitation, but their expertise increasingly plays a vital role in psychiatric care. From managing the impact of trauma to helping individuals rebuild disrupted lifestyles, the role of occupational therapists has become essential, offering personalized support that helps people function in their daily lives.
At University of Western States (UWS), this intersection of mental and functional health is core to the institution’s philosophy. Guided by a whole-person approach to health, UWS prepares occupational therapists to understand the full complexity of a person’s life, environment, and goals, training them to restore practical function.
Learn more about the impact OTPs are making within the field of mental health.
A Whole-Person, Function-First Philosophy
When mental health conditions take hold, even simple routines can unravel. Getting out of bed, showering, preparing a meal, or sticking to a sleep schedule can feel like monumental tasks. Through trauma-informed care practices, occupational therapists learn to see people as more than diagnoses. Their focus on function helps them empower patients to rebuild routines and reestablish confidence in their ability to navigate life.
“Think of it as the doing therapy instead of the talking therapy,” says Michele Tilstra, OTD, Ph.D. The founding program director for the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program at UWS, Dr. Tilstra has more than 30 years of OT experience, having practiced in hand therapy, home health, skilled nursing, and mental/ behavioral health. To her, an OTP’s work is grounded in the belief that healing happens through meaningful activity, helping patients reconnect with who they are and what they can do.
By focusing on function, not just symptoms, OTs empower people to rediscover balance and purpose in their everyday lives.
What Does It Mean To Be Function-First in OT?
In occupational therapy, every goal connects back to one thing: the functions needed for a patient’s daily life. “Function-first means everything we do has to apply to a daily activity,” says Dr. Tilstra. “Everything you do in your life counts as a function. Sleeping, getting dressed, showing up on time for work or school, sitting at a desk, grocery shopping: These are all functional tasks or your occupations.”
Being function-first means focusing on what people need to do: helping them adapt, stay engaged, and live with purpose each day. For clients living with depression, anxiety, or major life changes, OT care might involve rethinking routines that suddenly feel impossible. For example, “If someone loses a spouse, counseling helps with grief, while OTs look at how that loss affects daily life,” explains Dr. Tilstra. “Was the spouse responsible for paying bills, buying groceries, or keeping track of appointments? How can the patient maintain functioning while still working through their grief? In OT, we step in to help them build systems that make everything more manageable.”
This lens also aligns with the University of Western States commitment to whole–person health, which recognizes how physical, mental, socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors intersect to impact well-being.
Collaboration and Care Teams: Why Occupational Therapists Belong in Mental Health
Imagine someone facing depression who can’t get out of bed to take their medication or prepare a meal, or a trauma survivor struggling to focus at work. OTPs step in to help rebuild routines, adapt environments, and create strategies that make daily life more manageable and meaningful.
This practical, person-centered approach reflects the values of University of Western States where collaboration is at the heart of the educational experience. Students in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program learn to think across disciplines, combining evidence, empathy, and real-world understanding to support whole person health. This prepares students for the collaborative nature of occupational therapy. OTPs often collaborate with other mental health providers to create integrated treatment plans that center both clinical and functional recovery.
How Is an Occupational Therapist Different From a Counselor, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, or Social Worker?
Occupational therapy and counseling often go hand in hand: one helps people understand their struggles, while the other helps them live differently because of that understanding.
“Counseling is where you go deep into the ‘why,’ while OT is about the ‘how,’” explains Dr. Tilstra. “We’re always applying what we talk about to daily life.” She notes that more than half of her clients see both a counselor and an OT.
While counselors help clients explore and process trauma, OTPs focus on how those experiences show up in everyday routines. “OTPs are trauma-informed and aware of factors that contribute to behaviors, but we focus on the day-to-day activities people are struggling to accomplish.”
For example, when a client experienced anxiety after being attacked in a grocery store, counseling helped her process the trauma. Occupational therapy focused on the next step: rebuilding confidence to return to the store. “We looked at what was stopping her and created small, practical goals to help her get back to doing what she needed to do,” Dr. Tilstra says.
What Does OT Care Look Like for Different Age Groups?
Occupational therapy is a valuable resource for patients across ages and backgrounds. In community-based practice, Dr. Tilstra serves a wide range of neurodivergent clients with autism, ADHD, anxiety, or depression, from toddlers to adults in their 60s. “With the little ones, it’s a lot of sensory regulation: teaching families about sensory needs and how to meet them in healthy ways,” she explains. “For adults, it might be about organization, task initiation, or giving them permission to find strategies that actually work for them.”
Dr. Tilstra recalled working with a college student newly diagnosed with ADHD who struggled with organization and self-doubt. “We went through his syllabi, mapped out his schedule, and built in time for work, exercise, and socializing. It was the first time he had seen his whole life in one view,” she says. “He left with strategies that worked for his brain, and permission to do things differently.”
In school settings and nursing homes, OTPs will sometimes create dedicated sensory rooms (depending on state and institutional resources). For pediatric patients, these rooms might feature climbing features, bubble tubes, swings, soft textures, compression vests, and compression tunnels to help with calming. In assisted living facilities, these rooms might have quiet music, calming scents, bubble tubes, soft textures, and baby dolls.
Beyond the sensory room, environmental modifications benefit patients of all ages, creating comfort and preserving dignity. Dr. Tilstra shares an example of an elderly patient who is hesitant to shower: “Sometimes it’s because they’re embarrassed, cold, or just don’t understand what’s happening,” she says. “It’s amazing what lowering the lights and putting a robe around them to keep them warm can do to reduce agitation and improve some behaviors.”
No matter the age or diagnosis, the goal is the same: helping clients understand themselves, build practical coping tools, and move toward greater balance and independence.
What Mental Health Conditions Are Supported by Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy professionals in mental health settings support clients across a wide range of diagnoses. While the specifics vary, here are some of the most common conditions and the functional strategies OTs bring to care:
- Depression: Reestablishing routines, increasing engagement in activities, and overcoming fatigue and low motivation
- Anxiety Disorders: Grounding techniques, calming routines, and trigger management
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Trauma-informed safety strategies, sensory regulation, and gradual reentry into community
- Substance Use Disorders: Healthy-lifestyle routines, relapse-prevention strategies, and reintegration into work, school, or community
- Serious Mental Illness (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder): Independent-living skills, medication management, social participation, and vocational readiness
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Organizational strategies, time management tools, and sensory regulation techniques
For example, in patients with schizophrenia, OT interventions have been found to improve social functioning and cognitive performance, reducing the duration and rate of rehospitalization. By focusing on function and context, OTPs help clients carry therapeutic progress into daily life.
Where Do Occupational Therapists Serve?
Occupational therapy professionals make a difference wherever people need help finding their strength and independence. While many work in hospitals or clinics, OTs serve across a variety of settings. UWS graduates will go on to serve in roles within skilled nursing facilities, transitional housing programs, nonprofit agencies, and more.
Inpatient and psychiatric settings
In hospital and psychiatric environments, OTPs lead practical, hands-on sessions that help patients reestablish daily routines like cooking, nutrition, hygiene, and budgeting.
“It’s not always about the physical act itself,” Dr. Tilstra says. “Sometimes it’s about helping someone remember to take care of themselves: bathing, dressing, or preparing meals.”
These activities build life skills patients can carry into everyday life after discharge.
Community and Outpatient Clinics
In community-based care, therapy becomes highly individualized as OTPs help clients navigate real-world challenges.
“If someone has panic attacks, it might take us three weeks to work toward going to the grocery store,” Dr. Tilstra says. “We plan together, build familiarity, and practice coping strategies, breaking big fears into manageable steps.”
These sessions combine emotional awareness with real-world problem-solving to rebuild confidence and independence.
Creative and Group-Based Therapies
OTs use shared, purposeful activities (such as crafts, cooking, or team projects) to build emotional regulation and social skills in safe, engaging ways.
Occupational therapy has deep roots in creative, activity-based interventions, and those methods are making a comeback. Participating in activities (such as crafts, cooking, or team projects) builds emotional regulation and social skills in safe, engaging ways.
“I might have a group of four adolescent boys building birdhouses,” Dr. Tilstra says. “While they’re working, we’re talking about anger: what happens when you start to feel it, and what you can do differently.”
Using the birdhouse example, Dr. Tilstra emphasizes how activity-based interventions help cultivate problem-solving skills. “If there aren’t enough materials for everyone to make their birdhouses, for example, they learn to share and work together,” she says. “Those are real social skills, and it all falls under the OT umbrella,” Dr. Tilstra says.
Forensic and Correctional Settings
In state hospitals, youth detention centers, and forensic units, OTPs often focus on long-term independence and reintegration.
“We work on transitional living skills,” explains Dr. Tilstra. “That is, what it takes to care for yourself, make safe choices, and build friendships that lead to healthier outcomes.”
These sessions often include anger management, stress management, and social skill development, all of which are critical tools for stability and self-sufficiency.
Looking Ahead: Why the Mental Health Field Needs More Occupational Therapists
The demand for mental health professionals is rapidly outpacing supply, especially in community-based and rural settings. At the same time, the field continues to broaden its understanding of what effective care looks like.
Effective mental health care extends beyond talk therapy or crisis stabilization. It also requires structured, everyday support that allows individuals to rebuild their lives.
Occupational therapy professionals address such needs. Their training in function, context, trauma, and daily living makes them essential members of any modern mental health care team.
And the workforce need is only growing: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 14% increase in demand for occupational therapists through 2032, much faster than average job growth. This is driven by aging populations, increased attention to chronic illness, and expanding recognition of OTP’s role in mental and behavioral health. “There’s a big gap in care,” Dr. Tilstra says. “Currently, there aren’t enough OTPs to serve the aging population.”
Why Should Someone Pursue a Degree in Occupational Therapy?
For Dr. Tilstra, the beauty of a career in occupational therapy lies in its remarkable variety. “In more than 30 years, I’ve worked in acute care, inpatient rehab, psychiatry, home health, hand therapy, and even pediatric occupational therapy, something I never thought I’d do,” she shares. “The best part is, I’ve always been an OT.”
Whether working with clients for hours each day in a rehab setting, traveling to patients’ homes, or treating children in a playful, creative environment, Dr. Tilstra found that occupational therapy offered endless opportunities to grow. “If you ever feel stagnant, you can take a continuing education class, attend a conference, or develop a new skill set,” she says. “You can completely change your trajectory and still stay within this field.”
How UWS Prepares Occupational Therapists for the Future of Mental Health Care
University of Western States is preparing students to meet this need with the launch of its new Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program, a flexible, hybrid occupational therapy degree designed with working professionals and career changers in mind. Students complete most of their coursework online with limited on-campus residencies, making the program accessible without requiring relocation.
“As the first occupational therapy program within our system, this launch represents a significant step in expanding our ability to impact health care delivery,” says Michael Horowitz, Ph.D., chancellor of The Community Solution Education System. “By offering a flexible and forward-thinking pathway into occupational therapy, UWS is preparing a new generation of practitioners to provide care that addresses not just physical needs, but the overall well-being of the individuals and communities they serve.”
Snapshot of the Occupational Therapist Program
From the very first semester, students take a four-credit mental health course designed to establish a foundation in mental health that runs through every subsequent part of the curriculum. “We wanted students to start with mental health because it’s the foundation for the remaining coursework in the program,” Dr. Tilstra says. “Mental health is woven into everything: our adult and geriatric courses, pediatrics, and even anatomy.”
Early fieldwork experiences reinforce this foundation. The first Level I fieldwork focuses entirely on mental health, giving students experience interviewing clients, writing evaluations and treatment plans, and leading group therapy sessions. “They plan and run social skills or anger management groups—seeing firsthand how people work through challenges together,” Dr. Tilstra explains.
Students also train through video simulations of challenging client behaviors to build confidence for real-world situations. Just as importantly, they’re encouraged to develop self-awareness and understand their own emotional triggers. “Part of mental health is knowing yourself,” emphasizes Dr. Tilstra. “If you haven’t dealt with your own trauma, it’s going to be difficult when you’re sitting with someone else’s pain.”
This holistic approach extends to advising, too. Each student is paired with both a faculty and a student affairs advisor who check in on academics and overall wellness. “They’re not just students,” Dr. Tilstra says. “They’re whole people. When they graduate, we want them emotionally intact and ready to care for others.”
By combining evidence-based training with a whole-person health approach, the OTD program at UWS equips future occupational therapists to support recovery.
Join the Next Generation of Occupational Therapy Leaders
University of Western States prepares students to become thoughtful, evidence-informed practitioners who honor the complexity of human health. Through programs grounded in rigorous science and compassionate understanding, UWS equips future occupational therapists to support recovery with excellent care.
By blending function and research with empathy, today’s OTs are making mental health care more practical and effective.
Learn more about our Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program.