The accomplishments of occupational therapy in the field of child and adolescent mental health

Abstract

Introduction Although, throughout history, Occupational Therapy has actively followed the development of the field of child and adolescent mental health, there is low production on the elements that characterize the core of the profession in this field, highlighting the importance of research that advances in this direction. Objectives To identify the perspective of occupational therapists involved in the psychosocial care of children and adolescents on the professional core of Occupational Therapy in the field of child and adolescent mental health and analyze how non-occupational therapists involved in the psychosocial care of children and adolescents describe the practice of occupational therapists in this field. Method Study with a qualitative and quantitative approach, developed in two phases. The first phase had the participation of 107 professionals working in the field of mental health of children and adolescents, who answered an online questionnaire. In the second phase, 32 professionals participated, who composed four virtual focus groups. The Iramuteq® software was used to analyze the data from both phases. Results The following were identified as characteristic occupations of Occupational Therapy in the field of mental health for children and adolescents: the focus on occupations, daily life activities, routines and daily life of individuals; the integral perspective on the subjects, the weave of networks and the promotion of intersectionality; the acting in situations of intense psychic suffering and handling crisis situations; the acting in the most serious and complex cases. Conclusion The study demonstrates the characteristics Occupational Therapy’s work in the field of mental health for children and adolescents, highlighting the importance of this professional core for the collective construction of care in this field.