Description

This course provides occupational therapy practitioners and students with a comprehensive understanding of psychosocial considerations across all occupational therapy practice contexts. Learners will explore occupational therapy mental health models and frames of reference, trauma-informed care, common mental health conditions, psychosocial evaluations, evidence-informed interventions, and group process and facilitation. The course also examines medical-based and complementary interventions that can support mental health, occupational participation, and overall well-being. A unique and engaging feature of the course is access to recorded live interviews with individuals who have received occupational therapy services, providing authentic consumer perspectives and meaningful insight into lived experiences, recovery, and the impact of occupational therapy. Through practical examples and real-world perspectives, participants will develop greater confidence in applying psychosocial principles to promote client-centered, trauma-informed, and occupation-based practice across diverse OT settings.

This is an excellent foundational course for students to take prior to the ClinEdWeb's Elle/Marcus and Vera/Simone case scenarios. Certificate of Completion provided.

Please scroll down to review the Course Curriculum and Learning Objectives

Course Content

scroll down for more details

  • Curriculum

    Find below curriculum with specific course content - videos, assessments, treatments, resources, documentation forms

  • Learning Objectives

    Comprehensive list of learning objectives for this course found below

  • ACOTE Standards

    Scroll down to view the ACOTE standards addressed in this scenario

Course Curriculum

    1. Meet Your Instructors

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Introduction

    3. Course Objectives

      FREE PREVIEW

    4. History of Occupational Therapy in Mental Health

    5. Timeline: OT in Mental Health

    6. B.1.3. Social Determinants of Health/ Mental Health

    7. SDMH and Occupational Therapy

    8. OT Mental Health Settings

    9. Quiz 1: B.1.3. Introduction Quiz

    1. Module 1 Introduction: Mental Health Practice Models and FOR

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Broad Theoretical Frameworks (Foundational theories)

    3. Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF-4)

    4. Models of Practice

    5. Frames of Reference

    6. Pulling it All Together: OTPF-Model-Framework

    7. Video Case Study: OTPF-Model-Framework

    8. Intentional Relationship Model (IRM)

    9. Therapeutic Use of Self Reflection Activity

    10. Recovery Model

    11. Recovery Model: A Professional and Personal Viewpoint

    12. Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) Clinical Pearl

    13. Kawa Model

    14. Kawa Model Case Study

    15. Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) Model

    16. PEO in practice

    17. Occupational Adaptation (OA)

    18. Occupational Adaptation In Practice

    19. Model of Human Occupation (MOHO)

    20. MOHO In Practice

    21. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

    22. Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

    23. Sensory Processing / Sensory Modulation FOR Overview

    24. Sensory Modulation and Self-Regulation - OT Application

    25. Cognitive Disabilities Model

    26. Quiz 2: B.2.1. B.3.1. Models and Frames of Reference

    27. Assignment: B.2.1. B.2.7. B.3.2. B.3.5. Applying the OTPF, Models, and Frames of Reference in Mental Health

    1. Module 2 Introduction: Trauma-Informed Care

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. What is Trauma-Informed Care (TIC)?

    3. TIC: A Professional and Personal Perspective

    4. What is Trauma?

    5. Trauma is Universal

    6. Types of Trauma

    7. Examples of Trauma

    8. Trauma is Subjective

    9. Trauma and Early Relationships

    10. Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE)

    11. ACE Study

    12. The Triune Brain Model

    13. Triggers

    14. Traumatic Memories

    15. Hallmarks of Trauma

    16. Effects of Trauma

    17. Trauma Survivors

    18. Trauma in the Workplace

    19. Empowering through OT Practice

    20. Minimize Re-traumatization

    21. Therapeutic Relationships

    22. Resilience

    23. Body-Based, Holistic, Action-oriented Coping Skills

    24. Sensory Interventions

    25. Vestibular Input

    26. Touch

    27. Types of Deep Pressure Input

    28. Client Responses to Deep Pressure Interventions

    29. Proprioceptive activities/ Heavy Work Intervention Strategies

    30. Proprioceptive Activities for Children

    31. Conclusion

    32. Quiz 3: B.2.6. Trauma-Informed Care

    33. Assignment: B.2.6. Trauma-Informed Care

    1. Module 3 Introduction: Mental Health Conditions and Lived Experiences

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. The Person vs. The Diagnosis

    3. Peer Support/ Specialists

    4. How to Become a Mental Health Peer Specialist

    5. Peer Specialist: A Professional and Personal Perspective

    6. Anxiety Disorders

    7. Anxiety Disorders: OT Intervention

    8. Mood Disorders

    9. Bipolar Disorder: A Lived Experience

    10. Personality Disorders

    11. Personality Disorders: OT Intervention

    12. Eating Disorders

    13. Eating Disorders: OT Intervention

    14. Neurocognitive Disorders

    15. Neurocognitive Disorders: OT Intervention

    16. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

    17. ASD Advocate/ Specialist

    18. Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

    19. Substance Use Disorder: OT Intervention

    20. Psychotic Disorders

    21. Psychotic Disorders: OT Intervention

    22. Quiz 4: B.2.6. Mental Health Conditions and Experiences

    23. Assignment: B.2.6. MH Conditions and Lived Experience

    1. Module 4 Introduction: Evaluation

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. OT and OTA Evaluation Roles and Responsibilities

    3. Interviewing/Motivational Interviewing

    4. Motivational Interviewing - Steve

    5. Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM)

    6. Child and Parent Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) Interview

    7. Occupational Performance History Interview–II (OPHI-II)

    8. Occupational Self Assessment (OSA)

    9. Model of Human Occupation Screening Tool (MOHOST)

    10. MOHOST Matching Game

    11. Interest Checklists

    12. Role Checklists

    13. Activity Card Sort (ACS)

    14. Adapted Activity Card Sort

    15. Allen Cognitive Screen (ACLS)/ Allen Diagnostic Module (ADM)

    16. Sensory Profiles

    17. Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile Example

    18. Environmental and Occupational Performance

    19. Assessing Environmental Safety

    20. Environmental Assessment Tools

    21. Medication Box Assessment

    22. St Louis University Mental Status Exam (SLUMS)

    23. Short Blessed Test (SBT)

    24. Short Blessed Test (SBT) Example

    25. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)

    26. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Example

    27. Kitchen Task Assessment (KTA)

    28. Menu Task Assessment (MTA)

    29. Pediatric Assessment: Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function: BRIEF-2

    30. Pediatric Assessment: Child Attachment and Play Assessment (CAPA)

    31. Pediatric Assessment: Perceived Efficacy and Goal Setting System (PEGS)

    32. Pediatric Assessment: Coping Inventory

    33. Goal Development

    34. Quiz 5: B.3.3. Evaluation

    35. Assignment: B.3.3. B.3.22. Mental Health Evaluation

    1. Module 5 Introduction: Intervention and Group Process

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Client Factors: Values, Beliefs, Spirituality

    3. Client Factors: Mental Functions

    4. Performance Patterns

    5. Performance Skills

    6. Activity Demands, Analysis, and Adaptation

    7. Context and Environmental Factors

    8. Approach

    9. Types of Occupational Therapy Interventions in Mental Health

    10. Occupations and Activities

    11. Interventions to Support Occupations

    12. Advocacy

    13. Advocacy: An Expert Perspective

    14. Group Interventions

    15. Types of Group Intervention

    16. Leadership Roles

    17. Group Roles

    18. Tuckman's Stages of Group Development in Mental Health Occupational Therapy

    19. Virtual Interventions

    20. Wellness Promotion

    21. Intra and Interprofessional Collaboration

    22. Safety Considerations

    23. Preventing Escalation

    24. Reducing Seclusion and Restraint Use

    25. Allen Cognitive Level-Guided Intervention Planning

    26. Children and Adolescents

    27. Education, Resources, and Advocacy

    28. Intervention Wrap-Up

    29. Quiz 6: B.3.2. B.3.6. B.3.8. Interventions

    30. Assignment: B.2.7. B.3.5. B.3.8. B.3.18. B.3.22. B.4.2. Intervention and Group Process

    1. Module 6 Introduction: Integrating Psychosocial Considerations in Phys Rehab

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Lorie

    3. Lorie's Professional Experience: Psychosocial Considerations in Phys Rehab

    4. Jason

    5. Jason's Lived Experience

    6. Dean

    7. Dean's Lived Experience

    8. Stephanie

    9. Stephanie's Lived Experience

    10. Chris

    11. Chris's Lived Experience

    12. Quiz 7: B.3.6. Psychosocial Considerations in Physical Rehab

    13. Assignment: Psychosocial Impact of Physical Injury/ Diagnosis Reflection

    1. Module 7 Introduction: Medical-Based and Complementary Interventions

    2. Psychotropic Medications Overview

    3. Adverse Effects

    4. Neuromodulation and Brain Stimulation

    5. Medical-Based Interventions: A Professional and Personal Viewpoint

    6. Detoxification

    7. Complementary Interventions

    8. Complementary Interventions: A Professional and Personal Perspective

    9. Quiz 8: B.3.6. Medical-Based and Complementary Interventions

    10. Assignment: B.3.6. Medical-Based and Complementary Interventions

    1. Discussion Forum Questions

    1. Summative Exam Preparation

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Summative Exam

    3. Post-Course Evaluation Survey - (Required for CEUs)

About this course

  • $95.00
  • 184 lessons
  • 5 hours of video content

Meet Your Instructors

OTR Stephen Nawotniak

With over 25 years of walking both sides of the mental health journey as a clinician and as someone living with bipolar disorder, Stephen Nawotniak, OTR, breaks down complex experiences into real, relatable stories. He speaks to the heart and the mind, helping professionals, educators, and caregivers build authentic connections, deeper understanding, and lasting impact.

DOT, OTR/L Allison Sullivan

Allison Sullivan, DOT, OTR/L is Professor and Lead Faculty for AIC’s Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate program, serving as academic advisor, mentoring doctoral capstone projects and teaching courses for the PP-OTD. Allison also teaches in AIC’s entry-level MSOT program, focusing on the development of psychosocial occupations, group dynamics, and the mental health process in OT. As an occupational therapist and educator, Dr. Sullivan has dedicated her career toward improving the lives of individuals with cognitive disabilities and health conditions that interfere with participation and quality of life across the lifespan, working in day habilitation services, school-based occupational therapy, and residential settings in a career spanning three decades. She is the chair of the MAOT Western Massachusetts Mental Health Special Interest Group, and sits on the boards of the Martin Luther King Jr Family Services of Springfield, Allen Cognitive Network, and The Lighthouse, a psychosocial clubhouse in Springfield. Dr. Sullivan also serves on the Human Rights Committee for Viability, Inc., an organization which provides day habilitation services and programs across the US.

OTR/L Sarah Clemons-Wagner

Sarah Clemons-Wagner is a licensed Occupational Therapist who has specialized in Behavioral Health for over 17 years. Sarah worked in acute inpatient behavioral health and with several community mental health organizations. She recently transitioned to home health where she continues to provide holistic care. Her passion is to increase quality of life through education and empowerment.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

1.  Examine the service delivery models for OT within mental health practice.

2.  Describe common mental health assessments and application to practice.

3.  Evaluate the impact of mental health conditions on roles, occupational performance, routines, and patterns.

4.  Apply concepts of safety precautions and procedures to occupational therapy practice.

5.  Identify effects, side effects, and considerations for medical-based and complementary interventions.

6.  Demonstrate application of therapeutic techniques in OT practice.

7.  Develop strategies for creating a client-driven mental health focused occupational therapy intervention plan.

8.  Describe components of OT interventions in mental health settings.

9. Demonstrate understanding of the application of the OTPF-4 in mental health practice.

10. Integrate the occupational therapy practice framework language into psychosocial practice.

11. Recall importance of psychosocial elements in OT practice throughout all contexts.

12. Define and apply common frames of references and models used in psychosocial practice.

13. Illustrate the significant role of a peer specialist.

14. Recall the social determinants of mental health and application to occupational therapy.

15. Recognize common psychiatric diagnoses and related symptomology.

16. Recall important features of trauma informed care and its application in occupational therapy practice.

17. Analyze the impact of client factors, activity demands, and context/ environment on occupational performance and the consideration of these dynamics in the intervention planning process.


2023 ACOTE Standards Addressed

B.1.3. Social Determinants of Health-See Quiz 1

B.2.1. Scientific Evidence, Theories, Models of Practice, and Frames of Reference - See Quiz 2 & Applying the OTPF, Models, & FOR in MH Assignment

B.2.6. Effects of Disease Processes - See Quiz 3 & 4; Trauma Informed Care Assignment; Mental Health Conditions and Lived Experience Assignment

B.2.7. Activity Analysis - See Applying the OTPF, Models, & FOR in MH Assignment; Intervention & Group Process Assignment

B.3.1. Therapeutic Use of Self- See Quiz 2

B.3.2. Professional Reasoning - See Quiz 6 & Applying the OTPF, Models, & FOR in MH Assignment

B.3.3. Standardized and Nonstandardized Screening and Assessment Tools - See Quiz 5 & Mental Health Evaluation Assignment

B.3.5. Reporting Data - See Applying the OTPF, Models, & FOR in MH Assignment; Intervention & Group Process Assignment

B.3.6. Provide Interventions and Procedures - See Quiz 6, 7 & 8 and Medical and Complementary Interventions in Mental Health Assignment

B.3.8. Grade and Adapt Processes or Environments - See Quiz 6 and Intervention & Group Process Assignment

B.3.18 Technology in Practice- See Intervention & Group Process Assignment

B.3.22. Principles of Interprofessional Team Dynamics- See Mental Health Evaluation Assignment and Intervention & Group Process Assignment

B.4.2. Advocacy- See Intervention & Group Process Assignment

C.1.3. Focus on the occupational therapy practitioner’s role in addressing the psychosocial aspects of the client’s engagement in occupation - See Psychosocial Impact of Physical Injury/ Diagnosis Reflection Assignment





Copyright and Disclaimer Statements:

This website and its content is copyright of Clinical Educators Worldwide, LLC 2026 All rights reserved

Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited other than printing or downloading resources provided, i.e. initial evaluation forms for your personal and non-commercial use only.

You may not, without our express written permission, distribute or commercially exploit the content. Nor may you transmit it or store it in any other website or other electronic retrieval system.

Links and photos provided within the course materials are for informational purposes only. No endorsement of processes or products is intended or implied.