Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Scholarly Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
Department
Occupational Therapy
First Advisor
Sarah Nielsen
Second Advisor
Claire Mireau
Keywords
mental health, adolescents, outcome based measures, interprofessional education
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this scholarly project was to understand how occupational therapy services can enhance the quality of mental health services for adolescents and across the life span. The materials developed provide occupational therapy practitioners resources to demonstrate their unique value and role within the interdisciplinary teams and settings within the mental health continuum of care.
Methodology: The Model of Human Occupation was utilized to organize the literature review that led to the creation of the materials (O’Brien, 2017). Reviewing the literature with the model allowed for a thorough understanding of the needs of adolescents with mental illness, the mental health continuum of care, and occupational therapy’s role in service delivery. With the information collected in the literature, observations of the paired agency’s sites, and interviews with stakeholders, it was determined that resources were needed to highlight occupational therapy’s value within mental health services. Therefore, materials were developed to describe the occupational identity and competence of occupational therapy practitioners across the paired agency (O’Brien, 2017).
Results: The materials were created based on two factors, the incorporation of an outcome based measure at the hospital levels of care within the paired agency and the need to educate on the role of occupational therapy services within the team. The steps for implementing the outcome based measure included establishing an initial evaluation process, identifying the reevaluation window, creating the documentation standards, and providing ongoing training to increase confidence of administering the outcome based measures. Training Videos and handouts were vi created to support occupational therapy practitioners in defining their role and advocating on the value of occupational therapy services.
Conclusion: The materials were implemented at the paired agency to increase the visibility of the occupational therapy professional within the interdisciplinary team and enhance the quality of services provided (Fleming-Castaldy, 2020; Fleury et al., 2019).
Recommended Citation
Wagner, Jadalyn Lane, "Enhancing The Service Delivery For Adolescents Using The Mental Health Continuum Through Occupational Therapy" (2024). Occupational Therapy Capstones. 593.
https://commons.und.edu/ot-grad/593