Mental Health Evaluations Used in Occupational Therapy

To teach students occupational therapy evaluation techniques (or methods) in psychiatry, evaluations currently being used in the field were identified. Three consecutive surveys were sent to occupational therapy faculty, clinical supervisors, and clinicians to ascertain which evaluation techniques were being taught, those which the students were expected to know about in their fieldwork experiences, and those which were practiced in the field. On an average, occupational therapy schools were teaching four evaluation tools. Affiliating students were expected to know about 3 of 24 evaluation tools listed in the survey, and none of the evaluation techniques were being practiced significantly by occupational therapists. Since 75 percent of the therapists reported that they developed their own evaluation tools, it was suggested that instructors be familiar with the existing evaluation tools and teach students the methodology required for developing their own evaluation tools (or instruments).