Occupational therapy and mental health

What we know

One in five young people aged 8 to 25 in England has a probable mental health condition.

Nearly three quarters also have a physical health condition or a developmental problem.

Research shows that the mental health needs of children and young people with additional learning or special educational needs, who are disabled or neurodivergent, are not currently being met.

Occupational therapists have the knowledge and skills to fill this gap

With skills in physical and mental health, occupational therapists are uniquely placed to help children and young people with mental health difficulties take part in activities and routines – occupations – that support their health and wellbeing.

Early occupational therapy involvement can prevent mental health needs from escalating and requiring crisis support.

It also has the potential to improve long term outcomes for children, young people and their families.

That’s why we’re calling for OTs to be included in school-based mental health support teams, and for more OTs to be employed in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and youth justice teams.

School-based mental health support

The aim of school-based mental health support is to:

Prevent

Create a safe environment where mental health problems are less likely to develop. Universal, whole-school approaches delivered by OTs include:

Mindfulness Fridays – a whole-school mindfulness programme developed by OTs for students and staff.
Thriving not surviving – supporting a whole-school culture that promotes health and wellbeing. This includes advocating for things like inclusive break time activities, reducing sensory overload in the dining room and embedding relaxation techniques or movement breaks into existing school routines.
Rising strong – form based sessions to help all students (and staff) develop and maintain healthy routines and lifestyles, including sleep routines and a balance of work, self-care and play.

Identify

Recognise emerging issues early and as accurately as possible. The OT approach includes:

Posters, workshops and assemblies to help young people recognize early signs of stress and anxiety in themselves and others.
Workshops and webinars to help teachers recognize emerging mental health needs in students and themselves.
Information sessions for parents/carers to help them recognize emerging mental health needs and know where to go for support.

Provide early support

Provide access to evidence-informed early support and interventions for young people not yet referred to CAMHS.

OT group interventions for identified students focus on:

anxiety management
assertiveness training
developing healthy routines and lifestyles
building confidence and self-esteem
managing exam anxiety
maintaining motivation and coping with procrastination
activity-based sessions for students at risk of social isolation.

Individual support for:

High achievers with heightened anxiety who don’t (yet) reach the threshold for specialist services and who may not want to access counselling services. Approaches to this may include Occupational Performance Coaching.
People returning to school after a period of absence.
Neurodivergent individuals for whom talking and creative therapies aren’t effective. Support includes:
- Promoting self-awareness by using activities to identify personal strengths, interests and passions, and identifying tools students can use to help themselves
- Strategies for organisation and planning to reduce anticipatory anxiety
- Self-regulation and maintaining a ‘just right’ state of alertness
- Practical approaches to managing sleep, routines and homework.
Support for teachers to implement approaches that build students’ resilience, reduce stress and help manage their anxiety.
Support for parents/carers on issues such as developing healthy routines, parenting a teenager, sleep hygiene, strategies to support wellbeing and building self-esteem.