Occupational therapy: The mental health profession we’ll all need in the age of Artificial Intelligence

Hold on tight, life’s about to change. There’s a new kind of assistant in town: it’s watching how we live, learning our routines and quietly starting to rearrange the way we work, play, and even relax. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already transforming how we work, learn and connect. Many jobs will shrink or disappear. Daily routines, social roles and even our sense of identity will be reshaped. 

For some, this sounds exciting. For others, frightening. But one thing is certain: the human need for purpose, belonging and connection will not vanish. And this is exactly where occupational therapy comes in: offering something AI cannot replicate. 

Occupational therapy (OT) isn’t about finding people a job. In healthcare, ‘occupation’ means everything you need and want to do in daily life – from brushing your teeth, preparing a meal, and playing a sport, to caring for children, learning new skills, and, yes, employment. These activities aren’t trivial. They are the building blocks of health, independence and identity. 

Occupational therapists are trained to help people live meaningful lives, whatever the challenge. We work with the whole person – not just a diagnosis or a symptom. If your routine has collapsed because of depression, if you’ve lost confidence after psychosis, or if anxiety makes daily life overwhelming, an occupational therapist won’t just prescribe advice. We roll up our sleeves and help you put life back together in ways that matter to you. 

AI is dazzling in its ability to process information. Chatbots can deliver cognitive-behavioural therapy scripts, mental health apps can track mood and algorithms can predict relapse risk. But here’s the catch: mental health isn’t a data problem to be solved. It’s a human experience to be lived. 

When someone is struggling, the solution is rarely just information. Knowing you should sleep better, eat well or exercise doesn’t help if trauma, poverty, grief, sensory overload or sheer exhaustion are standing in the way. Recovery isn’t about perfect advice: it’s about the messy, real process of trying, failing, adjusting and slowly finding new ways forward. 

AI can suggest. But it cannot sit with you in silence when the weight of depression feels unbearable. It cannot walk beside you to the local shop when you haven’t left the house in weeks. It cannot notice how you hesitate over the kettle, revealing anxiety or cognitive change. It cannot build the trust that comes from two human beings working together in real time, in real life. 

Occupational therapy has been supporting mental health for centuries. As far back as the 17th century, ‘moral treatment’ in psychiatric hospitals emphasised purposeful activity as part of recovery. Today, mental health OTs work in NHS wards, GP practices, schools, prisons, community teams and people’s homes. 

We help people rediscover their ‘occupational identity’ – the roles and activities that give life shape. For one person, that might be cooking a Sunday dinner. For another, getting back to education. For someone else, it’s learning to rest without guilt. 

Unlike coaching or self-help, OT is a regulated health profession. Occupational therapists are educated to degree level, understand complex conditions and must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. Many specialise further in psychological approaches such as CBT, DBT and trauma-informed care – combining clinical knowledge with practical, hands-on strategies that actually work in the flow of daily life. 

As AI takes on more work, our jobs, routines, social connections and even identities are likely to change. Research shows that purposeful activity, not just ‘keeping busy’ but doing things that matter, protects mental health, improves recovery from illness and even extends life expectancy. If those anchors are less secure, the potential risk of loneliness, depression and decline grows. 

Occupational therapists understand this better than most. We look not only at what people do, but why they do it, how it supports health, and what happens when those activities change. We help people adapt, create new routines and build connections that machines cannot replicate. 

Mental health services are sometimes too late, stepping in when people are already in crisis. OT takes a different tack. We focus on prevention and early intervention: 

• creating sustainable daily routines for sleep, nutrition, movement and rest 

• using nature and activity as medicine 

• building coping strategies before burnout hits 

• supporting neurodivergent people in ways tailored to how they actually function 

This proactive approach reduces relapse and keeps people well. And it’s delivered not in abstract advice but in the context of people’s real homes, communities and relationships. 

AI undoubtedly has a role in health and care and can be a powerful ally in mental health care. It can speed up admin, analyse patterns in data and behaviour, and widen access to information. But we need to ensure that efficiency enhances empathy, not replaces it. When designed and deployed ethically, AI can complement and reinforce the human aspects of care – making mental health support more proactive, inclusive and compassionate. 

Healing doesn’t come from perfect algorithms. It comes from human connection, from being seen and heard, and from slowly rebuilding a life that feels worth living. That is the essence of occupational therapy. 

There is a place for AI and technology, but as we face this new era, let’s not imagine machines can replace what only people can provide. The world doesn’t just need more AI. It needs more OTs.