A Discussion on the Skills of the Occupational Therapist Working within a Multidisciplinary Team

Abstract

Occupational therapists who have experience of working in multidisciplinary teams will be aware of the advantages and disadvantages. A frequent area of confusion and sometimes conflict lies in defining the role of the individual disciplines. This article looks at the history and the philosophy of occupational therapy and discusses the skills contributed by the occupational therapist working within a multidisciplinary team in mental health. It divides the skills of the occupational therapist into: practices restricted to occupational therapists; those expected of occupational therapists; those shared with other disciplines; and specialist skills acquired through individual interest and enthusiasm. The authors hope that it will encourage occupational therapists working in multidisciplinary teams to define more clearly, and with greater confidence, their skills in their areas of work.

Occupational Therapy in Mental Health: A Review of the Literature

“…Joice and Coia (1989) examined the role of the profession in the multidisciplinary team and highlighted its value. They identified a lack of understanding of the range of skills which could be provided and that therapists needed to be more confident of their contribution.…”

“…This emphasis on low profile and lack of confidence may be linked, not only to the dearth of published research (Joice and Coia, 1989) but also to the limited literature describing the scope of the profession in mental health. Two exceptions were, first,…”

Community Mental Health Teams: Occupational Therapists' Changing Role

“…In order to maintain quality of care, the professional groups felt that ideally the nature of the client's needs should be matched to the most appropriate professional who is skilled in meeting those needs (Joice and Coia 1989). Patmore and Weaver (1989) recognised that the range of skills and knowledge required to provide the variety of services to each client could not always be provided by a single worker.…”

“…Studies have found that there are some areas where professionals' skills overlap and some areas of specific professional skill (Joice and Coia 1989, Clarke and Robertshaw 1990, Lloyd 1992. Where professional skills are identified, it has been found that the methods of allocation used at some referral meetings have not always resulted in the most suitable professional taking on the most appropriate referral (Patmore and Weaver 1991).…”

A descriptive survey to identify the perceived skills and community skill requirements of mental health staff

“…Multidisciplinary working has been widely advocated (SHHD 1988, DoH 1989 , 1993) but there are problems, such as professional conflict, role erosion and role blurring which can undermine team function ( Glasscote & Gudeman 1969, Bloom & Parad 1976, Joice & Coia 1989, Weaver & Patmore 1990, Busuttil 1992, Shaw 1993, Watson 1994). Concerns raised by health professionals include: a social work ‘take over’ ( Teasdale 1993); the movement towards a generic mental health professional ( Shaw 1993); lack of a shared professional philosophy ( Purser et al 1988 ); and the increasing emphasis on non‐professional carers ( Shaw 1993).…”