There are many unfortunate people in this world that need help. Whether they be elderly, disabled, or mentally ill, these people need to learn how to live happy and productive lives. Occupational therapists provide just that service.

Though it sounds like occupational therapists should work with those in a job setting, the field is not actually about work and careers. Rather, it's about three types of activities: self-care, work, and leisure. These categories are what make up daily living. It is how we spend our days that determines our “occupation,” or our reason for living.

Occupational therapists help to guide those who have lost their way, be it physically or mentally, back to a normal life. The things that most people do daily and take for granted, or even might regard as a chore, others cannot do for themselves. Shopping, using a computer, cooking, and even eating are tasks that are not easily accomplished for some. Since these are tasks that make daily life possible for people, an occupational therapist will step in and train those who cannot live the same way.

While not actually involved in physical therapy, occupational therapists may need to employ similar techniques for a holistic approach to a client's case. If a client has been injured in an accident, they might need both emotional and physical exercises to get back on their feet. Not just to function physically, but to use those physical movements in the action of a certain task. Here is where occupational therapists differ from physical therapists – while the latter might just have the final goal as complete movement, an occupational therapist's final goal will be the ability to fluidly perform a life task with the physical movement.

Occupational Therapists Make a Healing Difference
Working with all ages and places in life, occupational therapists are quite often needed. A therapist might help the elderly to be more productive and capable of self-care. Children may benefit from an occupational therapist in the areas of play, socializing, and physical and social development. The mentally ill and developmentally challenged may be better capable of cooking, cleaning, and shopping for food after working with a therapist. And of course, those injured and physically disabled, temporary or permanent, would benefit quite a bit from therapy. In certain cases, the occupational therapist may need to do more than simple physical exercises, and equipment may need to be brought in. But as you can see, many different types of people may return to normal life, or at least an approximation thereof, as a result of working with an occupational therapist.

At times, occupational therapy is quite physically demanding. Not only because of the exercises therapists must do with their clients, but also because occupational therapy often calls for the use of heavy and cumbersome equipment. Therapists also spend much of their time on their feet while working with clients.

There are many places where those trained at occupational therapy schools may be employed. While there are some that are self-employed, most work in healthcare facilities such as hospitals or nursing homes.

Occupational therapists need to be well educated. A minimum of a master's degree from an occupational therapy school is required. The course of study is heavily based in the sciences – biology, behavioral science, etc. – and usually comes with quite a few science prerequisites. A full-time master's program in occupational therapy might take between two and three years to complete, with the first year devoted to coursework and the last devoted to clinical internship. If a full-time program is too much of a time commitment, some schools are now offering a part-time option. In the end, occupational therapists must earn their Master's of Occupational Therapy, or MOT.

In order to practice, all states require that occupational therapists be licensed. There is a licensing examination that needs to be passed after completing coursework at occupational therapy schools, and then those who passed are considered an Occupational Therapist Required, or OTR.

Occupational therapy is growing as a field, and will continue to do so, especially in the area of elderly care. So many people need help with simple daily life. Occupational therapists can make that life possible.