may 2023 issue 3

Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists in Mental Health

May is Mental Health Awareness month, which we need now more than ever! As a society we have come a long way in the understanding, treatment and care of people who suffer from mental illness, but the cause and best treatment practices of many mental illnesses remain a mystery. However, many different academics and health professionals continue to strive to learn more about treating mental illness and how to improve overall mental health.

In this long history of improving treatment and quality of life for those suffering from mental illness, several occupational and speech therapists have provided vital research and discoveries along the way. Read on to learn more about Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists who have made strides in the field of mental health, and those that continue to do so today!

Occupational Therapists in Mental Health

Occupational therapy is one of the many components of care that can greatly improve the lives of those living with mental health problems. As part of mental health treatment, occupational therapists are able to make assessments about the environmental changes necessary for patients to achieve goals. They can also help assess needs for people with mental health struggles and create strategies to help a patient’s day-to-day life. In short, Occupational Therapy can go a long way to improving mental health.

Many great Occupational therapists have worked to help shape our understanding and treatment of mental health struggles today. We have listed a few here:

Gary Kielhofner

Gary Kielhofner was an American Occupation Therapist who changed the field of Occupational therapy with his cutting edge practice model, The Model of Human Occupation, commonly called MOHO. This model gained international fame as a new way to look at human functioning and helping those who struggle with disability and mental health. MOHO therapy is used to this day to help those with mental health issues such as PTSD, ADHD, and many more.

May 2023 issue 3

Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists in Mental Health

Continued…

Anne G. Fisher

Anne G. Fisher is a renowned Occupational Therapist who is credited with developing the Occupational Therapy Intervention Process Model, which is still used today by Occupational Therapists to help create client-centered services. Her research is especially useful to Occupational Therapists treating patients with cognitive disorders, a subset of Mental Health Disorders that deals with memory and includes dementia, amnesia and some developmental disabilities.

Mary Reilly

Mary Reilly was one of the pioneers of Occupational Therapy, both in practice and in academia. She touted occupational therapy as a path to overall health, both mental and physical. When she was awarded the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Award in 1961 for her devoted research, Mary Reilly is quoted as saying: “Man, through the use of his hands, as they are energized by mind and will, can influence the state of his own health.” Many occupational therapists live by that quote to this day, and it is often cited in occupational therapy literature.

Occupational Therapists in Mental Health

Continued…

Elizabeth Yerxa

Last but certainly not least, Elizabeth Yerxa is a pillar of the Occupational Therapy community, and is particularly known for her contributions to the concept of occupational science. Occupational science focuses on the study of human occupation, and can be used to help those struggling with mental health problems. Elizabeth Yerxa also did extensive studies on the nature of time and time management for persons who struggle with disabilities both mental and physical.

May 2023 issue 3

Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists in Mental Health

Continued…

Speech Therapists in Mental Health

One might think that Speech therapy and Mental Health do not have anything in common, but that is not the case. Not being able to adequately communicate can be a source of great frustration and anger, and can exacerbate mental health disorders. Speech therapists allow patients to better participate in their care and communicate their needs, which promotes recovery in mental health. Read on for some speech therapist that have pioneered Mental Health treatment:

Charles Van Riper

Dr Riper was a pioneer in the world of speech pathology, and is best known for creating the Stuttering Modification and Fluency Shaping techniques. These techniques are still used in the treatment of stuttering, which is important to give agency to patients who suffer from stuttering and other disorders that prevent communication, which can cause serious mental health effects.

Speech Therapists in Mental Health

Continued…

Catherine Otto Montgomery

Catherine Otto Montgomery was a speech-language-pathologist who helped research and find treatment for stuttering patients for over three decades. Catherine Otto Montgomery saw the great emotional and mental stress stuttering can cause and sought to provide more high quality treatment options.She founded the American Institution of Stuttering in 1998 to help provide affordable treatment options for those who stutter, as well as specialized training for other speech therapists as well as increased awareness to stuttering.

Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Mental Health

According to the National Institute of Health approximately 57.8 million Americans suffer from a mental illness, which is estimated to be more than one in five. With mental illness being so common in the USA, we have a long way to go to fully understand mental health, mental illness causes and the best treatment options.

Speech Therapists are more and more being brought in as a part of a comprehensive mental health plan– speech therapists can be extremely helpful to patients whose speech impediments make them socially anxious or depressed. This is true for patients suffering from stutters or any other speech impediment.

Occupational Therapists are also a part of a comprehensive plan to treat mental health disorders and support patients suffering from mental illnesses. Occupational therapists can provide help with time management skills, environment assessments and developing treatment plans that can help the patient transition into the community.

While we have a long road ahead of us, we have come very far in the treatment and understanding of mental health disorders, and none of that would have been possible without the hard work and research of the various speech therapists and occupational therapists on this list.

Works Cited

https://www.aotf.org/About-AOTF/Staff/gary-kielhofner-drph-otr-faota

https://moho.ahs.uic.edu/about/

https://chan.usc.edu/people/faculty/Elizabeth_June_Yerxa

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Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists in Mental Health

Occupational Therapists in Mental Health

Gary Kielhofner

Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists in Mental Health

Anne G. Fisher

Mary Reilly

Occupational Therapists in Mental Health

Elizabeth Yerxa

Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists in Mental Health

Speech Therapists in Mental Health

Charles Van Riper

Speech Therapists in Mental Health

Catherine Otto Montgomery

Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Mental Health

Works Cited

Develop with us. Improve with us.

Develop with us.
Improve with us.