What Is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy helps people do the everyday activities that matter to them — despite injury, illness, disability, or developmental challenges.

The word “occupation” doesn’t just mean your job. It includes all the things you need or want to do:

•⁠ ⁠Getting dressed

•⁠ ⁠Writing or using a keyboard

•⁠ ⁠Driving

•⁠ ⁠Cooking

•⁠ ⁠Playing with your kids

•⁠ ⁠Returning to work after a stroke

•⁠ ⁠⁠Or even learning how to focus in school if you have ADHD

Imagine yourself as a toolbox, with each tool representing a skill you need for life—like fine motor control, attention, emotional regulation, or physical strength. Sometimes, because of illness, trauma, or disability, some tools go missing or stop working properly.

Occupational therapists don’t just give you new tools — they help you:

  • Fix the broken ones (through therapy)

  • Find workarounds (like using a grip aid or voice-to-text software)

  • And even redesign your toolbox (changing your environment or habits to match your new needs)

Occupational therapy has been proven to benefit individuals facing challenges such as:

  • A stroke survivor who can’t use their right arm and needs to relearn one-handed techniques to cook or brush teeth again.

  • A child with autism that needs to learn how to transition smoothly between tasks at school.

  • A person recovering from an accident needing to climb stairs or return to work.

  • An older adult with arthritis needing to adapt their kitchen to reduce joint pain when cooking.

OTs act as the bridge between physical recovery and real-world function. While a physiotherapist might help you regain strength in your hand, an OT helps you accurately and precisely use that hand again to tie your shoelaces or open a jar.

Which is why its common to see Occupational therapists collaborate with:

  • Physiotherapists, who focus on rebuilding strength and movement

  • Chiropractors, who restore joint function and alignment

  • Speech therapists, who work on communication and swallowing

  • Doctors, who manage medical conditions

  • Psychologists, who support mental health

In essence, Occupational therapy helps people live life on their terms— even when life changes. It’s not just about healing the body, but about regaining freedom, purpose, and participation in daily life. Occupational therapy is about maximising independence and participation by combining:

  • Functional rehabilitation

  • Environmental adaptations (like grab bars or screen readers)

  • Cognitive and sensory support

  • Goal-based therapy (e.g. returning to school, resuming hobbies, managing fatigue)

OTs look at the whole person, the tasks they want to do, and the environment they’re in—and then help all three work together in harmony.